YAPICILAB - Alumni

Undergraduate research assistant

Sophie Gustin is a junior studying Biological Sciences and Health Equity in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. After graduation, she aspires to attend medical school and acquire the skills to serve as a clinical psychiatrist. She is particularly passionate about mental health awareness, health care policy, and community-based service work. In the Yapici Lab, she works under the mentorship of Ph.D. candidate Naman Agrawal to investigate the impact of serotonergic and dopaminergic neuromodulators on Drosophila behavior. Outside of the lab, she enjoys dancing and reading about philosophy.

Xinyue Cui

Research Specialist (Position after YLAB: Postdoc at Charité and Humboldt University Judkewitz Lab)

Cui graduated from Zhejiang University with a biomedical science bachelor and from the University of Edinburgh as a Master of Science in 2016. She is currently working on solving the circuitry that regulates the activity of ingestion neurons in different physiological states. She enjoys playing instruments and interesting games in her free time.

Renee Henderson

Rotation Student (Position after YLAB: PhD student at Cornell Psychology Tschida Lab)

Renee Henderson earned her BS in Neural Science in 2023 from New York University, where she studied the role of oxytocin in maternal care and how social interactions between female mice facilitate the transmission of effective caregiving behaviors. She is broadly interested in state-dependent decision-making—i.e., the hormonal and neuronal mechanisms underlying how internal states, such as hunger and reproductive cycles, shape behavior. Outside the lab, Renee enjoys swimming, reading fiction, listening to metal music, and restoring furniture.

Haein Kim (Position after YLAB: Staff Scientist at Baylor College of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Associate

After receiving his bachelor's degree in Biology in 2010, Haein completed his Ph. D. in Neuroscience, both from Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea. He studied chemosensory neurons in Drosophila Melanogaster and investigated how specific gustatory receptor neurons and their expressed receptors work in generating feeding behavior. After graduation, he invested his time in studying Machine Learning and Artificial Neural Networks at Seoul National University in hopes of incorporating the knowledge into his future research. Currently, Haein is interested in how flies interact with a given virtual environment and is working to elucidate the neural circuits that are involved in foraging behaviors. In his free time, he enjoys playing drums, listening to music, and looking for good places to eat.

Yuta Mabuchi (Position after YLAB: Postdoc at Columbia University)

Graduate Student

Yuta earned his BS in Biological Sciences from Hokkaido University in Japan in 2017. He won two awards for the graduation poster presentation and has been awarded Funai Overseas Scholarship in 2017. Yuta is interested in the sexual dimorphism of the brain and behavior, especially focusing on neural circuits and molecular pathways regulating sex specific social behaviors in flies. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, cooking, and hiking.

Matt Meiselman (Position after YLAB: Faculty at UNLV)

Postdoctoral Associate

After earning his undergraduate degree in Biology from Lawrence University in 2010, Matt went on to earn his Ph.D. in Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology from the University of California-Riverside. During his graduate period In Michael Adams lab, Matt mapped out an endocrine network regulating reproduction in Drosophila melanogaster, and examined how endocrine state changes modulates perception to reprioritize behaviors. In the Yapici Lab, Matt is interested in how endocrine and paracrine signaling can change the properties of neurons, and the consequences these changes can have on behavior. In his free time, Matt enjoys playing a variety of sports, especially volleyball and hockey, and hiking.

Changwoo Seo (Position after YLAB: Postdoc at Harvard University)

Postdoctoral Associate

Changwoo received an undergraduate degree in neuroscience from Boston University. He earned his Ph.D. in Neurobiology and Behavior from Cornell University. During his graduate period in Melissa Warden's lab, Changwoo discovered a paradoxical role of the dorsal raphe serotonin system in switching behavior under intense threat. In the Yapici Lab, Changwoo is interested in how the brainstem integrates taste and gut signals and influences food intake behavior in mice. In his free time, Changwoo enjoys traveling, cooking, eating, playing, reading, and watching all sorts.

Jamie Stonemetz (Position after YLAB: PhD student at Brandeis University)

Research Specialist

Jamie Stonemetz received her BA in Neuroscience from Skidmore College, where she completed her thesis on neuropeptide regulation of sleep in Drosophila. Jamie is broadly interested in how neural circuits regulate behavior and is examining this in regard to feeding in the Yapici lab. In her free time, she enjoys playing roller derby, collecting records, and knitting.

Patrick Adams (Position after YLAB: PhD student at Syracuse University)

Research Specialist

A graduate of Haverford College, Patrick has his BS degree in Physics. He completed his thesis on cosmic inflation and studied the how properties of the Higgs Boson might explain this phenomenon in a universe with non-minimally coupled gravity. Specializing in computational physics and electronics, Patrick has been working on updating the experimental setup and analysis tool code for fly food intake assay expresso. Previously he explored his interest in the early universe and black holes by working on various research projects in cosmology and astrophysics. Besides his interest in physics, Patrick also loves cats, Rubik’s cubes, books, and theater.

Saumya Sahai (Position after YLAB: PhD student at The Ohio State University)

Master Student

Saumya received her dual degree in Physics and Computer Science from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in India in 2016. She has been awarded a Cornell Fellowship for her first year in graduate school. Saumya is interested in applying mathematical, computational, and genetic tools to understand optimal foraging strategies and corresponding neural circuits of decision-making in Drosophila melanogaster. She enjoys cooking, reading fiction, traveling, and (in sync with her research theme) eating.

Max Aragon (Position after YLAB: PhD student at Princeton Neuroscience Program)

Lab Manager/Research Assistant

Max Aragon is a UC Berkeley physics alumnus and is interested in biophysics and neural systems. In the Yapici lab, he will work on a whole-brain neural imaging project to uncover the neural basis of state-dependent decision-making. In the future, Max plans to attend graduate school in biophysics or neurobiology. Outside of the lab, he enjoys buying CDs, reading fiction, and eating Chinese food.

Staci Thornton (Position after YLAB: PhD student at FMI in Basel Switzerland)

Lab Manager/ Research Assistant

Staci received her BS in Biological Sciences from Michigan Tech and her MS in Applied Genomics from the University of Connecticut in 2015. She has held research positions at the University of Connecticut, Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Cornell's Boyce Thompson Institute, and most recently, at the University of Oxford. At Oxford, she worked on a project investigating the role of RNA localization in synaptic plasticity in the memory and learning center of the Drosophila brain. In the Yapici lab, she will work on genomic analysis of food ingestion circuits. Outside of the lab, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and cycling.

Claire Makino-Duan (Position after YLAB: Tech at MIT)

Undergraduate Research Intern

Claire is a senior majoring in Neurobiology and Behavior and minoring in Music. After graduating, she hopes to continue her research track in neurobiology. In the Yapici lab, she’s trying to understand how hunger state and food quality affect decision-making in fruit flies. Outside the lab, she enjoys reading fictions, playing world music, and eating watermelon.

Keyu Liu

Exchange student

Keyu is an exchange student from Tsinghua University, majoring in Biology. She studied in a lab focusing on active forgetting in fruit flies at her home university and built the fly-on-the-ball system. Now, she's stepping into the area of foraging behavior. She is a fan of Seymour Benzer and also enjoys theatre, writing plays, rock'n'roll, and reading in her spare time.

Joshua Dov Epstein

Undergraduate Research Intern

Joshua is a senior majoring in Neurobiology and Behavior and minoring in International Relations. In the Yapici Lab, Joshua is studying how exogenous substances such as caffeine affect decision-making in fruit flies. After graduating, he hopes to further explore how interactions between drugs and neural networks manifest themselves in behavior and health. When not in the lab, he enjoys volunteering, weightlifting, and eating Bamba - an Israeli peanut butter snack.

Daniel Bennet (Position after YLAB: PhD student at Northwestern University)

Undergraduate Research Intern

Daniel Bennett is a senior majoring in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Neurobiology and Behavior in the College of Arts and Sciences. After graduating, he aspires to delve into research investigating the mechanisms behind neurodegenerative diseases. In the Yapici Lab, he is currently assisting in projects aimed at elucidating

the neural circuits that regulate feeding behavior in Drosophila. In his free time, Daniel enjoys watching a variety of sports (especially soccer), reading, listening to music while going on walks, and trying new foods.

Elena Zhong (Position after YLAB: PhD student at Caltech)

Undergraduate Research Intern

Elena is a senior majoring in Biology and Math in the College of Arts & Sciences. After graduating, she plans to continue her studies in neuroscience. In the Yapici Lab, she is trying to understand the neural circuits regulating food intake. Outside the lab, she likes to draw & paint, read, and watch movies.

Alison Sin

Undergraduate Research Intern

Alison is a junior majoring in Neurobiology and Behavior in the College of Arts & Sciences. After graduating, she plans to continue her studies in cracking the brain code. In the Yapici lab, she is trying to understand the neural dynamics underlying taste and hunger integration. Outside of the lab, she enjoys being in the woods and reading translated fiction.

Bryan Lu (Position after YLAB: PhD student at UNC)

Undergraduate Research Intern

Bryan Lu is from Orange County, California, and is studying Biological Sciences with a concentration in Neurobiology & Behavior and a minor in Cognitive Science. After graduating, he hopes to work as a lab assistant before moving onto a neuroscience PhD program. In the Yapici Lab, he is assisting with research involving neural circuit dynamics in the mouse hippocampus. Outside the lab, he also assists in conducting MRI research and spends his free time writing and producing music.

Louise Xie

Undergraduate Research Intern

Louise Xie is a sophomore majoring in Biology & Society and History in the College of Arts and Science at Cornell University. After graduating, she hopes to continue her studies in Neurobiology and Behavior. In the Yapici Lab, she works on identifying the correlation between neural systems and foraging decisions in Drosophila melanogaster and helps with the development of the VR system tracking fly movement. In her free time, she enjoys long runs and long hours in art museums.

Tianxing Jiang

Undergraduate Research Intern

Tianxing Jiang is a sophomore majoring in Math and Computer Science in the College of Arts and Science at Cornell University. He is interested in artificial intelligence and machine learning and plans to continue his studies after obtaining his BA. In the Yapici Lab, Tianxing is working on building a VR system for fruit flies, tracking the fly movement, analyzing video data, and constructing the 3D rendering. Outside the lab, he enjoys taking photos and shooting videos.

Esther Tsyngauz (Position after YLAB: Drexel University College of Medicine)

Undergraduate Research Intern

Esther Tsyngauz is a sophomore majoring in Human Biology, Health, and Society in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University. After graduating, she wants to continue her studies by attending medical school. In the Yapici lab, Esther is researching the neural circuits that regulate food ingestion in Drosophila melanogaster. Outside of the lab, she is involved with the Health and Wellness Committee of the Student Assembly, a Human Ecology ambassador, and takes part in various community service efforts. In her free time, Esther enjoys reading, traveling, and trying new food.

Yash Patel (Position after YLAB: Drexel University College of Medicine)

Undergraduate Research Intern

Yash Patel is currently a sophomore Biology major in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University. He is concentrating on his field of interest, Neurobiology, and Behavior, and he plans on continuing his studies after obtaining his BA. In the Yapici Lab, he is working on identifying neural circuits for food ingestion. He is from Horsham, Pennsylvania, and in his free time, he enjoys amateur astronomy, hiking, and listening to music.

Sahil Suresh (Position after YLAB: MD/PhD student at Tufts University)

Undergraduate Research Intern

Sahil Suresh is a junior Biology major at Cornell University's College of Arts and Sciences. After graduating, he plans on continuing his studies in medical school with a concentration, in neurobiology and behavior. In the Yapici Lab, he is currently helping with research involving the neural circuits responsible for regulating food ingestion in Drosophila melanogaster. Outside of lab in his free time, he enjoys writing, playing the guitar, and photography.

Lily Xie (Position after YLAB: Research Assistant at Mass. Eye and Ear)

Undergraduate Research Intern

Lily Xie is a sophomore studying Biological Sciences and concentrating in Neurobiology and Behavior in the College of Arts & Sciences. After graduating, she plans to continue her neurobiology-based studies in medical school. In the Yapici Lab, she is helping with research in identifying the neural circuitry underpinning sex-specific social behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster. Outside of the lab, Lily is involved in CUEMS, mentorship within, and the Guild of Visual Arts. In her free time, she likes to draw & paint, read, and hike.

Ian Gregg (Position after YLAB: PhD student at Princeton Neuroscience Program)

Undergraduate Research Intern

Ian Gregg is a Sophomore majoring in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Neurobiology and Behavior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. After graduating, Ian hopes to develop diagnostic and bioinformatic technology to solve health problems in people and animals. In the Yapici Lab, Ian works to understand the neural mechanisms underlying diapause. Outside of the lab, Ian is co-founding a biotech startup aimed at preventing fatal leg fractures in racehorses. In his free time, Ian cooperatively hunts with birds of prey as part of the art of falconry and enjoys reading existentialist philosophy.

Chelsea Kiely (Position after YLAB: Medical student at Ohio State University)

Undergraduate Research Intern

Chelsea Kiely is a junior studying Biological Sciences and concentrating in Neurobiology and Behavior in the College of Arts & Sciences. After graduating, she plans to take a gap year to spend time abroad and then continue her neurobiology-based studies. In the Yapici Lab, she is assisting with research identifying the neural circuitry behind sex-specific social behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster. Outside of the lab, Chelsea is VP of Events for Cornell Minds Matter, Co-Chair of Mental Health Awareness Week, and Publicity Officer for Doctors Without Borders. In her free time, she likes to watch movies, hike, and read.

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