Interview Event Details

Merritt Maduke, PhD

Professor in the Molecular and Cellular Physiology program and member of Bio-X, the Cardiovascular Institute, and the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute. The Maduke laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms of ion channels and transporters, with a focus on the CLC family of proteins. The lab uses a combination of biophysical methods to investigate membrane-protein structure and dynamics, together with electrophysiological analyses. In addition to lab research, she is deeply committed to the School of Medicine’s Teaching Mission. When not in the lab, she enjoys running, tennis, backpacking, and playing Scrabble.

Danilo Dubocanin

4th-year PhD candidate in Genetics in the Altemose Lab and a Senior Fellow at Artis Ventures. His research lies at the intersection of machine learning and molecular biology, specifically developing single-molecule sequencing tools to better understand the dynamic nature of the human genome. He previously worked as a bioinformatician in the Stergachis Lab, pioneering the use of Fiber-seq. He completed his M.S. in bioinformatics and bioengineering at UCSC and his undergraduate studies at the University of Washington. When not debugging code, you can find him exploring San Francisco, skiing in Tahoe, or backpacking in the Sierras.

Saman Tabatabaee

5th-year PhD student in Stanford’s Chemical and Systems Biology program. Mentored by Joanna Wysocka, Saman investigates the cell-type-specific function of transcriptional cofactors during human facial development. His research also explores the developmental effects of protein aggregates in both human physiology and disease.

Jonathan H. Chen, MD, PhD

Leads a research group dedicated to empowering individuals with the collective experience of the many, combining human and artificial intelligence to deliver better care than either could alone. Dr. Chen continues to practice medicine for the concrete rewards of caring for real people, which inspires his research into discovering latent knowledge embedded in clinical data. Before his medical training, he co-founded a company translating his Computer Science graduate work into an expert system for organic chemistry. His expertise is regularly featured in popular press outlets, with over 100 publications and numerous awards.

Yeongseo Son

First-year Immunology Ph.D. student from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She earned a BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a BA in Anthropology from the University of Georgia. Yeongseo plans to research how the immune system interacts with the environment, particularly within the lungs, to improve global respiratory health. Committed to turning science into accessible stories, she has interviewed global scientists through her podcast Let’s Talk Chemistry, spearheaded on-campus health magazines, and volunteered at science museums. She is a Knight-Hennessy Scholar, NSF Graduate Research Fellow, and Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Scholar.

Celeste Sanchez

Second-year PhD student in the Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine program, where she studies blood cell development in the lab of Dr. Lauren Goins. Her research focuses on how insulin signaling and its downstream effectors regulate the balance between maintenance and differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells. She earned her BS in Biological Sciences from UC Irvine. At Stanford, Celeste is actively involved in science outreach and mentorship through her leadership in the Community College Outreach Program and the SIMR High School Internship Program, as well as her involvement in ADVANCE, SACNAS, and SBSA.

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