People
Andrei Irimia, PhD
Andrei Irimia is a biogerontologist and computational neurobiologist studying the effects of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors on brain aging. His laboratory uses interpretable deep learning, genomics, and brain imaging to identify and characterize novel risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). He also studies accelerated aging, neurovascular calcification, and brain injury as risk factors for ADRD.
Jordan Jomsky, MS
Jordan is a biomedical engineering Ph.D. student researching deep learning brain age models to improve early detection of aging-related pathologies and their clinical outcomes. He received his master’s in data science from Columbia University and his bachelors of arts in data science and molecular & cell biology from the University of California, Berkeley.
Jorge Solis-Galvan, MS
Jorge is a Fullbright Scholar, USC Viterbi Dean’s Scholarship recipient, and Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering at USC. He earned his bachelor’s in software engineering from the Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, and is interested in developing the field of healthcare through software.
Samayan Bhattacharya, BE
Samayan is a doctoral student in biomedical engineering with a background in computer science. His research focuses on developing and applying machine learning algorithms to better understand the structural and functional organization of the human brain across different conditions.
Sipei Li, MS
Sipei is a doctoral student in biomedical engineering whose research focuses on modeling brain aging in Alzheimer’s disease and investigating its neural correlates through diffusion tensor imaging and deep learning. She earned her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) and her master’s degree in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
Xiao Xu, BS
Xiao is a doctoral student in biomedical engineering at USC who studies neurovascular calcification as a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. She received her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC).
Nahian Chowdhury, BS
Nahian is a doctoral student in neuroscience with a background in neuroscience and computer science. He is interested in the structural neuroimaging of traumatic brain injury in older adults, in the longitudinal analysis of brain circuitry using diffusion tensor imaging, as well as in machine learning.
Owen Maisel Vega Huerta, MS
Owen is a neuroscience Ph.D. student at USC researching the divergence of localized brain aging in individuals with neuropsychiatric disorders, such as anxiety and depression, and how this may impact their quality of life. Through his work, he hopes to highlight the importance of research in mental health.
Fangyun (Cecilia) Liu, BS
Fangyun (Cecilia) is a Ph.D. student in the computational biology and bioinformatics program at USC interested in modeling the calcification of the carotid artery, especially in pre-industrial populations such as the Tsimané. Her research aims to elucidate the mechanisms driving plaque development and its implications.
Nikhil Chaudhari, MS
Nikhil is a doctoral student in biomedical engineering at USC. He has worked on the segmentation of CT scans and on the automatic labeling of CMBs from susceptibility weighted imaging in mTBI patients. He completed his undergraduate majoring in computer science and engineering at VIT University in India, and an MS in computer science at USC.
Haoqing (Terese) Wang, MS
Haoqing (Terese) is a Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering at USC, interested in interpretable deep learning for neuroimaging. Her research focuses on identifying patterns of accelerated aging in individuals with mild traumatic brain injury. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in computational science from Northeastern University, and master’s in computer science from Columbia University.
Risha Surana
Risha is an undergraduate researcher and Trustee Scholar with a background in emergency medicine. Her research focuses on the role of demyelination in health and disease.
Phoebe E. Imms — Received a grant from the USC/UCLA Center for Biodemography and Population Health (2023); awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from USC’s T32 grant (2024); conducting brain aging research under mentorship.
Roy J. Massett — Graduate student at the University of Texas; research scientist with a BS in Neuroscience from UC Berkeley.
Alexander F. Shida — MD/PhD student at the University of Washington; received the Okin Award for Outstanding Research in Quantitative Biology (2020); recipient of the Google QCB Alumni Award; received a URAP research scholarship at USC; project assistant in the Irimia laboratory.
Kenneth A. Rostowsky — PhD student in Neuroscience at the University of Chicago; received a URAP research scholarship at USC; worked as a project scientist in the Irimia laboratory.
Hemanth Bodala — PhD student in Bioinformatics at UC San Diego.
Anisha Narayan — Psychiatry resident at the University of Illinois; obtained an MS in Neuroimaging & Informatics at USC; co-authored a publication with the lab; completed MD at Tulane University; completed a medical school rotation with the lab.
Grant Yoneoka — Radiology resident at Washington University in St. Louis; obtained a BS in Neuroscience and MS in Neuroimaging & Informatics at USC; co-authored a publication with the lab; completed MD at the University of Hawai‘i.
Kevin Guo — PhD student in Biomedical Informatics at Vanderbilt.
Benjamin Hacker — Presidential Scholar in Chemical Engineering; received the Viterbi CURVE Research Fellowship; received a URAP research scholarship; co-winner of first prize in the Viterbi Undergraduate Research Symposium in Biomedical Engineering; featured by USC News for research on concussion prevention.
Ammar Dharani — MD student at Harvard Medical School; thesis: acute concussion detection using multivariate analysis and Bayesian inference; Fulbright Scholar; USC Discovery Prize recipient; Order of Troy recipient; USC Trustee Award recipient; Barry Goldwater Scholar; Brian Phillip Rakusin Neuroscience Scholarship recipient; URAP research scholar; Provost’s Research Fellowship recipient; co-winner of first prize in the Viterbi Undergraduate Research Symposium in Biomedical Engineering.
Jessica Zhu — MD student at the University of Southern California; Viterbi CURVE Research Fellowship recipient; first prize, Viterbi CURVE Research Symposium; co-winner of first prize in the Viterbi Undergraduate Research Symposium in Biomedical Engineering.
Shania H. Wang — USC Provost’s Research Fellowship recipient; URAP research scholarship recipient.