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Principal Investigator Curriculum Vitae
Sihem received her PhD in genetics under the mentorship of Greg Hannon at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory where she worked on small non-coding RNAs and then completed her postdoctoral training with Konrad Hochedlinger at Massachusetts General Hospital where she worked on epigenetic barriers of cellular reprogramming. When not in the lab Sihem is a mother of two young girls, enjoys cooking and exploring nature.
Reuben Franklin
2023 - present
Postdoctoral CIRM TRANSCEND Fellow
Reuben earned his BS degree in Biology at CSU Bakersfield while wrestling at the Division I level. He earned his PhD from UCR's CMDB graduate program and is the first PhD of the Cheloufi lab. Reuben's project in the lab is focused on investigating how histone chaperones maintain stem and progenitor cell identity. Reuben enjoys coaching (both on the mat and in the lab) and outdoor activities.
Meijuan Chen
2021- present
Graduate Student, CIRM TRANSCEND Trainee , CMDB Program
Meijuan earned her MS degree in plant pathology from Huazhong Agriculture University in China. She then worked as a research assistant in Center of life science and technology in China focus on resistance genes against Magnaporthe oryzae in rice. Meijuan spent some time working as a volunteer in Prof Shouwei-Ding's lab at UCR before joining in our lab to investigate the function of transposons in cellular plasticity. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and watching movies.
Brian Zhang
2023-present
Graduate Student, CMDB Program
Brian earned his BS degree from UC Riverside in Cellular, Molecular, and Developmental Biology. Throughout undergraduate he worked in Dr. Katayoon Dehesh’s lab at UCR where he set up a genetic screen to identify components involved in metabolite altered calcium signaling in eubacteria and plants. Brian's project is focused on studying the epigenetic mechanisms of transposable element regulation in somatic cells. Outside the lab, Brian enjoys cooking and playing video games.
Shivani Ramesh
2025- present
Undergraduate Researcher, CIRM RAMP Scholar
Shivani is a Neuroscience major at UCR and joined the lab as CIRM, RAMP scholar in Summer 2025. Her project is focused on understanding the role of transposable elements in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS). In her free time, she likes baking and painting.
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Logan Reynosa
2025- present
Undergraduate Researcher
Logan is a second-year Cellular, Molecular, and Developmental Biology Major at UCR and joined the Cheloufi Lab as a RISE Scholar in Summer 2025. His project is focused on transcriptional regulation of endogenous retroviruses in blood development. Outside of the lab, Logan is also a competitive esports and soccer player.
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