ABOUT US
We are always looking for intrepid explorers to join our team!
See the contact/join us page for more info.
Gilad received his undergraduate degree in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from MIT, and completed his MD and PhD at Harvard Medical School / Boston Children’s Hospital. After a Pediatrics residency at Mount Sinai Hospital, he joined NYU Langone as an Assistant Professor in the Center for Human Genetics and Genomics and the Departments of Pediatrics and Neuroscience.
Benjamin Costa
Research Associate
Ben completed his undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences at Cornell University, spending much of his time in Cornell’s Computational Physiology Laboratory with Dr. Christiane Linster studying serotonin signaling modulation of olfactory perception within the olfactory bulb. In addition, Ben was a TA in Biochemistry and Genetics Lab courses. Ben has an interest in personalized medicine, and in the future wants to pursue a career combining medicine and research to develop new diagnostic and treatment methods for rare diseases. In his free time, he enjoys fitness, hiking, reading, and music.
Adam Schwing
Graduate Student (MD-PhD)
Adam completed his undergraduate degree in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Rutgers University. During a post-baccalaureate IRTA fellowship at the NIH, he studied the human antibody lineages produced in response to Ebolavirus vaccination or infection. The power of lineage tracing techniques in unraveling the dynamics of the immune response inspired him to learn to apply them to other systems. In his free time, Adam enjoys fitness, cooking, and exploring New York City.
Emma Mizrahi-Powell, MS
Research Genetic Counselor, Undiagnosed Diseases Program
Emma earned her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience & Behavior and her Master’s degree in Genetic Counseling, both at Columbia University. Emma’s graduate research focused on the diagnostic odyssey of patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Through her work, she gained valuable insights into the challenges faced by individuals with rare conditions. Emma is deeply fascinated by the world of genetics and is driven by her desire to provide answers and support to families affected by genetic disease. In her free time, Emma enjoys playing board games with friends, binge-watching great shows, and spending quality time in nature.
Marta Gronska-Peski, PhD
Post-doctoral fellow
Marta received her undergraduate degree in Biology from the City College of New York, and completed her PhD in Neuroscience at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In her graduate research, she studied the roles of FGF signaling in adult hippocampal neurogenesis and developed cell transplantation methods for cortical regeneration. Her future research interests are focused on developing methods for single-cell genomics and their application to brain tumors. In her free time, Marta likes to hike nature trails and explore NYC restaurants.
Emilia Bianchini
Research Associate
Emilia completed her undergraduate degree in Biomolecular Science and a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering, both at New York University. In her prior research, she studied macrophage polarization and its role in inflammation and osteoarthritis. During college, she also served as a teaching assistant in Molecular Biology and Physiology courses. In the future, she plans to have a career in medicine with a specific interest in psychiatry. She enjoys exploring the city, especially restaurants, with friends and spending time outdoors.
Toby Aicher
Graduate Student (MD-PhD)
Toby received his undergraduate degree from Middlebury College in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. Before joining NYU’s MD-PhD program, he spent two years working as a research associate at MIT using single-cell RNA-sequencing to understand how the immune system responds to HIV infection. His primary lab interests lie in understanding the origins of brain tumors. Outside of lab, Toby enjoys hiking, tennis, and listening to podcasts.
Caitlin Loh, MS
Research Technician / Lab Manager
Caitlin completed her undergraduate degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology at Johns Hopkins University. She previously worked in neuropathology at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, where she helped study post-mortem human brains to understand the biological underpinnings of psychiatric disease. Caitlin’s future goals include using her research experience to guide a career in genetic counseling. In her free time, she enjoys going to the movies, attending concerts, and traveling.
Amoolya Srinivasa, MS
Bioinformatician
Amoolya received her undergraduate degree in Biotechnology from Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering in India and her Master’s degree in Bioinformatics from Northeastern University. She previously worked as a Bioinformatics co-op at NextRNA Therapeutics on target identification, structural modeling, and RNA drug discovery efforts. Amoolya’s future aspiration is to do a PhD in computational biology. In her free time, Amoolya enjoys going on hikes, making digital illustrations, and exploring the city.
Alumni
Zachary Murphy (Research Associate, 2021-2023; Current: PhD student at Harvard Medical School)
Tina Truong (Senior Research Coordinator – Undiagnosed Diseases Program, 2020-2023; Current: Genetic Counselor at Boston Children’s Hospital)
Mei Hong Liu (Research Associate, 2020-2022; Current: Medical student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine)
Ananya Jambhale (MD-PhD rotation student, 2022)
Rachel Bandler (MD-PhD student, 2020-2021; Current: Yale Psychiatry Residency Program)
Erica Sadler (MD-PhD rotation student, 2021)
Danielle Seda (Research Associate, 2019-2021; Current: Medical student at NYU)
Odelia Chorin (Research coordinator, 2019-2020; Current: Sheba Medical Center, Israel)
Una Choi (Research Associate, 2019-2020; Current: Medical student at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine)
Pei-Feng Hsu (PhD rotation student, 2020)
Brianna Berrios (PhD rotation student, 2019)
Samuel Magaziner (MD-PhD rotation student, 2019)
Kathleen McDonald (Master’s Student, 2018-2019)
