Lab Members

Priyanka completed her Ph.D in biophysics at the University of Cambridge with David Klenerman and Christopher Dobson. She then trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the Whitehead Institute and MIT with Susan Lindquist and Li-Huei Tsai. In 2020, she started her own research program at the NIH to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying risk and resilience to neurodegenerative diseases.

Carla works on understanding the impact of Alzheimer’s disease risk and protective genetic variants on organellar dynamics in glial cells. She completed her B.Sc. at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Spain) and M.Sc. at University College London (UK), and then moved to Australia to undertake doctoral studies at the University of Queensland. In her Ph.D. work, she specialized in developing 3D patient-derived brain cell models of neurodegenerative diseases. In her spare time, Carla enjoys painting, hiking, and traveling.

Artur works on modulating endocytosis in iPSC-derived glia to understand biological mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease with the goal of finding possible therapeutics. He completed his bachelor’s at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH and is currently a graduate student in the Brown-NIH Graduate Partnership Program. Before joining the Narayan Lab, Artur worked on neurodevelopmental disorders with a focus on investigating the role of glia in brain development. Outside of lab, Artur is a Washington Capitals fan and likes to play soccer.

Jessica is a postdoctoral fellow interested in investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disease. She works on understanding the cell autonomous and non-cell autonomous effects of lipid droplet modulation in astrocytes caused by APOE variants. Before joining the Narayan lab, she completed her Ph.D. training at Emory University in the lab of Dr. Thomas Kukar supported by a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) studying the biological role of granulin subunits. In addition to her work in the lab Jessica is a committed mentor and instructor and enjoys hiking, baking, and checking out the great museums around D.C.

Roxan works on understanding how changes in cellular lipid metabolism influences the risk and resilience to Alzheimer’s disease. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at Grambling State University and her doctoral studies at the University of Rochester (under the supervision of Dr. Michael Welte) before joining the Narayan Lab. Roxan’s research is supported by the NINDS Diversity Training Fellowship Award and the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements Scholars Award.