The lab was started by Alice Chen-Plotkin in May of 2010. You can follow her on Twitter (@alicechenp) or reach her at chenplot[at]pennmedicine.upenn.edu. Her CV is here.
Tyler is our resident Pipette Otaku and mouse surgeon. He is also a superb source of book suggestions. Despite knowing him for nearly 10 years, Alice has failed to secure another photo of him.
Allie has her MA in Theatre from Villanova with a focus on Stage Management and Directing. She now thoroughly enjoys Stage Managing Alice's personal and professional life.
Sromona did her PhD from CSIR-IICB, Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Besides being a professional Indian classical dancer (that's one thing she can never get bored of), some of her other favorite things are travelling the world, painting, driving, and trying different cuisines (she is a foodie).
Kathi embarked on her journey from bedside to bench after studying medicine and working as a neurology intern in Bern before earning a PhD in Neurosciences in Zurich, Switzerland. Her fascination with the human brain began in a neuroanatomy class that felt like a trip down the rabbit hole. Thanks to citing Alice in Wonderland during her job interview, she was hired despite ordering chickpeas for lunch. An avid hiker, she dreams of visiting Jim Thorpe in the Pocono Mountains.
Marc completed his MD at the University of Barcelona before realizing, as Alice did many years earlier, that he might want to do research for a large part of his career. He previously worked with Josep Dalmau on autoimmune encephalitides and is now working towards a PhD in the Neuroscience Graduate Group.
Adama was an undergraduate at Kenyon College and then worked for a few years at NIH before becoming a PhD student in the Neuroscience Graduate Group. In snooping the internet for a photo, Alice discovered that Adama has released a rap album!!
Cooper is an MD-PhD student studying the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration. His background is mostly computational, but because he loves suffering and uncertainty now he spends his time in the messy realm of bench science as well. Cooper loves being in nature, reading, and hanging out with his cat (Blue).
Masen graduated from Williams College in 2020 before moving to Boston to work in the Mannix and Meehan lab at Boston Children's Hospital. There, she focused on translational traumatic brain injury. In 2023, she joined the Neuroscience Graduate Group, and is excited to study questions related to neurodegeneration more broadly.
Melanie graduated from Haverford College in 2024 with a BS in Chemistry. She is passionate about the existence of central Jersey, loves frogs, and is trying to learn how to cook (any tips much appreciated). In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach — even in the dead of winter.
Travis has over 15 years of experience in molecular biology, biochemistry, and cell biology. He is an avid gardener and amateur photographer. He is also the father of our First Lab Baby, born in January 2012.
Randy was our former Penn undergraduate neuroscience major. He is now working as a tech in the lab. He is originally from outside of Los Angeles, enjoys running, and misses LA weather and his family cat.
Rachel Paul works with us on projects related to disclosure of genetic results back to our research participants. We believe strongly that patients who participate in research and want to know some of their results should have an avenue to gain this knowledge, and Rachel helps us figure out how to do this in an ethical way.
Celina is an undergraduate at Penn studying Neuroscience. She is from San Diego and enjoys playing the alto saxophone, listening to podcasts, and going on long walks in her free time.
Modar is an undergraduate student at Penn double majoring in biochem and biophysics. He is from Latakia, Syria, and lived his whole life only five minutes away from the Mediterranean. In his free time, he likes swimming, playing piano, and baking (a skill developed at college).
Natalie was a biology major at the University of Vienna who joined our lab for her final semester to finish her Bachelor's thesis. She continues to work with us.
We operate under the assumptions that justice is a core value, the best scientific ideas can come from anyone, and it is our job to find those voices.
Inquiries: chenplot[at]pennmedicine.upenn.edu