Lab Olympics, 2025
Hike at the Department Retreat, 2024
Hike at the Department Retreat, 2025
Tulsi's mum and grandma visit the lab
Winners of Lab Olympics 2025
Lab Olympics 2025
Brain Health Institute Symposium 2024
Tulsi Patel, PhD - Assistant Professor, PI
Hello! I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology. I did my undergrad at the University of Georgia, my PhD with Oliver Hobert at Columbia University, and my Postdoc with Hynek Wichterle at Columbia University.
As a PI, I prioritize both rigorous research and the well being of all lab members. I believe that science is best/most fun when the people doing it feel supported.
In addition to science, my interests include labor rights (I was an organizer, bargaining committee member, and executive board member for the postdoc union at Columbia), running, painting, and spending time with friends and family.
Hsuan-Ming Chi, MS - Lab Manager
Hsuan-Ming, a Research Teaching Specialist in the lab, holds a master's degree in biotechnology from NYU and is poised to explore the intriguing domain of neurobiology.
Apart from his fervor for biology, Hsuan-Ming possesses a keen interest in programming languages and recognizes their significance in scientific research. He is proactively learning Python and Matlab and has ambitions to further his education in bioinformatics.
In his free time, Hsuan-Ming enjoys spending time with his friends and family. He’s a fan of sports, such as baseball and basketball, and snowboarding.
Alison Miller - PhD Student
Alison is a graduate student in the Neuroscience program. Previously, she earned a B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience from Northeastern University. After graduation, she worked for a CRISPR-focused biotech company where she conducted in vitro assays related to optimizing potential drug candidates for an ocular disorder.
Her research interests include modeling neurodegenerative disease in vitro. In the lab she is studying stem cell-derived motor neurons.
Outside of the lab, she likes camping and hiking, cooking new recipes, and spending time with her cat, Olive.
Yijia Chen - PhD Student
Yijia is a graduate student in the Molecular Biosciences program. Previously, she earned a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences and a B.A. in Global Health from Arizona State University. After graduation, she pursued an M.S.E in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University where she joined a lab to establish human neural cultures and identify new molecular causes of neurodegenerative diseases.
In lab Yijia is designing novel AAV tools and studying neuronal maturation and degeneration in mice.
Outside of the lab, she likes traveling, hiking, and searching for great food!
Courtney Stains - PhD Student
Courtney is a graduate student in the Molecular Biosciences program. Previously, she earned a B.S. in Biology from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, where she studied tRNA trafficking in S. cerevisiae. She matriculated at Rutgers in 2023 following her undergraduate studies. She is supported by an NIGMS NIH T32 through the Rutgers PhD Training Program in Biotechnology. Courtney’s research interests include neurodegenerative disease, gene regulation, and developmental biology. In lab, she is studying neuronal maturation to understand vulnerabilities to neurodegenerative disease.
Outside of the lab, Courtney enjoys playing volleyball, lifting, reading, going to concerts, trying new foods, and being outside.
Aileen Tian - Undergraduate Student
Aileen is an undergrad at the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences majoring in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. She is very excited to see the intersection between her current studies and her time in the lab and hopes to expand her scientific horizons in an interdisciplinary manner.
For fun, she likes to knit (only scarves), take long walks, and hang out with family and friends.
Neev Sheth- Undergraduate Student
Neev is an undergraduate at the Honors College majoring in Cell Biology and Neuroscience on the premedical track. He is highly interested in exploring neurodegenerative diseases and aspires to write an honors thesis towards the end of his undergraduate career.
In his free time, Neev enjoys watching sports (huge Philly sports fan), weightlifting, listening to music (anything but Country), and hanging out with his family and friends.
Kylee Carlson - Masters Student
Kylee is a graduate student in the Master of Biomedical Sciences program. She earned her B.S. in Biochemistry and Cellular Biology from Bucknell University, where she investigated antimicrobial resistance in the Susquehanna River ecosystem. After graduation, she worked as an analytical chemistry laboratory analyst where she qualified molecular spectroscopy instrumentation for GLP-compliant studies.
Her research interests include molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and the role of biomimicry in regenerative medicine. In the lab she is testing new spinal motor neuron differentiation protocols and analyzing published single-nuclei sequencing datasets to better understand neuronal maturation.
Outside the lab, she enjoys spending time with her family, going for walks, cooking, fishing, and watching football and baseball.
Kavya Shah - Undergraduate Student
Kavya is an undergraduate in the Honors College, majoring in Cell Biology and Neuroscience on the pre-med track. She is excited to work in a lab that studies how neurons mature over time and how changes in gene expression during this process influence neurological diseases.
In her free time, she likes baking (cookies mainly!), traveling, going to concerts, and spending time with her friends and family!
Henri Xhukellari - Undergraduate Student
Henri Xhukellari is an undergraduate student at Rutgers University majoring in Cell Biology and Neuroscience in the Honors College. As a pre-med student with a strong interest in neuroscience, he is excited to be involved in the Tulsi Lab and learn more about the molecular mechanisms that shape neuronal identity and neurodegeneration. He hopes to deepen his understanding of laboratory research while contributing meaningfully to ongoing projects in the lab.
Outside of the lab, he enjoys soccer, traveling, and exploring new interests with friends and family.
Rotation Students
Kaiya Bhatia - Spring 2025 Neuroscience Program
Shorbon Mowla - Winter 2024/2025 Molecular Biosciences Program
Katelyn VanderSleen - Spring 2024 Molecular Biosciences Program
Victoria Brown - Fall 2023 Molecular Biosciences Program