Ivan Marazzi, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

imarazzi@uci.edu

324 Sprague Hall

Ivan is interested in everything that is biology, how things happen and why. He likes to be unfocused, and uses unfocusness to focus.

Serena Abbondante, Ph.D.

Assistant Researcher

sabbonda@uci.edu

Serena is an assistant researcher in Dr. Marazzi’s lab. Her studies are focused on understanding the mechanisms that govern the host’s immune response in the context of infectious diseases, and neurodegenerative and metabolic disorders. She is involved in impactful translational projects aimed at identifying and testing novel compounds to control and suppress sepsis and hyper-inflammation in different animal models.

Yunzi Gou, Ph.D.

Assistant Project Scientist

yunzig@hs.uci.edu

Yunzi is an assistant project scientist in the Marazzi lab. Her focus is to understand why certain cell types show selective vulnerability in neurological and neurodegenerative disorders. When not in the lab, she enjoys movies, playing tennis with friends, and exploring national parks.

Raquel Romero Bueno, Ph.D.

Postdoc

rromerob@hs.uci.edu

Raquel has a longstanding interest in understanding how gene mutation in ubiquitous factors causes tissue-specific alterations, manifested ultimately as diverse forms of diseases. 

Yingcong Li, Ph.D.

Postdoc

yingcol1@uci.edu

Yingcong’s studies focus on neuroimmune interactions and inflammatory diseases in animals and humans. Yingcong graduated from Zhejiang University with a B.S. degree in biomedical sciences and completed her doctoral research at UC San Diego and La Jolla Institute for Immunology. Outside of the lab, Yingcong enjoys cooking, traveling and having fun with her dog Hachi.

Jennifer Nguyen, Ph.D.

Postdoc / Bioinformatician

jennipn6@uci.edu

Jennifer is interested in using computational methods to better understand disease mechanisms.

Mieko Ogura

Lab Manager

oguram@hs.uci.edu

326 Sprague Hall

Mieko’s goal is to make the team successful and happy. She, “Kuroko” have many behind-the-scenes roles, as do the running crew.

Saylob Safi

Undergraduate Researcher

sasafi@uci.edu

Saylob is currently an undergraduate student at the UC Irvine School of Biological Sciences. His research interests reside from growing interests in neurology and interest in using genetics and biochemistry in order to determine how mutations cause infection, inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. Outside of the lab, Saylob is an Emergency Medical Technician. He also enjoys playing basketball, watching movies, and going to the beach.

Ashlynn Wan

Undergraduate Researcher

wanaa@uci.edu

Ashlynn is currently an undergraduate student at UC Irvine majoring in Biological Sciences. Her interest lies in infections and genetic mutations, and how they affect immunological and metabolic responses and processes. Outside of research, she enjoys playing video games, watching TV shows, and listening to music.

Isabella Lau

Undergraduate Researcher

ilau3@uci.edu

Isabella Lau is a current UC Irvine undergraduate student in the School of Biological Sciences and the Campuswide Honors Collegium. Her research interest lies in how genetics increases/ decreases the likelihood for neurodegenerative diseases and ways to decrease the overall likelihood of such diseases. Beyond research, Isabella enjoys trying new restaurants, baking, and binge-watching television shows. 

Lauren Yung

Undergraduate Researcher

yunglm@uci.edu

Lauren Yung is a first-year Public Health major at UC Irvine with a passion for exploring the intersection of machine learning, virology, and epigenetics. She’s so far had experience focusing on topics like pulmonary hypertension, inflammation, and viral infections. Currently, her research interests center around how epigenetics influences both the short and long-term outcomes of viral infections. Outside of academics, she enjoys creating pottery inspired by traditional Chinese art and Impressionist styles (like Monet!), and loves taking their dog to the beach.