People — The Gomez LAB

The Gomez Lab

Andrea M. Gomez, PhD

Principal Investigator

Born and raised in Las Cruces, New Mexico, I am both Laguna Pueblo and Chicana. I received my Ph.D. in Developmental Genetics from New York University and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Basel, Switzerland. I started my lab at UC Berkeley in 2020. To learn more about Andrea read here, here, or here.

Adina Lewis

Lab Manager

I am from Fresno, California and was raised in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Nu Nuumu, I am Western Mono, Indigenous to the Cold Springs Rancheria. I received my Bachelors of Science in Microbial Biology from University of California, Berkeley. I am passionate about Indigenizing science through reforming microbial bioremediation, uplifting traditional ecological stewardship practices and increasing representation of Indigenous folx in higher education! When not in the lab I can be found foraging for cool fungi, starting a garden somewhere or looking at really crazy bug photos!

Marcos A. S. Fonseca, PhD

Bioinformatician

Marcos was born in Santa Rita de Caldas, MG, Brazil. He is a bioinformatician with a background in computer science. His main research interests are machine learning, biological data integration, and the intersection of psychedelics and epigenetics. He has experience in developing computational pipelines for single-cell RNA-Seq, transcription factors analysis, and gene regulatory circuit discovery.
As an existentialist, Marcos is driven by constant and joyful disquiet. He has a deep appreciation for the arts, including painting, dancing, and music, and explores them as a way of fulfilling his journey through life experience and expanding his self-awareness. He also likes cats.

Isabela Ichihara de Barros, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Isabela was born and raised in Brazil. She received her Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of São Paulo in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. There she studied the role of a novel long non-coding RNA in neural differentiation and intellectual disability. She is fascinated by regulatory RNAs and their roles in neuronal function. In the Gomez lab, she is investigating transcriptomic and functional changes associated with neural plasticity induction, both in the central and the enteric nervous systems. When not in the lab, she enjoys hanging out with friends, watching movies, and exploring new places in the city.

Jessica Minder, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Jess was born and raised in New York and completed her Ph.D. in the labs of Drs. Robert Froemke and Moses Chao at New York University Medical Center. She is broadly interested in how the brain drives and adapts to internal states. Her Ph.D. work examined a novel role for maternal oxytocin neurons as drivers of embryonic diapause. In the Gomez lab, Jess is interested in inducing plasticity to correct maladaptive behaviors in rodents. Outside lab, Jess enjoys rock climbing and hikes with her pup.

Adrián Alejandro García

PhD Candidate, NSF GRFP Fellow

I was born in Bayamón and raised in Barrio Quebrada Cruz, Toa Alta, Puerto Rico. I did my undergraduate studies in Cell Biology at UPR in Río Piedras. In 2020, I joined the Gomez lab with an interest in how RNA diversity and expression shapes neuronal function. Among my projects in the lab, I'm studying how presynaptic alternative splicing of neurexins can couple synaptic and intrinsic excitabilities post-synaptically. I spend a substantial amount of time during breaks in the lab documenting any and all aspects of my own experience of, and encounters with, neurodiversity. My long-term goal with this effort is to help establish that the perspectives of people with neuro-psychiatric or neuro-developmental differences are crucial to advance how our neuroscience communities integrate knowledge about nervous systems. I like reading, guitar-practicing, Ultimate-Frisbee-ing, videogaming and slowly training myself and my cat (placed safely inside a pet backpack) to get used to being outdoors.

Michael Hsiao

PhD Candidate, PhRMA Foundation Predoctoral Fellow

Michael was born and raised in Taiwan before immigrating to the States. He completed his undergraduate studies at Brandeis University, where he majored in Biochemistry. Whilst at Brandeis, he worked in the lab of Leslie Griffith, studying sleep and operant learning in fruit flies. He is interested in the molecular and cell biology underlying neural signaling. Specifically, he will be looking at regulation of alternative splicing by chromatin structure. When not in the lab, he can be found playing baseball (more watching now), drinking boba, and watching too much K-Dramas.

Roland Lacap

PhD Student

I was born and raised in California by my parents who immigrated from the Philippines. Before I started the Molecular and Cell Biology PhD program here at Cal, I was at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) completing my BA in Psychology and MSc in Biology. While at CSUN, I worked in the lab of Dr. Maria Elena de Bellard where I studied evolution and developmental biology in early vertebrates. Now that I am at Cal, my current research interests lie at the intersection of developmental neurobiology, RNA biology, and epigenetics. My interests outside of the lab include exploring new foods through cooking or eating out, playing with my dog Coffee, and playing video games.

Alina Tiemroth

PhD Student

I am from the sunny but foggy city of Oakland, California. I completed my undergraduate studies at Tulane University, where I worked in the lab of Dr. Maria Galazo to investigate the molecular logic underlying cortical development. In the Gomez lab, I am interested in the cellular and circuit mechanisms gating neuroplasticity in the adult. Outside of the lab, I enjoy cooking, sunset walks, and saying that I am going to start surfing.

Katrina White

Research Assistant

I am a lab technician and recent Cal graduate with a BA in Cognitive Science and Molecular and Cell Biology. As someone born and raised in New Jersey, I am a natural fist pumper and bird flipper. My academic interests include neural plasticity, social cognition, and evolution. My personal passions are fashion, music, being in nature, and making art.

Estefany Vasquez

Undergraduate Researcher, Biology Scholars Fellow, Marco Antonio Firebaugh Scholar, UCSF SRTP Fellow

I am an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley and I am interested in Neuroscience and in understanding the molecular mechanisms that drive the development of neuronal networks of the brain. When not in lab, I enjoy cooking, and running.