Lab Members

Dr. Head studied at the University of Toronto, Canada where she obtained her BSc, MA, and PhD in neuroscience in 1997 before moving to the University of California, Irvine and completing postdoctoral training in MIND. Until 2009, Dr. Head served as an Assistant Professor and Director of the Brain Tissue Repository for the UCI Alzheimer disease research center at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Head then became a Professor and Associate Director of Education at the University of Kentucky’s Sanders Brown Center on Aging where she established a Down syndrome aging and Alzheimer disease research study. In 2019, Dr. Head returned to the University of California, Irvine and resumed her position as Director of the Brain Tissue Repository and now also serves as a Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. In her free time, she enjoys video games, cooking and being with friends.
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Lorena graduated from FMVZ UNAM veterinary school in Mexico City in 2006. She practiced as a small animals veterinary clinician for 8 years before moving to Scotland in 2015 to pursue an MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare at The University of Edinburgh. She obtained her PhD in 2021 at The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, where she studied feline cognitive dysfunction syndrome (aka feline dementia). She joined the Head lab on that same year as a Postdoctoral Scholar. She is a cat lover and in her spare time she enjoys reading, listening to music, attending gigs and concerts, watching films and birdwatching.

Jeremy Rouanet graduated from Emory University in 2014 with a BS in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. Following graduation, he worked as a research technician and clinical research coordinator at Duke University, before joining the UCI MSTP in 2018. Outside of the lab, Jeremy enjoys cycling, film photography, and baking.
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Justine graduate from Buffalo State University in 2019 with a BS in Forensic Chemistry and a BA in Biotechnology. She went on to work as a brain donation coordinator for UCI MIND, where she simultaneously earned her post-baccalaureate certificate in Psychological Science in 2022. In her free time, Justine enjoys watching and playing sports, exploring SoCal with friends, and spending time with her Corgi named Kaia.

Nazek began her research journey as an undergraduate research assistant where she first sparked interest in investigating Alzheimer's disease in individuals with Down syndrome. She earned her BA in psychology in 2019 from UCI. Nazek later joined the UCI School of Medicine as a Research Specialist, where she contributed to a project aimed at enhancing the reproducibility of publicly available brainimaging data. In the fall of 2021, Nazek started her graduate studies, with her current research exploring the mechanisms of tau spread in individuals with Down syndrome. Outside the lab, Nazek enjoys being in nature, biking, charcoal drawing, watching sunsets, and spending time with her pet parrots.

Alexis De La Rosa graduated from UC Irvine in 2023 with a BS in Biological Sciences. She joined the Head Lab as an undergraduate in September of 2022 and onboarded as a Lab Assistant after graduation. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her pets.

Jerry graduated from UCI with a BS in 2024 and is a volunteer researcher. He was previously in another AD lab but joined Dr. Head's lab because of his interests in exploring the progression of AD in people with DS. In his free time he likes to go on long runs and explore new places to eat.

Vinutha is an undergraduate student at UC Irvine majoring in Cognitive Sciences. She joined the Head Lab to explore her interest in neurodegenerative diseases and learn more about Down Syndrome. Outside of the lab, Vinutha enjoys knitting, watching rom-coms, listening to film scores, and trying new restaurants with friends.

Ally Yuen is an undergraduate student at UC Irvine majoring in Biological Sciences. She joined the Head Lab to further her interest in the connection between Down Syndrome and Alzheimer’s Disease. In her free time, she enjoys trying new food and matcha spots, spending time at the beach, and hanging out with her friends.

Iris is an undergraduate majoring in Public Health Sciences at UCI. She joined the Head lab to learn more about resilience in individuals with Down Syndrome against Alzheimer's Disease. In her free time, she enjoys reading contemporary fiction, going to farmers' markets, and journaling.

Michael received his PhD in statistics at Cornell University in 1985. He was professor of statistics at Cornell, Princeton, and University of Pennsylvania before coming to UCI. Since 2013 he has been a statistician with UCI MIND in the Data Management and Statistics Core of the ADRC. He joined the Head Lab in 2020 as statistician for The Beagle Project, bringing expertise in the design of experiments, modeling by exponential families, and other areas of statistical science. For fun he likes to cycle and swim, hike and camp, and read and write poetry.

Dr. Flores Aguilar received her BSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UAEM in Mexico. She pursued her PhD at McGill University in Canada, where she studied preclinical neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease and Down syndrome. After finishing her PhD, she worked as Bioanalytical Principal Investigator in the Biomarker Team of a CRO. Following her passion for science, Lisi joined the Head lab in 2022 to study cerebrovascular contributions to Alzheimer’s disease in Down syndrome and aging. In her free time, Lisi enjoys travelling, music festivals, camping, hiking, and stand-up paddling. She likes being with family, friends, her cat Jazz and learning watercolor painting.
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Cherie Anne Stringer graduated from California State University, Fullerton in 2018 with a BSc in Cell and Developmental Biology. She then worked as a research technician at UCI until she joined the UCI INP PhD program in 2020. Cherie is interested in studying the relationship between ion channel migration and astrocytic amyloid plaque clearance in Alzheimer’s Disease in people with Down Syndrome. When not in the lab, Cherie can be found outdoors paddle boarding or kayaking with friends, running, or cycling. She also enjoys the movies, anything music and craft-related, and dying her hair every color of the rainbow.

Zoe received her BA in Psychology from Hampton University. Currently, she is a graduate student in the Head Lab at UC Irvine where she studies Alzheimer’s disease in Down syndrome and canine models. Her research interests include neurodegenerative disorders and therapeutic development. In her free time, Zoe enjoys spending time outside, playing with her cat, Mitsy and doing yoga.

Jesse Pascual graduated from UC Irvine in 2015 with a BS in Public Health Sciences and a minor in Comparative Literature. He went on to work as a nursing assistant and telemetry technician and later joined the Head lab as a Lab Assistant. In his free time, Jesse enjoy the outdoors and going on day hikes throughout SoCal.
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Amisha is an undergraduate student at USC majoring in Neuroscience. She joined the Head Lab in 2019 after assisting with the clinical portion of the ABC-DS study. During her free time, Amisha enjoys reading books, practicing Taekwondo, and spending time with family and friends.

Alan graduated from UC Irvine in 2024 with a BS in Human Biology. He joined the Head Lab to develop his research skills in addition to learning more about Alzheimer’s Disease and its progression in people with Down Syndrome. During his free time, Alan enjoys working out, playing the piano, and trying new food.

Freddy Gonzalez is a Human Biology major at the University of California, Irvine, with a strong academic foundation and research experience. He recently completed a research internship at The University of Chicago. His passion for medicine was solidified through clinical shadowing, and he is dedicated to advancing scientific understanding in the biomedical field. He joined the Head Lab to further understand the role of sex differences in the progression and development of Alzheimer's disease. In his free time, Freddy enjoys bouldering, playing pickleball, and exploring different fragrances.

Samantha is an undergraduate student at UC Irvine majoring in Biological Sciences. Joining the Head Lab gave her the opportunity to not only strengthen her laboratory skills but also expand on her knowledge of Alzheimer's Disease and Down Syndrome. In her spare time, Samantha loves going to the gym, playing basketball, cooking, and hanging out with family and friends.

Gabriel graduated from UC Irvine in 1988 with a BS in Biological Sciences and a BA in Psychology, and has received a MPh in Neural Science from New York University in 1997. He has spent 40 years doing scientific research. He was with Norman M Weinberger making rats smarter, Joseph E LeDoux trying to scare rats, Magdalene J Seiler making blind rats see, and Ron Frostig fortifying rats from the effects of stroke. Now he is with Elizabeth Head, who has nothing to do with rats…but he sees dead people. When not in the lab, Gabriel tries to get his 4 kids off their electronic devices so that they can travel to areas where he can do landscape photography. He relaxes by reading over 100 books every year in the genres of cozy mysteries, science fiction, fantasy and biographies.

Jillian received her BA in Neuroscience from Northwestern University. She currently works as a Junior Research Specialist in the Mapstone Lab and Clinical Research Coordinator in the Head Lab at UC Irvine. Her research interests include the impact of racial differences in biomarkers of different neurodegenerative diseases. She is currently working on the BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network’s UM1 project which aims to characterize individual brain cell’s molecular features and develop a comprehensive brain cell atlas.

Elizabeth graduated from UCI with a BS in Neurobiology. She joined the lab as an undergraduate researcher and transitioned to Lab Assistant, before becoming a graduate student. When she is not poking brains or studying, she enjoys reading, creative writing, and going out to get good food with good friends. Also, if drinking coffee can be considered a hobby, then she’s an expert.
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Jacob Dohl graduated from UMBC in 2016 with a BS in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. Following graduation, he worked as a research assistant at the USU Consortium for Health and Military Performance. While there, his work focused on bioenergetics and mitochondrial dynamics in heat stroke, PTSD, glucose intolerance, and nutrient deficiency. He joined UCI as a graduate student in 2020, working to validate the mitochondrial aspects of an in vitro cytoplasmic hybrid model of age-related macular degeneration. After completing that project, Jacob joined the Head lab to investigate the role of calcineurin in Down’s Syndrome and determine metabolite frequency shifts during aging. Outside of the lab, Jacob enjoys rock climbing, snowboarding, and woodworking.

Annie Du graduated from UC Irvine in 2022 with a BS in Biological Sciences. Prior to joining the Head lab, Annie was an undergraduate researcher at the Lane lab investigating the role of Cystatin F on demyelination and phagocytic clearance of myelin in MHV infected mice. In her free time she enjoys hiking, playing Animal Crossing, and annoying her golden retriever.

Halyma joined the Head Lab as an undergraduate at UCI majoring in Human Biology. She initially joined the lab to explore her interests in research and learn more about Alzheimer’s Disease and Down Syndrome. After graduating in 2023, she continued as a research volunteer because of the amazing and welcoming environment fostered at Head Lab. Outside of lab, Halyma enjoys going out with friends, playing video games, and online shopping.

Gordon graduated from UCI in 2024 with a BS in Biology and is currently applying to medical school. He has researched the role mitochondria plays in cancer's ability to resist chemotherapy and has investigated how to induce ferroptosis in cancer cell lines such as osteosarcoma. He likes to surf, snowboard, play basketball and travel.

Ashley is an undergraduate student at UC Irvine majoring in Pharmaceutical Sciences. She joined the Head Lab to strengthen her research skills and explore her interests in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome. During her spare time, Ashley likes to play video games, try new food and boba shops, and hang out with her friends.

Krina is an undergraduate at UCI majoring in Biological Sciences. She joined Head Lab to learn more about the impact genetic conditions, such as Down Syndrome, have on Alzheimer Disease progression. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, reading, doing calisthenics, and frequenting cafes.