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. 

Lily works on using iPSC-derived neural cell types models to study the effects of APOE on metabolism and Alzheimer’s disease pathology. She completed her bachelors with a major in Microbiology at the University of Michigan before joining the Narayan Lab. Lily is supported by an NIH Intramural Research Training Award for her work in the lab as a Post-Baccalaureate Fellow. She likes to eat and explore restaurants.

Zach is a postdoctoral fellow in the lab studying ApoE structure and function. He received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania where he studied natural genetic variation of the protein-disaggregase Hsp104 with Jim Shorter. At Penn, he was awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), and the 2021 Saul Winegrad Award for outstanding dissertation in biochemistry.

Cassie works on investigating the effects of APOE4 on endocytosis. She completed her Bachelor’s of Science in biochemistry at Chatham University under the supervision of Dr. Nataliya Myshakina. Before joining the Narayan Lab, Cassie completed a research internship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where she conducted Parkinson's disease and NeuroAIDS research. Cassie is supported by an intramural research training award for her work in the lab as a Post-baccalaureate Fellow. Cassie loves meeting new people through soccer, knitting things for friends, and stand-up comedy 

Roxan works on understanding how changes in cellular lipid metabolism influences the risk and/or 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 is supported by an NINDS Diversity Training Fellowship. Roxan enjoys nature walks and hiking during her spare time.

Linda is a life science researcher who is also engaged in the bioethics of CRISPR-edited cell systems and scientific public engagement. In the Narayan Lab, she is our scientific manager. She received her BSc in molecular biology and biochemistry from Simon Fraser University and her MSc in life sciences from Kyoto University. Her research has primarily focused on elucidating the role of DNA damage and epigenetic marks in chromatin biology.