Lab Members

Jensine Coudriet

PhD student

Originally from a small town in Pennsylvania, Jensine graduated from Westminster College in 2020 with a B.S. in Neuroscience. She then spent two years conducting research in Dr. Satoshi Ikemoto’s lab at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) before beginning her graduate studies at Yale.

Her research focuses on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its comorbidities, with a particular interest in how stress alters neural circuits differently between individuals. She recently received an NIH F31 fellowship to investigate the relationship between PTSD and alcohol use disorder.

Outside the lab, Jensine enjoys going to the gym, spending time with her cat, Marvin, and gaming.

Nae Pajarillo

PhD student

As a INP graduate student in the Che Lab, I am broadly curious about intersectional developmental research! Specifically, my interests lie in early life brain maturation, cellular and molecular hallmarks of stress, and my current project focuses on understanding the impact of cannabinoids across development. I am passionate about inclusive teaching and scientific equity for underserved communities, so I am always looking for ways to connect with organizations on and off campus. I love to hike, workout, play rugby, cook, and do a craft with friends. I am a queer/trans scientist, a Kavli scholar, and a proud cat parent to my cat son, Benito.

Vincent Tse

PhD student

Vincent graduated cum laude from UCLA with a B.S. in Molecular Biology and a minor in Neuroscience, working as an undergraduate researcher and accumulating experience in an array of cellular and molecular techniques. He then pursued postgraduate training at UCSF in computational and systems neuroscience approaches to mechanistically investigate neural circuits underlying complex behaviors.

In the Che lab, Vincent uses a combined top-down and bottom-up approach to study how altered astrocyte-neuron interactions contribute to early Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive function.

Outside of research, Vincent enjoys spending time outdoors and traveling with his wife and furry baby, Maru.

Ijeoma Nwabudike

MD-PhD student

Ijeoma is an MD/PhD student interested in how early life experiences shape circuit development.

Marina Edward

PhD student (joint with Bordey Lab)

Victor Sanchez Franco

PhD student

My research interests lie in the physiology of neural circuits, which I explore using two-photon imaging and slice electrophysiology. In my free time, I like to play video games, watch soccer, and go rock climbing. I was born in Venezuela, raised in Puerto Rico, and I’m passionate about contributing to initiatives that seek to increase diversity in science.

John Vargas Ortiz, MD

Postdoctoral Associate

Native of Costa Rica with a passionate interest in clinical/translational neuroscience, teaching, and mentoring. I’m involved in many projects from basic science to specific neuropsychiatric diseases. Mainly investigating in-vivo neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy induce seizures and translaminar spontaneous neuronal activity in the barrel cortex. I’m an avid traveler, enjoy long walks, biking, and experiencing new types of food and cultures.

Lin Lin, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Liyuan Sun, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Min Wu, PhD

Senior Research Scientist

Sajida Khan, PhD

Associate Research Scientist

Wenliang Zhou, PhD

Senior Research Scientist

Antao Ted Shao

Postgraduate Associate

I am broadly interested in behavioral neuroscience. Right now I am mainly working on a project investigating executive dysfunction in young 5xFAD mice with Vincent Tse. I also help with other lab projects and overall lab maintenance. Outside of lab, I love playing badminton and snowboarding.