People

Figure Inspired by the Diversity and Inclusion Lab Posters of Sammy Katta – https://sammykatta.com/diversity

Bérénice Benayoun

Contact:

Email: bbenayou@usc.edu
Office Location: GER B14
Curriculum Vitae

Connect:

Bérénice A. Benayoun, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Gerontology, Biological Sciences, Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine
Principal Investigator

Education

Ph.D., Université Paris Diderot, Paris, France
M.Sc., Université Paris Diderot, Paris, France
B.Sc., Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France

Hometown: Paris, France
Favorite non-science activities: tabletop gaming, homebrewing
Dream benchmate(s): Leopold Fitz and Jemma Simmons
Birthday: June 19th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Wood Rat

Post-doctoral fellows

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Contact:

Email: ansere@usc.edu

Victor Ansere, Ph.D.

Post-doctoral Fellow

Education

B.Pharm., Kwame Nkrumah University of Sci. and Tech., Ghana
M.Phil., wame Nkrumah University of Sci. and Tech., Ghana
Ph.D., University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, OK, USA

Hometown: Kumasi, Ghana
Favorite non-science activities: Listening to music and curating music playlists
Dream benchmate(s): The guy who turned water into wine” – such a cool experiment.
Birthday: August 24th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: 

Juan Bravo

Contact:

Email: juanb@usc.edu

Juan Bravo, Ph.D.

Post-doctoral Fellow

Education

B.Sc., Yale University, USA
Ph.D., University of Southern California, USA [Benayoun lab – Fall 2023 grad]

Hometown: South Gate, California
Favorite non-science activities: Hiking, Weight-lifting, Xbox
Dream benchmate(s): Albert Wesker
Birthday: December 31st
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Fire Rooster

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Contact:

Email: minhooki@usc.edu

Min Hoo Kim, Ph.D.

Post-doctoral fellow

Education

B.Sc., Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Republic of Korea
M.Sc./Ph.D., Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Republic of Korea

Hometown: Seoul, Republic of Korea
Favorite non-science activities: Baking, jogging
Dream benchmate(s): John Legend
Birthday: March 27th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Metal Horse

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Contact:

Email: raphealw@usc.edu

Rapheal Williams, Ph.D.

Research Lab Specialist

Education

B.Sc., Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
Ph.D., University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Hometown: Atlanta, GA, USA
Favorite non-science activities: Painting, Gaming, Plastic Model Building
Dream Benchmate(s): Morgan Freeman, David Attenborough
Birthday: September 12th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Water Monkey
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Contact:

Email: eric.hennigan@gmail.com

Eric Hennigan, Ph.D.

Volunteer/Post-doctoral

Education

B. Sc. University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Ph.D. University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA

Hometown: Ridgecrest, CA, USA
Favorite non-science activities: Hiking
Dream benchmate(s): Dexter’s Lab and The Doctor
Birthday:May 20th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Water Dog

Ph.D. Students

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Contact:

Email: bakercla@usc.edu

Clayton Baker

Ph.D. Student (Molecular and Computational Biology program)

Education

B.Sc., University of California at Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Hometown: Upland, California
Favorite non-science activities: tennis, hiking, camping, playing with my pets
Dream benchmate: Roger Federer
Birthday: May 12th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Fire Ox
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Contact:

Email: mbelser@usc.edu

Misaki Belser

Ph.D. Student (Biology of Aging program)
Spring Rotation #3 

Education

B.S. in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Favorite non-science activities: Drawing, learning languages
Dream benchmate(s):  a kind, respectful person who knows and does their job well and who is helpful and cooperative.
Birthday: August 30th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Rabbit

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Contact:

Email: ajlemus@usc.edu

Aaron Lemus

Ph.D. Student (Molecular and Computational Biology program)

Education

B.A. in Biology California State University, Northridge, CA, USA

M.S. in Biology California State University, Northridge, CA, USA

Hometown: North Hollywood, California
Favorite non-science activities: Concerts, Snowboard, and Rock Climbing 
Dream benchmate(s): Alex Turner & Josh Homme 
Birthday: May 12th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Fire Rat

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Contact:

Email: ryanlu@usc.edu

Ryan Lu

Ph.D. Student (Biology of Aging program)

Education

B.Sc., California State University, Fullerton

Hometown: Alhambra, California
Favorite non-science activities: tennis, bowling, computer games
Dream benchmate(s): Rick (from Rick and Morty)
Birthday: November 25th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Wood Dog

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Contact:

Email: cjmcgill@usc.edu

Cassandra McGill

Ph.D. Student (Biology of Aging program)
Co-mentored with Pike laboratory

Education

B.Sc., University at California, Irvine, USA

Hometown: Gardena, California
Favorite non-science activities: Playing ukulele, walking my dog and playing Catan
Dream benchmate(s): The Mandalorian
Birthday: August 14th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Ox

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Contact:

Email: kgmuelle@usc.edu

Karen Mueller

Ph.D. Student (PIBBS program)
3rd rotation, Spring 2024

Education

B.A., Wellesley College, MA, USA

Hometown: Menlo Park, California
Favorite non-science activities: crochet, skiing, reading
Dream benchmate(s): Bill Nye
Birthday: December 28th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Metal Dragon

Research Lab Technicians

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Contact:

Email: athenaal@usc.edu

Athena Alcala

Research Lab Technician
(Mouse – shared with Sanabria lab)

Education

B.Sc., , USA

Hometown: Norwalk, CAFavorite non-science activities: Sewing, Traveling, Watching Cartoons, Trying New FoodsDream benchmate(s): TinkerbellBirthday: June 17thChinese Zodiac Sign: Earth Rabbit

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Contact:

Email: julioa@usc.edu

Julio “Leo” Alvarenga

Research Lab Technician (Mouse) / Lab Manager

Education

B.Sc., University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA

Hometown: Los Angeles, CaliforniaFavorite non-science activities: Playing video games, watching anime, and watching KPOP videos with my nephewsDream benchmate(s): the Muscle Mice (from Demon Slayer)Birthday: May 18thChinese Zodiac Sign: Tiger

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Contact:

Email: hengyuzh@usc.edu

Hengyu Zhou

Research Lab Technician
(Fish)

Education

B.Sc., University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
M.Sc., University of California, San Diego, CA, USA

Hometown: Shenzhen, China
Favorite non-science activities: Reading, Weight-lifting, Playing video games
Dream benchmate(s): Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Barry Allen
Birthday: May 29th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Fire Rat

Master Students

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Contact:

Email: skyechen@usc.edu

Shiqi “Skye” Chen

Master Student

Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Master Program

 

Education

B.Sc. and B.A., Wake Forest University, NC, USA

Hometown: Shanghai, China 
Favourite non-science activities: Oil painting, Film Photography, Auto Racing, Video Gaming, Musicals, Anime
Dream benchmate: Nozomi Tojo from “Lovelive!” 
Birthday: October 15th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Earth Rabbit
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Contact:

Email: tutang@usc.edu

Tu Tang

Master Student

Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Master Program

 

Education

B.Eng., Southeast University, China

Hometown: Tongling, China
Favourite non-science activities: Travelling, cooking
Dream benchmate: Anya from “Spy × Family
Birthday: July 9th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Dragon

Undergraduate Research Assistants

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Contact:

Email: bhala@usc.edu

Rajyk Bhala

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Health and Human Sciences Major

Hometown: Sugar Land, Texas
Favorite non-science activities: Cooking, Trying new restaurants, Working out
Dream benchmate(s): Spiderman
Birthday: March 25th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Wood Monkey

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Contact:

Email: rbokhari@usc.edu

Raaif Bokhari

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Neuroscience Major
Hometown: Houston, TX
Favorite non-science activities: Writing, watching movies and UFC, hiking
Dream benchmate(s): Adam Sandler
Birthday: March 26th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Wood Monkey
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Contact:

Email: ayguan@usc.edu

Anthony Guan

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Human Development and Aging Major

Hometown: Aptos, California
Favorite non-science activities: skiing, travelling, hanging out with pets, sale shopping
Dream benchmate(s): Kit Connor, Melissa McCarthy, Micheal Scott
Birthday: January 30th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Water Horse

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Contact:

Email: younggyu@usc.edu

Younggyun Kim

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Biomedical Engineering Major

Hometown: Incheon, Republic of Korea
Favorite non-science activities: Working out, playing Pokemon, watching soccer
Dream benchmate(s): Son Heung-Min and Lionel Messi
Birthday: July 6th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Horse

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Contact:

Email:evelynhl@usc.edu

Evelyn Lee

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Human Development and Aging Major

Hometown: San Ramon, California
Favorite non-science activities: eating, watching movies, drinking
Dream benchmate(s): Doc Ock
Birthday: February 23rd
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Water Goat
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Contact:

Email:crmizrah@usc.edu

Chanelle R. Mizrahi

Undergraduate Research Assistant

GEMSTEM Scholar

Human Development and Aging, Health Science Track

Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Favorite non-science activities: traveling, cooking, drawing, running
Dream benchmate(s): Robert De Niro and Sydney Mclaughlin
Birthday: February 23rd
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Water Goat
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Contact:

Email: jeslynng@usc.edu

Jeslyn Nguyen

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Neuroscience and Human Biology Major

Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Favorite non-science activities: Singing, Drawing, Binge-watching Netflix
Dream Benchmate(s): Barbie
Birthday: September 5th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Water Sheep

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Contact:

Email: csp28938@usc.edu

Camilla Pearson

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Quantitative Biology Major

Hometown: Houston, TX
Favorite non-science activities: cafe-hopping, journaling, reading, playing video and board games!
Dream Benchmate(s): Mary Shelley
Birthday: March 14th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Wood Rooster

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Contact:

Email:cravikum@usc.edu

Charan Ravikumar

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Health and Human Sciences

Hometown: McLean, VA, USA
Favorite Non-Science Activities: Cooking, Watching Reality TV
Dream Benchmate(s): Professor Utonium
Birthday: March 14th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Horse

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Contact:

Email:isununu@usc.edu

Isabelle Sununu

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Biological Sciences major, Geroscience minor

Hometown: North Hampton, NH, USA
Favorite Non-Science Activities: skiing, playing video games, baking
Dream Benchmate(s): Phineas and Ferb
Birthday: April 19th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Wood Monkey

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Contact:

Email: zwang474@usc.edu

Justin Wang

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Biochemistry Major

Hometown: Orange, Connecticut
Favorite non-science activities: Cooking, movie marathons, photography, and writing!
Dream benchmate(s): Barack Obama
Birthday: February 19th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Water Goat

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Contact:

Email: jwenner@usc.edu

Jay Wenner

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Neuroscience and Psychology Major

Hometown: Green Bay, Wisconsin
Favorite non-science activities: Playing trombone, hiking, camping, and reading
Dream benchmate(s): Simone (from The Good Place)
Birthday: July 29th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Wood Monkey

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Contact:

Email: oswhite@usc.edu 

Olivia White

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Quantitative Biology Major

Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
Favorite non-science activities: hiking, strategy games, eating açaí bowls
Dream benchmate(s): Veronica Mars
Birthday: September 17th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Water Horse

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Contact:

Email: alanxu@usc.edu

Alan Xu

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Quantitive Biology Major

Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Favorite non-science activities: Travelling, trying new games and cooking
Dream benchmate(s): Louis Pasteur
Birthday: September 23rd
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Gold Snake

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Contact:

Email:lrzhang@usc.edu

Lucia Zhang

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Quantitive Biology Major

Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Favorite non-science activities: painting, writing, dancing, piano
Dream benchmate(s): Carl (from Up)
Birthday: December 3rd
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Wood Monkey

Student workers

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Contact:

Email: gallojer@usc.edu

Jeremy “Jay” Gallo

Student worker (Mouse team)

Hometown: Wharton, NJ, USA
Favorite non-science activities:  Hiking, resistance training, Baking
Dream benchmate(s): Dr. Volumnia Gaul
Birthday:  October 21st
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Water Horse

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Contact:

Email:dobenaue@usc.edu

Delana Obenauer

Student worker (Fish team)

Hometown: Vienna, MO
Favorite non-science activities: reading, spending time with friends, and going to the gym
Dream benchmate(s): Jenna Ortega
Birthday: May 7th 
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Monkey

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Contact:

Email: ollerton@usc.edu

Isabel Ollerton

Student worker (Fish team)

Hometown: Hemet, CA
Favorite non-science activities: swimming, exploring, spending time with my cat
Dream benchmate(s): Spencer Reid
Birthday: February 11th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Metal Snake

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Contact:

Email:Nrizk@usc.edu

Noor Rizk

Student worker (Mouse team)

Pharmacology and Drug Development Major, Legal Studies Minor

Hometown: Santa Clara, California
Favorite non-science activities: Trying new recipes, spending time with friends, visiting coffee shops 
Dream benchmate: Remy the rat from Ratatouille
Birthday: June 7th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Water Sheep

High-School Students

Mascots & Cie

jarvis

Contact:

jarvis.usc.edu

J.A.R.V.I.S.

Lab Server
Dell PowerEdge 360

Hometown: Austin, TX, USA
Favorite non-science activities: running (processes), idling
Dream benchmate(s): Tony Stark
Birthday: October 25th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Fire Rooster

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Contact:

Above Ryan’s desk

Moucifer

Lab Mascot
Cyagen transgenic mouse

Hometown: Santa Clara, California
Favorite non-science activities: being judgemental, looking at cute pictures
Dream benchmate(s): Pinky and the Brain
Birthday: November 9th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Fire Rooster

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Contact:

Genome

Turki

Lab Mascot
African turquoise killifish

Hometown: Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe
Favorite non-science activities: swimming around, eating
Dream benchmate(s): Nemo and Dory
Birthday: Less than 6 months ago