Current Lab Members
Felice A. Dunn
Professor
Felice.Dunn [at] ucsf.edu
Sc.B., A.B., Brown University (honors thesis in Neuroscience in the lab of Dr. David Berson; honors thesis in Visual Arts with Professor Walter Feldman)
Ph.D., University of Washington (lab of Dr. Fred Rieke)
Postdoctoral fellow, National Institutes of Health (lab of Dr. Mark Stopfer)
Postdoctoral fellow, University of Washington (lab of Dr. Rachel Wong)
Joo Yeun Lee
Postdoctoral Fellow
Jooyeun.Lee [at] ucsf.edu
JL completed her graduate work at USC, where she studied synaptic plasticity in Drosophila neuromuscular junction under the mentorship of Dr. Karen Chang. Besides being a neuroscientist, she is passionate about artistic creativity and fascinated with communicating science using visual art.
Annika Balraj
Postdoctoral Fellow
Annika.Balraj [at] ucsf.edu
Annika completed her dissertation work in Dr. Robert Miller's lab at George Washington University, studying the impact of demyelination in optic nerve conduction and retinal organization. Her current project focuses on tuning properties of direction-selective retinal ganglion cells after cone loss. In her free time, she enjoys going to museums, reading, hiking, and petting friendly dogs.
Paige Leary
Postdoctoral Fellow
paige.leary [at] ucsf.edu
Paige completed her graduate work in David Schoppik's lab at NYU, where she studied how early development shapes neural circuit function using the larval zebrafish gaze stabilization system. Her current work in the Dunn lab studies cone circuit changes following graded rod loss. Outside of lab, she enjoys exploring the city, making coffee, and playing cello.
Scott Harris
Research Associate
Scott.Harris [at] ucsf.edu
Prior to joining the UCSF neuroscience community, Scott studied circuit mechanisms underlying cerebellar learning as an undergraduate at Duke University. Apart from science, he enjoys playing music and exploring the city.
Jeffrey Yang
Neuroscience Program Graduate Student
Jeff.yang [at] ucsf.edu
Jeffrey found his interest in synaptic plasticity and neuroscience during his time at UCLA researching under Dr. Dean Buonomano and Dr. Leanna Hernandez. He is very excited to research how plasticity can differentially shape RGC function and computations. In his free time, he enjoys patching cells (when they are kind to him), cooking, and spending time with his partner and cat!
Thomas Ta
Lab Manager / Research Specialist
thomas.ta [at] ucsf.edu
Thomas was born and raised in San Francisco and graduated from UCLA with a BS in Biology. He also completed the CCSF Biotechnology program, where he acquired hands-on wetlab training and earned two UCSF research internships, studying pediatric epilepsy (Baraban Lab) and Alzheimer's Disease (Kampmann Lab). As a research specialist in the Dunn Lab, he hopes to shed light on the molecular mechanisms of the optokinetic reflex (OKR) and its significance in retinal disease. Thomas is also part of the UCSF PROPEL post-bacc program. In his free time, Thomas enjoys spending time with his family, trying to fix random things, and sight-seeing.
David John
Lab Assistant
david.john [at] ucsf.edu
David grew up in the Bay Area and is currently studying for a B.S. in Molecular and Cell Biology. In his free time, he enjoys sketching portraits of his friends or spending all his money on new books to read.
Gerardo Medina
Administrative Officer
Gerardo.Medina [at] ucsf.edu
Gerardo has an extensive background in administrative and operations support in the nonprofit sector including immigration, substance abuse, legal assistance and philanthropy. He is currently seeking his MFA in Consciousness and Writing at CIIS in San Francisco. His writing emphasis is in fairy tales and fables that are inspired through his observations in nature and with his practice in yoga and the fiber arts.
Collaborators
Luca Della Santina
Assistant Professor, University of Houston
Luca.DellaSantina [at] ucsf.edu
M.S., Medicinal Chemistry, University of Pisa
Pharm.D., University of Pisa
Ph.D., Neuroscience, University of Pisa (lab of Dr. Luigi Cervetto)
Postdoctoral fellow, University of Washington (lab of Dr. Rachel Wong)
Alumni
Ivan Anastassov
Current Position: Associate Professor, San Francisco State University
Position in Dunn Lab: Postdoctoral Fellow
Ivan completed his undergraduate degree at Hunter College of the City University of New York. He did his graduate work at CUNY and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. Ivan is a native of Bulgaria, who spent many years living in New York City. He moved to Houston after graduate school and lived there for 2 years before coming to San Francisco. He is currently running his own lab at San Francisco State University.
Weiwei Wang
Current Position: Scientist, Spark Therapeutics
Position in Dunn Lab: Postdoctoral Fellow
Weiwei grew up in China and came to the U.S. for her graduate study at Rutgers-RBHS in New Jersey. She moved to San Francisco to continue pursuing her research interests in retina and synapses. Weiwei also likes literature, films and some martial arts. She is currently a postdoc in the Vandenberghe Lab at Harvard University.
Ray Care
Current Position: Program Director, UCSF Office of Career and Professional Development
Position in Dunn Lab: Neuroscience Program Graduate Student
Ray is proud to have been the Dunn Lab's first graduate student! She completed her dissertation by demonstrating compensation for photoreceptor loss in the adult retina. She is currently the Program Director for PhD Career and Professional Development in the Office of Career and Professional Development at UCSF. When not on campus, she can be found walking, running, or biking through Golden Gate Park.
Natalia Stone
Current Position: Neuroscience Ph.D. Student, UC Berkeley
Position in Dunn Lab: Lab Assistant
Natalia grew up in San Francisco and graduated from McGill University with a B.Sc. in Honors Physiology. When she is not in the lab, you can find her hiking in the Marin headlands, completing the New York Times Crossword, and at Giants games.
Jeremiah John
Current Position: Medical Student, Loma Linda University
Position in Dunn Lab: Research Specialist
Jeremiah grew up in the Bay Area and completed his undergraduate degree in Neuroscience at UC Santa Cruz. He enjoys snowball fights, caving, and swimming.
Connie Chen
Current Position: Medical Student, Oakland University
Position in Dunn Lab: Research Specialist
Connie graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. in Microbiology and recently graduated from Columbia University with a M.S. in Bioethics. She is currently a medical student at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, class of 2025. Aside from studying and being in lab, she enjoys exploring new places and staying active at the gym.
Jenita Ngo
Current Position: Anesthesiology Resident, Oregon Health and Science University
Position in Dunn Lab: Research Specialist
Jenita is a Bay Area native who graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Microbiology. She is currently an osteopathic medical student at A.T. Still University, class of 2023. In her free time she enjoys creating pottery and traveling.
Grace Yang
Position in Dunn Lab: Research Specialist
Grace is a California native who graduated from UC Irvine with a degree in Biomedical Engineering. Outside of the lab, she enjoys spending time with her two maltese-mix dogs and reading.
Atrey Khoche
Current Position: Medical Student, University of Southern California
Postition in Dunn Lab: Undergraduate Researcher
Atrey graduated from UC Berkeley and studied Bioengineering. He is from San Jose, CA, and enjoys playing sports, reading, and singing.