Harini grew up in India, and she majored in Microbiology, which led her to her first foray into scientific research at the AstraZeneca Drug Discovery program. Although she joined the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with the intention of pursuing her Ph.D. in Microbiology, she heard Phil Newmark, her graduate advisor, give a talk on planarians and fell in love with these flatworms with their astounding abilities of regeneration. Her graduate thesis defined the functions of multiple genes involved in germline stem cell self-renewal and maintenance in both planarians and their parasitic cousins, schistosomes. Her fascination with regeneration drew Harini to zebrafish, and she joined Will Talbot’s lab at Stanford, initially intending to study the process of remyelination. Fortuitously, however, her experiments led her to appreciate the fascinating biology of microglia and the importance of lysosomal pathways in these critical neuroimmune cells. As she designed her own research program, she delved into the field of neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental, and neuropsychiatric disorders and the contributions of neuroimmune signaling pathways in these devastating conditions.

Outside of the lab, Harini loves to spend time with her dog, Arya, listen to way too many podcasts, and read fiction.

Emilio was born in Pirayú, a small city in the Paraguayan countryside. He earned his BSc in Biochemistry and MSc in Biological Chemical Sciences at the Facultad de Ciencias Químicas of the Universidad Nacional de Asunción (FCQ-UNA). His master’s research in the Biotechnology Department focused on engineering a recombinant M13 phage to carry an immunogenic peptide from the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) for vaccine development. He later studied the antiviral activity of natural extracts against HSV-1. Despite his strong interest in phage and virus research, his next goal was to pursue his passion for neuroscience. To achieve this goal, he obtained the Fulbright–CAL scholarship to pursue a PhD in the USA. In 2025, he joined the Iyer Laboratory as a PhD student in the Biochemistry and Cell Biology program within the BioSciences Department at Rice University.

In his free time, he enjoys playing the electric guitar, watching movies, going to concerts, and engaging in sports such as running, soccer, biking, and hiking.

Othniel is a sophomore at Rice University majoring in Neuroscience. During his time at Rice, he has become passionate about neurobiological research. His first experience with research began with his involvement in a biostatistics project that sought to elucidate the role of various metabolites in the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease. At the Iyer lab, he is currently focused on exploring the role of microglia in epilepsy.

In his free time, Othniel loves playing basketball, designing sports posters, trying new foods, and listening to music.

Brandon was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. He is a third-year undergraduate majoring in Chemistry and Biosciences. His research work began in the Tour lab, where he assayed the activity of novel antimicrobial molecules against clinical bacterial pathogens. To pursue an interest in neuroscience and psychiatric disorders, Brandon joined the Iyer lab in 2026 as an undergraduate researcher.

In his free time, Brandon runs track and cross country for Rice University, reads non-fiction, and enjoys music and being outdoors.

Tanushree grew up in West Bengal, India—a state renowned for its UNESCO-recognized Durga Puja festival celebrating the goddess Durga over ten days. She earned her B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of Calcutta and her M.Sc. in Biochemistry from Banaras Hindu University. At the Department of Biophysics and Structural Genomics, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP), Kolkata, her research focused on identifying organelle-specific cancer biomarkers for early diagnosis.

Over time, Tanushree explored various career paths, including serving as a Teacher and Administrator. Yet, she always felt a deep connection to research. To reconnect with her scientific roots, she joined the Iyer Lab as a Research Technician in 2026.

In her free time, she loves painting, cooking, crafting, planting and traveling.

Arya was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and adopted in 2014 when she was just a tiny four-month-old puppy. Since then she has listened to her mom give many practice talks, and she snoozes through them all. She thinks everyone she meets is her best friend, and this theory has not been proven false to date.

Outside of the lab, Arya loves to nap, go on long hikes and walks, and thinks playing fetch is lame.