Our Team
Current Lab Members
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Dmitry Velmeshev, PhD
Principal Investigator
Dmitry received his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Miami for his work on analysis of transcriptomic changes in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Upon joining the lab of Arnold Kriegstein at UCSF, he adopted and applied single-nucleus RNA sequencing methods to study how specific brain cell types change in ASD and other CNS disorders, as well as during normal development.
Dmitry started his lab at Duke in 2022 to focus on studying and modelling brain development and disease using single-cell genomics, organoid cultures and bioengineering approaches.
Diego Arroyo
Lab Manager
Diego holds a dual degree in Biology and Psychology, graduating from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Post-graduation, Diego assumed the role of a research technician II in the Zamore Lab at UMass Chan Medical School. During his time under Dr. Phillip Zamore, he assisted in the management of a large mouse colony and provided support to a research specialist by testing the efficacy of a tissue-specific gene silencing tether.
Currently serving as the lab manager in the Velmeshev Lab, Diego aims to further expand his skill set as a technician.
Zijian (Zack) Zhang, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar
Zijian grew up in Rock Hometown (SJZ), China. He received his B.A. and his Ph.D. in molecular medicine from Sun Yat-sen University. During his Ph.D., Zijian focused on cell organelle regulation in cancer. In the lab, Zijian is exploring the cellular mechanisms of human brain development and disease on the single-cell level.
Zihan Yan
Graduate Student
Zihan is a PhD student from the Duke developmental and stem cell biology program. She did her undergraduate study at UC Berkeley. She is interested in studying the role of epigenetic signaling during brain development and in diseases, such as autism spectrum disorder, using single cell genomics.
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Nirvika graduated summa cum laude from Indraprastha University, New Delhi, with a bachelor's in Biotechnology and most recently from with a masters degree from Duke's BME program, during which she worked in the Velmeshev lab. She also started a company designing and producing low-cost orthopedic products geared toward underprivileged people in India.
She is now working at the Velmeshev Lab on dissecting mechanisms of Down syndrome and on developing bio-printed scaffolds emulating human brain development.
Medy Mu
Graduate Student
Nirvika Rastogi
Graduate Student
Medy graduated from Duke University with a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Statistics. During undergraduate studies, Medy joined the Eroglu lab to complete her senior thesis on the necessity of histone modifications at specific genomic loci for proper astrocyte development. She is now co-mentored by Dr. Josh Huang and Dr. Dmitry Velmeshev. She is investigating how two fundamental forms of neurogenesis, direct and indirect neurogenesis, contribute to the expansion and complexification of the mammalian cerebral cortex.
Kristina Schaufele
Undergraduate Student
Kristina is an undergraduate student from Atlanta, Georgia. She is intending to major in neuroscience and minor in computer science. She is intrigued by how genetic differences provoke changes in brain development and cognition, particularly in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. As a Huang Fellow, she is assisting on Zihan Yan’s project by developing a lentiviral method to track cell lineage in autism spectrum disorder.
Yana Gulati
Undergraduate Student
​Yana is an undergraduate student from Sunnyvale, California. She intends to major in Biology and minor in Neuroscience. Prior to her time in the Velmeshev Lab, she worked at the Porteus Lab at Stanford Hospital Pediatric Division of Stem Cell Transplantation & Regenerative Medicine. There she assisted on a project regarding CRISPR gene editing and correction for cystic fibrosis and related liver disease. She works under Medy assisting in lineage tracing the progenitor cells in the brain in mouse models.
Alumni
Kiran Shehnaz Kaur
Skylar Davis
Lab Manager
Master Student & Research Technician
Lewei He
Brittany Gilbert
Visiting Undergraduate
Master Student
Imani Hall
Undergraduate
Kamakshi Bichu
Master Student
Leyuan Qian
Visiting Master Student