People

Principal Investigator

Kota Mizumoto (2015~)
I like: benchwork
I don’t like: deskwork
I’m good at: microinjection
I’m not good at: politics and social

Graduate students

Mizuki Kurashina (2021~) Ph.D. program in Cell & Dev Biology
Awards: UBC 4-year graduate fellowship, CIHR-CGS-D
Hello! I am a PhD student currently studying the mechanisms underlying synapse formation. I would like to think I am good at explaining and teaching others in a clear manner. I also have the knack to think about experiments logically and I love to brainstorm possibilities. They are the biggest reasons I enjoy grad school! However, being successful in your grad studies requires you to be very organized and timely. I’m not very good at scheduling or organizing but I am working on it! Aside from being a graduate student, I am a coffee enthusiast and I enjoy trying different beans from around the world. I also like brewing coffee/espresso as I find the whole process very relaxing. Feel free to ask me to brew you a cup whenever! I also enjoy playing tennis and cycling when the weather is nice!

Menghao Lu (2021~) Ph.D. Program in Cell & Dev Biology
Awards: UBC 1-year affiliated fellowship
I like: Exploration (both scientific and daily life); learn new things
I’m good at:Brainstorming; troubleshooting; resolving puzzles
Not good at: (I am hoping to improve…)Planning and time management; social networking
Hobbies: Mixology, cooking, videogame

Andrew Snow (2021~) Ph.D. Program in Cell & Dev Biology
Awards: UBC 1-year fellowship, Alzheimer’s Society Doctoral Award
I like: Cooking, board games, pipetting
I don’t like: Cilantro, raw apples, games of pure chance, highly variable data
I’m good at: Reading bedtime stories, teaching microinjection
I’m would like to improve: Story telling, baking

Hayley Ding (2022~) M.Sc. Program in Cell & Dev Biology
Awards:
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I don’t like:
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Sydney Ko (2023/09-)M.Sc. Program in Cell & Dev Biology
Awards: CIHR CGSM, NSERC USRA
I like:
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Undergraduate students

Federico Pini (2021/09-) UBC Biology program/Work Learn
Awards: NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA)
Hi! I’m currently an undergraduate student studying the mechanisms behind synapse formation. I’m good at troubleshooting when experiments aren’t going to plan, and I excel at being the party planning committee of the lab. I strive to keep my ongoing experiments organized, but this is definitely an area I need to improve on. I enjoy doing microinjections (when they work) and day-to-day molecular work like PCR. Outside of the lab, I love to bake, read, and probably spend too much time on Netflix and Tiktok.

Philips Lam (2022/05-) UBC Biology program/Work Learn
Awards: UBC Work Learn International Undergraduate Research Awards (WLIUR)

Julie Liu (2023/05-) UBC Biology honor
Awards: UBC Science Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Awards

Amreen Aulakh (2023/05-) Undergraduate volunteer
Hey! I’m a third year undergraduate student in the Biology program. Something I’m getting good at in the lab is picking C.elegans under a microscope. I am also a curious person and love asking questions which is another reason why I enjoy research! However, with a busy schedule it’s easy to overwork yourself and something I want to get better at is being able to take breaks and give myself downtime every week. Outside of school, I am also a personal trainer and basketball coach; I enjoy working out and being active every day. If you ever catch me in BirdCoop feel free to ask me any fitness related questions! I also enjoy going for hikes and paddle boarding in lakes during the summer.

Jolie Wu (2023/09-) UBC Work Learn

Ilham Hakim (2023/09-) Directed Studies

Lab technician

Lisa Fernando (2015/01-)

Past lab members

Ardalan Hendi (2017-2023) Ph.D. (Zoology)
Awards: UBC 4-year graduate fellowship, NSERC CGS-D
Current Position: Postdoctoral fellow (Ruvkun lab at Massachusetts General Hospital)

Recent Alumni
Riya Alluri (UBC WLIUR 2022)
Doris Wu (Work-Learn) Present: Graduate student at Washington Univ. St. Louis
Riley St. Clair (PDF 2019~2021) Present: Faculty at Quest University
Osiel Recoder (Mitacs Intern 2022)
Deborah Gries (Mitacs Intern 2021)
Ethan Fortes (MSc 2019)
Jane Wang (NSERC USRA, Directed studies and technician 2018)
Xi Chen (MSc 2017) eLife 2018;7:e38801
Elena Giuchici (Honor thesis 2017)