nia4009(at)med(dot)cornell(dot)edu

Nick graduated from Macaulay Honors College in 2020, where he completed a bachelor's degree in Forensic science, specializing in Toxicology. While at MHC, Nick completed his honors thesis titled "Associations of Plasma Extravesicular MicroRNA Levels in Seropositive and Seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis.” Nick is a PhD candidate in the BCMB program at Weill Cornell Graduate School. Outside of the lab, Nick enjoys baking and volunteering.

cwd4001(at)med(dot)cornell(dot)edu

Caroline is a recent graduate of Stanford University, where she completed a double major in biology and english and a master's in biology. While at Stanford, Caroline completed her honors thesis on the impact of light exposure and physical activity on cortical brain activity of adolescents diagnosed with ADHD using fNIRS imaging. She joined the Kleaveland Lab in February 2023 as a research technician. Outside of research, Caroline enjoys reading, writing, music, and drinking copious amounts of coffee while studying for the MCAT.

sug4007(at)med(dot)cornell(dot)edu

Sushmit earned his doctoral degree from IISER Mohali, India, where he specialized in Drosophila genetics with a strong foundation in developmental biology. His doctoral research focused on investigating the nutrient-dependent interactions between microRNAs and mRNAs in blood precursors. In the Kleaveland Lab, Sushmit’s research explores RNA circularization in the mouse brain and how these RNA circles interact with microRNAs to modulate neuronal function. Outside the lab, Sushmit enjoys discovering local cuisines and delving into the history of science.

bek9059(at)med(dot)cornell(dot)edu

Ben is a board-certified clinical pathologist. He received a Bachelors of Arts and Science in Biology and English from Stanford University and an MD/PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. After completing pathology residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, Ben pursued postdoctoral training at the Whitehead Institute and MIT with Dr. David Bartel. There, Ben used genetically engineered mice and a variety of molecular and cellular approaches to investigate noncoding RNAs in the brain. He joined the Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine at Weill Cornell in August 2020. Outside the lab, Ben enjoys spending time with family, trail running, tossing the frisbee, and traveling.

For additional information, please see Ben’s profiles on Google Scholar and Weill Cornell Medicine.

yem4002(at)med(dot)cornell(dot)edu

Liza received her doctoral degree in biochemistry from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, Germany, under the supervision of Dr. Andreas Mayer. Using a multi-omic approach, she dissected the functions of paralogs of the classical transcription elongation factor TFIIS, uncovering their distinct and unexpected roles in human cells. She joined the Kleaveland and Tilgner labs as a postdoc and is currently developing specialized RNA sequencing methods. Outside the lab, Liza enjoys ballet, theater, and art history.

sor4003(at)med(dot)cornell(dot)edu

Soundhar received his doctoral degree from CSIR-IGIB with a focus on circadian biology. He employed molecular biology and genomics approaches for identifying novel oscillating transcripts using the zebrafish retina as a model. After his doctorate, Soundhar pursued post-doctoral training with Dr. Ganesh N. Pandian at Kyoto University, where he used chemical probes and Oxford nanopore direct RNA sequencing to map RNA modifications. Soundhar joined the Kleaveland lab in May 2022, where his focus is to investigate microRNA degradation in induced human neurons. Soundhar likes to cook, read, play, and travel.