Postdoctoral researchers
Amit Berson, PhD
Amit investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying ALS/FTD with a focus on the contribution of epigenetic mechanisms and their potential use in developing novel therapeutics.
email: amitbe at sas.upenn.edu
Leeanne McGurk, PhD
email: lmcgurk at sas.upenn.edu
Graduate students
China Byrns, MD-PhD candidate in Neuroscience
China studies the role of glia in the pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury, using a fly model to dissect the molecular mechanisms driving inflammation and decline post-injury.
email: china.byrns at uphs.upenn.edu
Chia-Yu Chung, PhD candidate in Genetics & Epigenetics
Chia-Yu investigates the role of transcription factors and complexes in the molecular pathophysiology of ALS/FTD.
email: chiach at pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Lindsey Goodman, PhD candidate in Neuroscience
Lindsey has developed a number of novel gain of function models for C9orf72-associated ALS/FTD. Her continued work uses these fly models and human derived samples to define disease mechanisms.
email: goodmanl at upenn.medicine.edu
Alexandra Perlegos, PhD candidate in Neuroscience
Alexandra focuses on the RNA modification N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and understanding its critical role in cellular stress as well as chronic stress states in the brain, particularly aging and degenerative disease.
email: perlegos at pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Janani Saikumar, PhD candidate in Biology
Janani developed and characterized a novel model of traumatic brain injury in flies and is using it to study perturbations of the cellular stress response and its role in TBI pathophysiology.
email: sjanani at sas.upenn.edu
Ananth Srinivasan, PhD candidate in Biology
Ananth studies the impact of microRNA-34 on healthy brain aging and susceptibility to neurodegenerative disease.
email: ananths at sas.upenn.edu
Staff
Olivia Rifai, Research specialist
Olivia originally joined the lab as an undergraduate in Penn’s Vagelos Scholars Program. In her current position, she investigates the role of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases in TDP-43 degradation and Ataxin-2 toxicity in a fly model.
email: orifai at sas.upenn.edu
Undergraduate students
Johanna Inamagua, Research assistant
Johanna is a sophomore at Penn. She works with Ananth to study the impact of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 on brain aging.
email: johannai at sas.upenn.edu
Zhecheng Jin, Research assistant
Jin is a visiting junior at Penn. He works with China characterizing novel molecular processes involved in the response to traumatic brain injury.
email: zhecheng at sas.upenn.edu
Sofiya Patra, Research assistant
Sofiya is a junior at Penn, majoring in Biology with a concentration in Neuroscience. She works with Alex studying the role of the m6A RNA modification in aging and cellular stress.
email: spatra at sas.upenn.edu
Luis Martinez Ramirez, Research assistant
Luis is a senior at Penn, majoring in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. He works with Lindsey and has helped define the PAF1 complex as a modifier of C9orf72-associated ALS/FTD.
email: martluis at sas.upenn.edu
Alumni
For a complete list of past members of the Bonini lab, see here.