Current Openings
Potential graduate students for 2023-2024 must be accepted into the Rutgers Neuroscience or Molecular Biosciences graduate programs.
Undergraduate students interested in joining the lab can apply by filling out our application form.
For other positions, please send inquiries and your CV to b.daniels [at] rutgers.edu!
Current Members
Brian Daniels, PhD
Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience
Brian is from Greenville, SC and received BA/BS degrees in English and Behavioral Biology. He completed a PhD in neuroscience at Washington University in St. Louis in 2015. He then completed postdoctoral training at the University of Washington in Seattle. He joined the department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at Rutgers as an assistant professor in 2019. Brian is a fan of audiobooks and musical theatre.
(CV) Twitter: @briandanielsli
Colm Atkins, PhD
Laboratory Manager, Research Associate
Colm is from Rockville, MD and earned a BS in Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics and a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Maryland. He earned his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2014, followed by postdoctoral training at the University of Texas Medical Branch. You can find him riding a bike, listening to a record, reading a book, or walking a dog.
(Personal Website) (ORCID) Twitter: @_colm_
Juan Angel
PhD Student
Juan is originally from Colombia. He received a BA in Cell Biology & Neuroscience from Rutgers University in 2021. He joined the lab in 2021 as a postbac scholar and continued with us as a PhD student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow in 2023. In his free time, Juan enjoys hiking, exercising, and taking pictures.
Tracy Chou
PhD Student
Tracy did her undergraduate studies at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan, and completed an MS degree in Biology from New York University in 2017. She is currently a fifth year PhD student in the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Program at Rutgers. Tracy enjoys baking and listening to a broad range of music.
Evan DaPrano
PhD Student
Evan is from Syracuse, NY and received his BS in Neuroscience from Binghamton University. He is currently a second year student in the Neuroscience Program. Outside of the lab, Evan enjoys playing volleyball, skiing, cooking, and baking.
Irving Estevez
PhD Student
Irving is from New York City and earned his BS and later MS in Neuroscience from The City College of New York in 2020. He is currently a fourth year PhD student in the Neuroscience Program at Rutgers. He enjoys spending time with his dog, hiking, sprint triathlons, musicals, watching Shark Tank, and RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Marissa Lindman
PhD Student
Marissa received a BS degree in Microbiology from Oregon State University in 2017. She is currently a fifth year PhD student in the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Program at Rutgers. Outside of the lab, she can be found hiking and mountain biking New Jersey’s “mountains."
Diego Alzate
Undergraduate Researcher
Diego is from Oakland, NJ, and is currently a junior majoring in Cell Biology & Neuroscience. He joined the lab in Fall of 2022 and plans to attend graduate and/or medical school after his undergraduate studies. In his free time, Diego enjoys watching soccer and football, as well as checking out new music.
Ben Buckley
Undergraduate Researcher
Ben is from Flemington, NJ and is currently a senior at Rutgers, double majoring in Cell Biology & Neuroscience and Philosophy. He joined the lab in Fall 2021 and plans to attend graduate school after his undergraduate studies. In his free time, he enjoys playing chess, listening to music, and going to the beach.
Nicole Jorge
Undergraduate Researcher
Nicole is currently a sophomore majoring in Biological Sciences. She joined the lab in Fall 2023 through the Aresty Research Assistants Program and is exploring pursuing either graduate or medical school for the future. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, hiking, and spending time with her pet cats and dog.
Micheal McCourt
Undergraduate Researcher
Micheal (Mickey) is from Churchville, PA and is a senior majoring in Cell Biology & Neuroscience. He joined the lab in the summer of 2022 and plans to pursue a PhD in neuroscience. In his free time, Mickey likes to make music under the name "Mickey.James" and is an avid disc golfer.
Santiago Mesa Botero
Undergraduate Animal Technician
Santiago is originally from Bogotá, Colombia, but grew up in Weehawken, New Jersey. He is a sophomore majoring in Animal Science on the Pre-Veterinary track. He joined the lab in Summer 2023 and plans on pursuing a career in veterinary medicine. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends, trying different coffee shops, visiting the Rutgers Farm, and going out to eat.
Alumni
Graduate Students
Nydia Chang: PhD Student (2019-2023)
Nydia joined the lab as a PhD student in the Neuroscience Program in 2019. Nydia established models of Parkinson's disease in the lab and earned numerous awards, including an F31 fellowship from NINDS. She is currenty a postdoc with Binfeng Lu at the Institute for Immunological Intervention at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.
Undergraduate Students
Sarah Adams: Undergraduate Researcher (2021-2022)
Sarah was a CBN major who worked in the lab as part of the Aresty Research Assistants Program. She contributed to analysis of our first metabolomics datasets analyzing roles for p53 during viral infection in astrocytes. She is currently pursuing clinical opportunities in preparation for medical school.
Srija Indukuri: Undergraduate Researcher (2019-2020)
Srija was a CBN major who performed some of our first studies of RIPK3 signaling in astrocytes during ZIKV infection. She also assisted with management of our transgenic animal colony. Srija is currently a data analyst at Camber Pharmaceuticals.
Medha Krishnagiri: Undergraduate Researcher (2019-2021)
Medha was a CBN major whose project focused on mechanisms of programmed cell death during Parkinson's disease. She was a recipient of a Summer Student Fellowship from the Parkinson's Foundation (2020). She then did a postbac in the NIH IRTA program, working in Mark Cookson's lab. She is currently working as a policy analyst at the NIH/NIAMS Planning, Policy, and Analysis Branch, while pursing an MPH at the University of Maryland.
Po-Lun Kung: Undergraduate Researcher (2019-2022)
Po was a double major in CBN and Communications in the SAS Honors Program. He led some of our initial work analyzing the impact of adult ZIKV infection on brain function and behavior, even publishing a first author paper as an undergraduate! Po was recognized as a Henry Rutgers Scholar (2022) and is currently a PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania in the Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology program in the lab of Chris Thom.
Nick Panzera: Undergraduate Researcher (2020-2023)
Nick was a CBN major who joined the lab through the Aresty Research Assistants Program. He initiated the foundational work for our ongoing studies examining how RIPK3 shapes susceptibility to excitotoxic cell death in neurons. Nick was recognized as a Henry Rutgers Scholar (2023) and is currently a PhD student in Immunology at the University of Washington, Seattle.
Aisha Patel: Undergraduate Researcher (2019-2020)
Aisha was a CBN major in the SAS honors program. She was the recipient of a DLS Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (2019). She was also named a Henry Rutgers Scholar (2020) in recognition of her outstanding honors thesis examining roles for alpha synuclein in promoting neuroinflammatory astrocyte polarization. Aisha is currently a PA student at Touro University Manhattan.
Winnie Wong: Undergraduate Researcher (2019-2021)
Winnie was a CBN major who initiated our first studies examining roles for P53 during Zika virus infection. She was the recipient of an Aresty Undergraduate Research Fellowship (2019) and a DLS Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (2020). She is currently pursuing a DDS at the University at Buffalo.
Others
Hahram Kim: Visiting Undergraduate Researcher (Summer 2019)
Hahram did a summer internship in the lab through the Meiklejohn Fellowship Program at Amherst College. He is currently working as a postgraduate associate at Yale University.