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.
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!
Arianna Nelli - Undergraduate Student
Arianna is an undergraduate student in the Honors College majoring in Biological Sciences and Minoring in Italian on the Pre-Med track. She is very eager to expand her knowledge on neuronal development through her work in the lab.
In her free time, she enjoys singing, traveling, theater, lifting, a walk with an iced coffee, and spending time with people she cares about.
Elliot Malamud - Undergraduate Student
Elliot is an undergraduate student at Rutgers Honors College, majoring in Biotechnology on the pre-med track. He is highly interested in the field of medicine and in gaining a better understanding of neuron maturation.
In his free time, Elliot enjoys walking his dog, listening to rock music, trying new cuisines with friends, and going to the gym.
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