Lindsay LaFave, PhD
she/her
Assistant Professor of Cell Biology
Lindsay is a cancer biologist with a long standing interest in studying chromatin biology. She completed her BS in Biochemistry at the University of Michigan and her PhD in Cancer Biology at Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School in the lab of Dr. Ross Levine. She completed her postdoctoral training at MIT and Harvard University in the labs of Tyler Jacks and Jason Buenrostro. Lindsay has received a number of awards including a Damon Runyon Postdoctoral Fellowship and selection as 2020 Leading Edge Fellow. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, reading, trying out new restaurants, and watching Michigan sports (Go Blue!).
Fia Stratton
she/her
Research Technician
Fia is a recent molecular and cellular biology BSc graduate of Erasmus University College in the Netherlands. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Fia attended high school at NIST International School in Thailand. She is interested in many of the disciplines in molecular and cellular biology including genetics, embryology, and studying gene regulatory mechanisms. Additionally, Fia sees the importance of taking an interdisciplinary approach in her work by learning about climate and social justice issues. For fun, she enjoys walking her dog Milo, cooking, reading, and spending time with family and friends.
Jingli Wang, PhD
she/her
Postdoctoral Fellow
Jingli was born and grew up in China. She completed her BS in Bioengineering at the Anyang Institute of Technology, her MS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and her PhD in Developmental Biology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. During her postdoc at Einstein, she hopes to make a difference in the effort to cure lung cancer. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and taking walks.
Sakshi Goel, PhD
she/her
Postdoctoral Fellow
Sakshi was born and grew up in India. She completed her BTech in Biotechnology from Jaypee Institute of Information Technology and MTech in Biotechnology from Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology in India. She completed her PhD in Cancer Biology at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in the lab of Dr. Bushra Ateeq. As a postdoctoral fellow at Einstein, Sakshi aims to answer questions related to therapy resistance in epithelial carcinomas in order to benefit patients. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring new places, dancing, watching online series and movies.
Anthony Griffen, MS
he/him
PhD Student
Anthony was born and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. He received his BS in Molecular and Cell Biology and his BS in Computer Science from San Diego State University. During his Ph.D., he plans to combine his skills in the lab with his computational skills to investigate lung stem cell state transitions and their role in lung cancer progression. In his free time, Anthony likes to read, go running, try new restaurants in The Bronx, and travel.
Marilyn Vallejo Alvarez, MS
she/her
Research Trainee
Marilyn is currently pursuing a MS degree in Biology at Lehman College and Einstein. She completed her BA in Biological Psychology at Pace University in Pleasantville, NY. As a DISCOVER MA Student at Einstein, she is interested in understanding gene regulation in hopes to better identify the different stages of lung cancer progression. In her spare time, Marilyn enjoys spending time with her family, going to community based activities and eating different cuisine.
Brendan Mullaley
he/him
PhD Student
Brendan was born and grew up in Massachusetts and completed his BS in Cell and Molecular Biology at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. During his PhD he hopes to investigate lung cancer progression through various signaling pathways. Outside of the lab he enjoys seeing new movies, hiking and spending time with friends.
Sara Mosavarpour
she/her
PhD Student
Sara received her BS in Biomolecular Science at New York University. During her postbac at the NIH, she continued to learn bioinformatic and computational techniques. As a PhD student, co-mentored by Roger Chang, she plans to model pollutant-exposed lungs. For fun, she likes doing puzzles, reading, and exploring the city.
Akiva Rube
he/him
MD/PhD Student
Akiva was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and received his BA in Chemistry from Yeshiva University. For his PhD, he is interested in studying how transcription factors bind to and interact with DNA. In his free time, Akiva enjoys reading, cycling, and cooking.
Justin Ferraro
he/him
PhD Student
Justin was born and raised in North Salem, NY. He received his BS in Biology from Manhattan College. During his PhD, he aims to uncover the molecular mechanisms that lead to lung cancer progression. On his weekends, Justin enjoys relaxing with friends and auto racing with the Sports Car Club of America.
Grace Ha Mittler, MD
she/her
Postdoctoral Fellow
Grace was born and raised in New York. She received her BS in Biological Sciences at Cornell University and her MD at Zucker School of Medicine at Northwell. She is in the middle of her General Surgery Residency at Montefiore/Einstein and strives to become an academic Thoracic Surgeon. During her postdoc, Grace is interested in investigating neoadjuvant immunotherapy and cellular dormancy as it pertains to non small cell lung cancer. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her dog and trying new restaurants.
Melissa Tracy
she/her
MD/PhD Student
Melissa was born in Colorado and raised in both Colorado and California. She received her BS in Biology with a specialization in Cancer Biology from the University of Chicago. In her PhD, Melissa plans to explore the molecular underpinnings of immune evasion and dormancy in lung cancer. In her free time, Melissa loves to cook, spend time with friends and loved ones, and explore the city and surrounding nature!
Katherine Conjalka (Undergrad)
Tazkiah Salam (Undergrad)
Justin Agyei (HS Student)​​​​
Logan Tang (HS Student)
Dan Yang (HS Student)​
Past Members
Maria Kierstead (PhD Rotation Student) - 2023
Mark Soto (PhD Rotation Student) - 2021
Maja Haerle (MSTP Rotation Student) - 2022
Atara Meyers (SURP Student) - 2023
Tyler Allcroft (SURP Student) - 2022
Brandon Kim (HS Student) - 2023
Marvin Gutierrez (HS Student) - 2022
Sebastian Wissa (HS Student) - 2022
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Join Us!
We are currently looking for lab members at all levels! If you're a passionate scientist who's interested in learning more about our lab, please email Lindsay.
