Iswar Hariharan Ishwar Hariharan

I obtained my degree in Medicine (MBBS) from the University of Sydney and my Ph.D. degree from the University of Melbourne where I worked with Jerry Adams and Suzanne Cory. My post-doctoral training was with Gerry Rubin at the University of California, Berkeley. I joined the faculty of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School in 1992. In 2004 my lab moved to the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at U. C. Berkeley where I am a Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology. I have no hobbies and have forgotten how to relax.

ikh@berkeley.edu

James Fristrom

(Visiting Professor.....from the 5th floor)

Justin Bosch

I attended college at UW-Madison where I earned a degree Biology and caught the research bug working in an Arabidopsis evo-devo lab. After graduation in 2006 I moved out west for a full-time research job in a zebrafish development lab at UCSF. In spring 2009 I joined the Hariharan Lab and am currently working on identifying novel genes controlling cell competition in Drosophila.

Robin Harris

I completed my PhD in the lab of Dr Hilary Ashe at the University of Manchester in the UK in 2009, examining the differentiation of Drosophila germline stem cells, where I discovered my passion for awkward and repetitive dissection. I joined the Hariharan lab as a postdoc in 2011, and am currently studying the process of tissue regeneration by developing a screening system based on genetic ablation, which will ultimately allow the identification of genes that regulate regeneration. I am currently a postdoctoral scholar of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, and aside from frequently indulging in larval wing disc dissections, I also enjoy running, yoga and going to the pub.

robinharrris@berkeley.edu

Linda Setiawan

I am a graduate student at the Free University Berlin conducting my thesis project in Iswar's lab. During my Master studies in biochemistry, I felt a need to resurface from the subcellular and to study developmental biology in real animals. I did my Master thesis research in Didier Stainier's lab at UCSF studying the fate decision in liver/pancreas progenitors in zebrafish. In Iswar's lab, I study the mystery of genes involved in regeneration and have been conducting a genetic screen together with Melanie to address the burning question: Why do we regenerate less as we age?

linda.setiawan@berkeley.edu

Melanie Worley

I received my bachelor’s degree in biology, along with a minor in chemistry, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2006. As an undergraduate researcher, I worked in the laboratory of Professor H. Robert Horvitz, on cell fate decisions in C. elegans. I am currently a working on determining the genes and molecular mechanisms that regulate regenerative growth in Drosophila. Currently, I am a California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Predoctoral Fellow.

mworley@berkeley.edu

Sa Kan Yoo

I have been interested in how organs regenerate upon tissue damage. I went to Kobe University School of Medicine in Japan and learned perspectives in human medicine. Although I was not a great student on the wards, it was extremely lucky that I could get intensive training of cell biology at Dr. Yasuhiro Minami’s lab. I pursued approaches of performing cell biology in vivo using zebrafish at Dr. Anna Huttenlocher’s lab during my Ph.D study at University of Wisconsin-Madison. I investigated how cells respond to tissue injury in zebrafish. I joined the Hariharan lab, being attracted to advanced genetics in the fruit fly. I will address how animals sense wounds and regenerate tissues, combining the fruit fly and zebrafish. My long-term goal is to obtain insights and perspectives that could feedback to wound healing and tissue regeneration in humans.

syoo4@berkeley.edu

Josh Saul

I am a third year undergraduate student majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology with an emphasis in Genetics, Genomics, and Development. I joined the Hariharan lab in the fall of 2012. I work with Robin on creating his ablation system to identify genes that are related to regeneration in Drosophila wing imaginal discs. I enjoy reading about Greek and Roman history when I can find the time between research and classes.

Christina Shih

I am a second year undergraduate student with intentions of double majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology with an emphasis in Genetics, Genomics, and Development and Public Health. I joined the Hariharan lab in July, 2012, and am currently working under Sa Kan on studying the effects of metformin on flies that express oncogenes specifically in eyes. Metformin, a commonly prescribed diabetes drug, has recently been found to reduce the overall risks of cancer in people with diabetes. In my spare time, when I’m not busy with my studies, I like to tutor elementary school students and watching TV shows with my friends.

Cassandra Van

I am in my 4th year of undergraduate studies, persuing a major inMolecular and Cell Biology with an emphasis in Genetics, Genomics, andDevelopment, and a minor in Linguistics. I began working with Justin inAugust 2012 on identifying novel genes involved in cell competition. Outside of academics, I enjoy exploring, doing puzzles, and singing.

Alexis Woods

I'm a 4th year majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology, with an emphasis in Neurobiology. I joined the Hariharan lab in February 2011 and started working with Linda on determining the molecular mechanisms that regulate regeneration in Drosophila. Currently, I'm working on my senior honors project looking at the interactions of the JNK pathway during regeneration. My favorite things to do, when not in lab or studying, are working out, going dancing, and being in nature. Other than that, I'm trying to figure out how to fit volunteering at free health clinics back into my schedule again.