Principal Investigator
Cathryn Cadwell, M.D., Ph.D.
Weill Neurohub Assistant Professor, Departments of Neurological Surgery and Pathology
Dr. Cadwell completed her M.D. and Ph.D at Baylor College of Medicine in the lab of Dr. Andreas Tolias. As a student, she developed the Patch-seq technique for multimodal profiling of morphology, physiology and gene expression in single cells and applied Patch-seq and multipatching approaches to define the role of cell lineage in shaping cortical circuits. She completed clinical residency and fellowship training in Anatomic Pathology/Neuropathology at UCSF. As a post-doctoral scholar in the lab of Dr. Tomasz Nowakowski, she became interested in how different cortical areas are specified during development and how early developmental events may contribute to neurological and neuropsychiatric disease. Her current lab is focused on understanding how human cortical circuits form during development, and how abnormal fate specification and circuit assembly contribute to neurological disorders such as focal epilepsies. The lab integrates molecular and physiological approaches to interrogate human cortical cell types and circuits, using both an induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cerebral organoid model as well as primary human tissues from patients undergoing neurosurgical resection.
Lab Manager
Yewon Jung, Ph.D.
Staff Research Associate 3, Department of Neurological Surgery
Yewon received PhD in Molecular Medicine at the Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her doctoral research focused on the characterization of novel oncogenes in mammary carcinoma. As a post-doctoral scholar, she investigated the efficacy of dietary zinc supplementation in autism mouse models, specializing in behavioral analysis and live in vivo calcium imaging of hippocampal neurons using miniaturized microscopes. She is thrilled to join Cadwell lab as a lab manager and be part of exciting discoveries the lab will make. In her free time, Yewon enjoys cooking for friends, watching movies, hiking and travelling.
Staff Scientists
Kevin Lee, Ph.D.
Specialist, Department of Neurological Surgery
Dr. Kevin Lee completed his Ph.D at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, in the lab of Professor Johanna Montgomery. He investigated the mechanistic underpinnings of synaptic deficits in neurons expressing autism-associated gene mutations via electrophysiology and imaging techniques. As a post-doctoral scholar, he then examined a dietary intervention as a therapeutic strategy to reverse behavioral impairments and restore the structure and function of neurons and synapses in mouse models of autism. Later, Kevin established the primary adult human slice cultures in the lab of Professor Michael Dragunow at the University of Auckland and studied inflammation-induced changes in the bi-directional interaction between neurons and glia. In the Cadwell Lab, he is thrilled to pursue his dream as a neuroscientist - to investigate what makes human brain circuits and neurons uniquely human and to advance our understanding of human brain development in health and disease. Outside the lab, Kevin enjoys exploring new restaurants in the town, trying new recipes, reading fantasy novels, and watching soccer games
Graduate Students
Maddie Urbanek, B.S.
Graduate Student, UCSF Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program
Maddie completed her B.S. in Neuroscience from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, where she studied genetic mechanisms underpinning the development of tinnitus. She is currently very excited to be in San Francisco to pursue a PhD in Biomedical Sciences in the Cadwell Lab. She’s broadly interested in studying the role of the epigenome in driving cell fate decisions and plasticity in human cortical neurons. Outside of the lab, she spends her time baking, volunteering at the SF SPCA, and reading mystery novels.
Urvashi Thopte, M.A.
Graduate Student, UCSF Tetrad Graduate Program
Urvashi is originally from India and completed her M.A. in Biotechnology from Columbia University in New York. She then worked at the Seaver Autism Center at Mount Sinai as an Associate Researcher, developing high-throughput functional genomic technologies to identify convergent mechanisms in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). She is now broadly interested in leveraging functional genomic technologies to elucidate the processes involved in brain development and function and identify the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Outside of lab, she enjoys spending time with her dog Chuck, reading, and doing yoga!
Sangeetha Ramachandran, B.S.
Graduate Student, UCSF Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program
Sangeetha completed her B.S. in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she worked to identify the viral and host determinants that allow chikungunya virus to infect monocyte-derived macrophages. She is now broadly interested in optimizing and using monosynaptic rabies tools to understand how neural circuits can go awry in neurological disorders. When she’s not in the lab, she loves to read, hike, play video games (or watch streamers play the games she can’t afford), go to concerts, and try new (vegetarian) foods.
Research Staff
Hanh Larson, B.S.
Junior Specialist, Department of Neurological Surgery
After receiving her B.S. in Biology from UC Irvine in March, Hanh is super excited to be back in San Francisco and working at UCSF. When she is not working or in school she enjoys taking care of plants, hiking, and cooking. Throughout her college career she worked as an undergraduate teaching assistant and participated in dragonboat competitions. Hanh hopes to eventually continue her education and pursue a postgraduate degree.
Donovan Baker, B.S.
Junior Specialist, Department of Neurological Surgery
Donovan completed his B.S. in Neuroscience at UC Santa Cruz after serving in the United States Marine Corps. At UCSC he conducted undergraduate research in spliceosome assembly and discovered his passion for research. He is excited to contribute to UCSF’s neuroscience efforts in the Cadwell Lab and is broadly interested in neural plasticity and neurodegenerative diseases. Away from the lab, he enjoys playing sports, watching live music, and traveling with friends. Donovan wants to pursue his passion for medicine and research by earning his MD/PhD.
Undergraduates
Naomi Crane
Summer Intern, Department of Neurological Surgery
Naomi is a rising sophomore at Johns Hopkins University, where she is pursuing a B.S. in Neuroscience with a minor in Anthropology. She is interested in studying epigenetic control mechanisms involved in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders and is thrilled to be training with and contributing to the Cadwell Lab. After planning to graduate in the spring of 2027, she hopes to attend medical school as an MD/PhD candidate. Outside of school and the lab, she enjoys dancing with the Johns Hopkins Ballet Company, reading nonfiction, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
Nandini Mannem
2nd Year UC LEADS Fellow
Nandini is a rising junior majoring in Neuroscience at the University of California, Riverside. Originally from the Bay Area, she is passionate about pursuing an MD/PhD to further her research and clinical interests. Currently, she is excited to be optimizing patch-seq protocols, aiming to enhance the understanding of neuronal function. Outside of her academic pursuits, Nandini enjoys skiing, going to concerts, and traveling.
Alumni
2024 Leah DeFlitch - Neuroscience Rotation Student, now graduate student (Corces Lab) at UCSF
2023 Violeta Ubadiah - Summer Intern, now undergraduate at UC Berkeley
2022 Jayden Ross - BMS Rotation Student, now graduate student (Crouch Lab) at UCSF