Meet the Crew

Jayshree grew up in Mumbai (India) where she completed her medical education from Grant Medical College. Subsequently, she earned her PhD in Neuroscience from Northwestern university, Chicago (USA). For her doctoral research she studied the molecular mechanisms responsible for oligodendroglial lineage commitment in neural stem cells of the developing mouse brain. As a post-doctoral fellow in New York University School of Medicine, New York (USA), she discovered that inhibition of Gli1 enhances remyelination by endogenous neural stem cells in the adult mouse brain. She started her lab in the School of Veterinary Medicine at UW-Madison in Nov. 2017. Her lab studies the mechanisms regulating the response of adult neural stem cells to injury.  She  loves to teach all things science to her padawans in the lab and when not thinking about science, she loves bird watching and hiking the Ice Age Trail with her family.

Dan is working on novel pathways that regulate neural stem cell response to injury. Using in vivo transgenic mouse models, and in vitro mouse and human neural stem cells, Dan is investigating how demyelinating areas of the central nervous system can signal and alter neural stem cell differentiation and migration. He has received several awards including the post-doctoral fellowship from the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center at UW-Madison (2020), the SCRMC Fall Conference best blitz talk travel award from SCRMC (2021), Postdoc Excellence in Service award from the UW-Madison Postdoctoral Association (2021), the Sanofi award from the American Society for Neurochemistry (2020) and the Trainee Professional Development award from Society for Neuroscience (2020). Outside of lab, Dan is involved in the Postdoc Association, and WiSolve business group at UW-Madison. He also likes to explore new recipes through cooking, trivia nights throughout Madison, and checking out new festivals during the summer.

Elizabeth studies pathways involved in oligodendrocyte regeneration following demyelinating injury, such as that seen in multiple sclerosis. Outside of lab, she enjoys getting outside on nice days for biking, kayaking and gardening and on cold days snuggling under a heated blanket to read murder mysteries and nonfiction with a cup of mint herbal tea.

Nayef is an undergraduate Neurobiology major at UW-Madison. His research pertains to remyelination in a novel genetic mouse model of demyelination. He wishes to pursue an MD-PhD in neurosurgery once he graduates. Outside of lab, he enjoys attending events with the Biocore Outreach Ambassadors and the Biocore Adventure Club, along with reading and making origami in his spare time.

Ruiqi is an undergraduate student majoring in biology and pursuing a career in healthcare. Outside of lab, she enjoys connecting through food, participating in various sports, and listening to her favorite podcast.

Amelia is an undergraduate student studying Biochemistry and Neurobiology on a pre-med track. Outside of lab, she loves to mountain bike, hike, and read.

Ella is an undergraduate student at UW-Madison double majoring in Biology and Global Health with an anticipated certificate in Biocore. She is the volunteer chair for Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Medicine Honors Society and also volunteers at UnityPoint Health Meriter. She enjoys spending time on Lake Mendota, playing tennis, and spending time with friends and family. In the future, she hopes to attend medical school and become a Neonatologist or Obstetrician.

Annamaria was born and raised in Italy, in one of the hill towns surrounding Florence. She graduated from the University of Florence with a BS in Mathematics and Statistics.  After dedicating the last ten years to motherhood, the most challenging job on earth, she joined the Samanta Lab team to embark on a new journey into the world of science. She is very grateful for the opportunity to be a part of an amazing group and to face new challenges and growth opportunities in the pursuit of science. She brings to the team a sunny disposition, the love for teamwork and excellent organizational skills. Outside of the lab, Annamaria loves eating food, talking about food, and learning about new food. She’s very excited to be working with an international group of people and eager to learn about other languages and cultures.

Sai graduated from the Comparative Biomedical Sciences program with an MS degree in June 2021.

Current position: PhD student at University of California – San Diego