Cassandra Hayne (she/her)

Principal Investigator

Cassandra is excited to be back in the midwest, where she calls home. Cassandra received a B.A. in Biochemistry and B.S. in Biology from the University of Northern Iowa. She then moved to North Carolina where she received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry under the training of Dr. Saskia Neher at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at NIEHS with Dr. Robin Stanley before joining the faculty at UChicago.

Cassandra is a member of the UChicago Neuroscience Institute, the Institute of Biophysical Dynamics, the Center for Motor Neuron Disease, and an associate member of the Center for Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Apart from her fascination with biochemistry, Cassandra enjoys spending time outside with her husband and dog and enjoys time indoors crafting and baking. Cassandra is an experienced lab mentor who is committed to supporting trainee growth and success.

Lab Manager

Isabelle was raised in a small town in Quebec. She then moved to Montreal, where she earned her degree in Biochemistry and a Master’s in biomedical sciences from the University of Montreal. A research assistant position prompted her move to University of Chicago 20 years ago and she’s has been here ever since. “I love it!”

Isabelle says “My favorite part of being a lab manager is ensuring the lab runs smoothly and safety. I enjoy providing daily support to my team. I get real satisfaction out of helping new students in the lab who have little experience and making them feel comfortable and confident to be successful doing lab work. I also enjoy cloning, expressing, purifying proteins, ordering, and negotiating with suppliers. I like to make sure equipment is in good working order.”

Outside of the lab, Isabelle enjoys exploring Chicago, visiting historic museums, exercising outdoors, going to music venues, classic movies (real old), and eating Italian food with her husband! 

Liza Zavala (she/her)

Graduate Student (Doctoral Candidate, BMB)

Liza has always lived in the Midwest and considers Chicago her home. Liza graduated from the University of Illinois at Springfield in Biology with a concentration in Chemistry and Public Health and did research on cyanobacteria identification under the guidance of Dr. Lucia Vazquez.

When not in the lab, Liza likes to spend her time baking, reading, or playing video games. 

During her pre-doctoral training, she has been supported by the IMSD and Chemistry and Biology training grants.

Lucia Rodriguez

Research Analyst

Lucia has been an Illinois resident all of her life. She grew up in Gurnee, then moved to central Illinois where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry with a minor in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. During her undergraduate studies, Lucia worked under Dr. Nicholas Wu studying the evolution of influenza glycoproteins. 

Lucia loves spending time at the bench, but outside of this, you can find her weightlifting, trying new restaurants, or spending time with animals.

Viktoriya Kalinina

Post-Bac

Viktoriya is from Massachusetts and recently graduated from Brandeis University with a B.S. in biochemistry and a B.A. in biology. As an undergraduate student, she was a part of the Rao Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital and researched the expression of GFRα receptors in enteroendocrine cells in the mouse GI tract. She is excited to continue her path in biomedical research and to delve into how the molecular mechanisms of RNA processing lead to neurodegeneration.

In her free time, Viktoriya enjoys going on nature walks, watching movies, coding, and creating art.  

Ciara Balanza

Undergraduate Researcher

Ciara Balanza is an undergraduate (Class of 2028) from New York City. She is planning to major in Neuroscience and Fundamentals: Issues and Texts. In the lab, she is studying the cellular localization of some of our favorite proteins, using fluorescence microscopy.

In her free time, Ciara enjoys running, doing yoga, and exploring museums. 

She was awarded a BSCD Summer Research Fellowship.

Phoebe Hsu

Undergraduate Researcher

Phoebe is an undergraduate (Class of 2028) from Los Angeles. In high school, she was involved in Alzheimer’s research at City of Hope, and she is thrilled to dive into research on Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia. She’s currently helping the lab investigate changes in cellular RNA processing, using qPCR.

Outside of the lab, Phoebe enjoys exploring new coffee shops, going to the beach, and baking.

She was awarded a BSCD Developmental Neurobiology Undergraduate Summer Fellowship and a Quad Fellowship

Lincoln

The Lab’s Lab

Lincoln is the lab mascot. While he cannot go in the lab, he excels in providing moral support when experiments don’t go as planned. He enjoys car rides, long walks by the lake, and playing in the snow. His favorite foods are carrots, cheese, and peanut butter.