Team

Yi-Rong Peng, Ph.D
Principal Investigator

Yi-Rong is a neuroscientist whose research focuses on large-scale multiomic profiling of retinal cells in healthy and pathological conditions to understand human vision and provide insights for the study of ocular diseases. She joined the Jules Stein Eye Institute as an assistant professor in January 2020. Dr. Peng received her PhD in neurobiology from the Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.

Menglin Li, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Scholar

Menglin is a postdoctoral scholar that is interested in understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the development and classification of retina, and is dedicated to exploring the potential treatments of retinal diseases. Her research in Peng’s lab includes using genetic and transcriptomic techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and stem cell technology to understand the development and degeneration of the visual system. Menglin loves animals and has two CUTE cats. She also enjoys snowboarding, going to concerts and movies, and exploring national parks.

Juanzi Gao, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Scholar

Juanzi is a postdoctoral researcher studying retinal development and connectivity. She is passionate about understanding the molecular mechanisms that guide retinal ganglion cell axon projections and the specialization of the human fovea. Originally from China, Juanzi brought her two beloved dogs with her and enjoys taking them on hikes and outdoor adventures.

Martina Cavallini
MSTP Student

Martina is a graduate student in the UCLA MSTP who is studying how retinal circuits adapt in retinal degenerative disease. She is particularly interested in cell adhesion and extracellular matrix molecules and how these contribute to neuronal rewiring. She officially joined the Peng Laboratory in September 2022.

Nathan Chu
Undergraduate Researcher

Nathan is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics. He is primarily interested in how certain genetic predispositions can lead to retinal dysfunction, as well as the processes in which cells within the eye specialize during development. In his free time, Nathan enjoys hiking, watching random YouTube videos, and exploring LA with his friends.

Ethan Liang
Undergraduate Researcher

Ethan is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology. In his free time, he loves playing basketball, rooting for his hometown Warriors, watching horror/thriller movies with friends, bouldering, learning guitar, and hanging out with his new cat.

Rebecca Liu
Undergraduate Researcher

Rebecca is a third-year undergraduate student studying Psychobiology at UCLA. She is fascinated by the critical connection between ophthalmology and neurology, and how retinal degeneration research can impact lives and improve the invaluable sense of sight. In her free time, she enjoys playing the violin, hosting jam sessions with friends, and going on sunset walks. 

Audrey Shen
Undergraduate Researcher

Audrey is a third-year undergraduate Cognitive Science major with a Specialization in Computing. She’s fascinated by the intersection of cognitive science, computing, and neuroscience, particularly how humans interact with technology and process information. She enjoys working out and playing tennis, and learning to cook new recipes.

Sean Tarigan
Undergraduate Researcher

Sean is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Biology. I enjoy playing basketball, going to the gym, cooking meals, and binge watching TV shows.

Khiem Ha
Lab Assistant II

Khiem graduated from UCLA in 2023 with a B.S. in Neuroscience. His research examines the direction-selective circuit in the retina as a model to uncover the molecular mechanisms behind neural circuit formation and associated pathophysiology. In his free time, Khiem enjoys going to the movies, exploring new music, hiking and traveling.

Sophia Ibargüen
Undergraduate Researcher

Sophia graduated from UCLA in 2023 with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Evolutionary Medicine. She was an undergraduate researcher in the lab from 2021 – 2023. Sophia is currently a post-baccalaureate fellow at the National Eye Institute.

Marina Nimnual
Undergraduate Researcher

Marina is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, and minoring in Asian Languages. In her free time, she enjoys playing basketball and pickleball, watching Korean dramas, and exploring cafes around Los Angeles.

Thiri Wai Wai
Undergraduate Researcher

Thiri is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Biology. In her free time, she enjoys binge watching sitcoms and K-dramas, playing with her sister’s golden doodles, trying new food with family and friends, and hiking.

Bea Roxas
Undergraduate Researcher

Bea is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Cognitive Science and minoring in Structural Biology. In her free time, she enjoys going on runs, trying new boba shops, crocheting, and making hojicha and matcha lattes.

Karma Peng
Undergraduate Researcher

Karma is an undergraduate majoring in Physiological Science at UCLA. She joined the lab in 2022, and her research focuses on studying retinal degeneration diseases in mice. In her free time, she enjoys playing the flute, drawing, and playing with her cat. 

Catherine Li
Undergraduate Researcher

Namratha Gujje
Undergraduate Researcher

Anthony Tran
Lab Assistant I

Anthony graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2022 with a B.S. in Microbiology. His motivation for conducting research is to progressively cure diseases. He has a keen interest in translational immunology, particularly within biomedical applications. His research project in the lab focuses on understanding the molecular mechanism that mediates the projection of distinct RGC types. Outside of the lab, Anthony enjoys dancing, playing video games, attending music festivals, reading books, and exploring new places with friends.

Hannah Sapinoso
Lab Assistant II

Ali Pahlevan
Graduate Student

Lin Zhang, Ph.D
Assistant Project Scientist

Lin is a bioinformatician who is interested to apply bioinformatic tools to uncover the molecular underpinning of the formation of retinal circuits and provide the pathogenic understanding of retinal diseases. Her research involves analysis of genomic and transcriptomic datasets, data mining, computational modeling of large-scale datasets, and molecular and cellular biology. She joined the Peng Laboratory in October 2020. Lin received her PhD from Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Michelmore lab, Genome Center, University of California, Davis.

Sophie Skarlatou, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Scholar

Junqiang Wang, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Scholar