People

layteng@stanford.edu

Ph.D., University of Cambridge; B.Eng., National University of Singapore

As a stem cell biologist, my overall goal is to understand the mechanisms through which stem cells differentiate into progressively-specialized cell-types and to harness this knowledge to artificially generate pure populations of desired cell-types from stem cells. My work over the past 11 years has centered on pluripotent stem cells (PSCs, which include embryonic and pluripotent stem cells), which have the remarkable ability to generate any of the hundreds of diverse cell-types in the body. However, it has been notoriously difficult to guide PSCs to differentiate into a pure population of a given cell-type. Current differentiation strategies typically generate heterogeneous cell populations unsuitable for basic research or clinical applications. To address this challenge, I have mapped the cascade of branching lineage choices through which PSCs differentiate into a variety of endodermal and mesodermal cell-types.
Stanford Profiles

lhubby@stanford.edu

https://www.lauradunkinhubby.com/

M.A., San Jose State University; B.A., Sarah Lawrence College

Laura Dunkin-Hubby is a visual artist and art historian from the San Francisco Bay Area. Although not a scientist by trade, her interest in research stems from her background in art history, which she has been studying since high school. She most recently worked on interdisciplinary programs at the intersection of art and science at the Stanford Center for Computational, Evolutionary and Human Genomics (CEHG) and the overlap between the two subjects still fascinates her. When she's not working in the lab, she is traveling the world, making art, baking, drinking tea, doing really bad Eddie Izzard impressions.

niki.ebrahimnejad@gmail.com

High school student, Gunn High School

Niki is a high school intern who joined the Ang lab summer 2019. Niki grew up in Palo Alto and is a senior at Gunn High School. She especially loves biology and how it connects to all the other sciences and plans to continue her passion in college and beyond. Currently, her main focus is on stem cell differentiation into hepatocytes. Outside the lab, Niki enjoys spending time for Palo Alto Music Connection, a non-profit organization she founded and heads that provides free music lessons to elementary and middle school students. In her free time, Niki relaxes by writing short stories, language learning, and playing the clarinet.

kevinjliu@stanford.edu

M.S., University of Southern California; B.S., University of Southern California

Kevin is interested in using stem cells to derive bladder epithelial progenitors for cell replacement therapy in patients with bladder cancer. In addition, he is interested in the mechanism behind how stem cells differentiate into pure liver cells for liver transplantation and effective drug testing. He is a graduate of the Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Master’s Program at the University of Southern California, where he received the prestigious Discovery Scholar distinction. Fun fact, he is one the youngest to ever graduate from the Master’s program at USC. Prior to joining Stanford, his research was on understanding the tropism of circulating tumor cells towards the brain to form brain metastases.

nicpek@stanford.edu

B.Sc., National University of Singapore

I have always been fascinated by the complex world of cellular biology and regenerative medicine - there is always something new to uncover and problems to tackle. I was fortunate enough to get an early head-start in biological research as an undergrad, exploring basic cell biology in yeast and parasite models, igniting my fervor for research. After graduating with a BSc (Hons) (with a specialization in the Biomedical Sciences) from the National University of Singapore, I went on to work on utilising stem cells to study cellular development and model complex human diseases. During my time at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology at the Agency of Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, I also worked on processing patient samples, generating patient-specific iPSCs, disease biomarker discovery and 3D cell cultures. Continuing my research journey in the Ang Lab here at Stanford University, my eventual goal as a stem cell researcher, is to combined my research experiences and interests to bring stem cell-based innovations and platforms to the shelves and be part of the task force that will make regenerative medicine accessible to patients of all needs.

begur@stanford.edu

M.S., University of Southern California; B.S., University of Southern California

I am interested in regeneration and aging - studying the liver is a perfect fit! In my previous research experience, I have explored pluripotency in embryonic stem cells, sensory hair cell regeneration and redox signaling in aging. I graduated from the University of Southern California with a master's in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine and a bachelor's in biochemistry. I also like jazz, contemporary art and gardening.