
Principal Investigator
Sihem earned her Ph.D. working at Cold Spring Harbor labs on microRNAs. She then moved to Massachusetts General Hospital for her postdoctoral training where she worked on cellular reprogramming and chromatin regulation. When not in the lab Sihem is a mother of two young girls and enjoys cooking and exploring nature.
Reuben Franklin
2019 - present
Graduate Student, CMDB Program
Reuben earned his BS degree in Biology at CSU Bakersfield while wrestling at the Division I level. Reuben's project in the lab is focused on investigating how histone chaperones maintain stem and progenitor cell identity. Outside of research, Reuben enjoys coaching (both on the mat and in the lab) and outdoor activities.
Meijuan Chen
2021- present
Graduate Student, 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 regulation and function of transposons in cellular plasticity. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and watching movies.
Shreyans (Archie) Patel
2021- present
Undergraduate Student
Shreyans is junior at UC Riverside majoring in Cellular, Molecular, and Developmental Biology. Archie's project is focused on applying CRISPR-CAS9 technology to study mechanisms of chromatin organizations. Outside the lab, Shreyans is Vice-President of UCR's Friends of Médecins Sans Frontières and a Supplemental Instructor for the Academic Resource Center. In his free time, he enjoys playing video games and watching sports
Brian Zhang
Rotation 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. Outside the lab, Brian enjoys cooking and playing video games.
David Shabazi
Rotation Student, BCMB Program
David earned his BS degree in Cell and Molecular Biology at Cal State Northridge. During his junior year, he studied the influence of skeletal muscle differentiation on neurogenesis using human embryonic stem cells. In his free time, he enjoys playing rhythm games and learning new cooking recipes.