Current Lab Members: 

From Left to right, top to bottom:

Etchi Ako - Vision Science Program - Impact of ASD-related genes on retinal development

Karina Bistrong - HWNI Ph. D. program - Development of direction selectivity, F31 award from NEI

Samira Monshietehadi, Graduate student in MCB Ph. D. Program, Impact of waves of vascular development

Miah Pitcher - HWNI Ph. D. program - Development of starburst amacrine cells, F31 Award from NEI

Dafne Selimoglu - Lab Manager, SRA2, Impact of waves on vascular development

Dr. Rachana Deven Somaiya, Weill NeuroHub postdoctoral researcher, molecular basis of direction selective circuit wiring

Dr. Matt Tarchik - postdoctoral fellow, dopamine signaling in retina

Tess Gunatilake — SEED scholar, Neuroscience major, Class of 2026

Eugene Liang — MCB-Neuro major, Class of 2024

Raul Habib - MCB - Neuro major, Class of 2025

Malavika Raghuram - MCB, Data Science major Class of 2026

Marla Feller, Paul Licht Distinguished Professor in Biological Sciences, mfeller@berkeley.edu, @FellerMarla CV

Not pictured - Lamis Yassin, MCB - Cell, Development and Physiology Major, class of 2025

Alumni: 

Anastacia Anishchenko, Postdoctoral Researcher, 2005-2009

David Arroyo, Ph. D., Molecular and Cell Biology, 2011-2016                                                                               Recipient of NSF Predoctoral Fellowship and Ruth L. Kirschstein predoctoral Fellowship from NIH. Currently a Regulatory Affairs Specialist at Medtronics

Will Barkis, UCSD Neuroscience 2006-2009, Currently Principal, Business Group at Orange Silicon Valley.

Aaron Blankenship, . Ph. D. UCSD Neuroscience, 2004 – 2009, Recipient of Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA predoctoral fellowship from NIH IT Consultant Biologics at Bayer

Rémi Bos, Postdoctoral Researcher 2013-2016. currently Associate Professor at Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, Marseille

Franklin Caval-Holme, Ph. D. Helen Wills Neuroscience Program 2015-2020. Recipient of Ruth L. Kirschstein predoctoral Fellowship from NIH, current postdoctoral researcher with Michael Do at Harvard Children’s Hospital

Michael Colicos, Postdoctoral Researcher, 2002-2003
Currently Professor, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of Calgary

Tony del Rio, Postdoctoral Researcher, 2004-2006                                                                                                Research Scientist, Boston Biomedical, Inc

Tim Dunn, Ph. D. UCSD Biological Sciences, 2003-2008

Malak El Quessny, Ph. D., Helen Wills Neuroscience Program 2016-2021. Recipient of Ruth L. Kirschstein predoctoral Fellowship from NIH and the Elizabeth Roboz-Einstein Fellowship, current postdoctoral researcher, Institute for Photonic Sciences, Barcelona, SP

Justin Elstrott, UCSD Computational Neuroscience 2004-2009
Recipient of the NSF predoctoral fellowship
Senior Scientist, Genentech Research and Early Development

Alana Firl, Ph. D. Vision Science, 2009-2014, Mechanisms of generation and propagation of late stage retinal waves, currently Sr Progam Lead Database & BioInformatics at Mars-Wrigley Confectionary

Sally Firth, Postdoctoral Researcher, 2002-2005
Lecturer in the Department of Pharmacology, University of Queensland

Kevin Ford, Ph.D.  Molecular and Cell Biology, 2006- 2011
Recipient of Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA predoctoral fellowship from NIH
Director of Data Science at Myriad Genetics

Aaron Hamby, Ph. D.Molecular and Cell Biology  2008 – 2013
Recipient of Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA predoctoral fellowship from NIH, Field Application scientist at Fabric Genomics

Richard Harris, Postdoctoral Researcher, 1998-2000
Recipient of an NINDS Intramural National Research Service Award
Research Professor at the University of Michigan

Ethan Hua, Master’s UCSD Biological Sciences, 2006-2008
Medical student at UC Davis Medical School

Bryan Hwang,
Recipient of HHMI Research Training Fellowship
HHMI Scholar, 1999-2000

Lowry Kirkby, Ph. D.  Biophysics, 2008-2014, Recipient of the NSF Predoctoral and Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds Ph.D Fellowships, Senior Scientist at Rune labs

Melanie Lee, Postdoctoral Researcher, 2016-2017, Bioinformations Scientist at One Lambda/Thermofisher

Juliana M. Rosa , Postdoctoral Researcher, 2014-2015, currently a Principle Investigator at the National Hospital of Paraplegics in Toledo, Spain

Rukimini Mirotznik, Postdoctoral Researcher, 1999-2000, Mirotznik Editing Services

Ryan Morrie, Ph. D. Molecular and Cell Biology, 2012-2018. Recipient of NSF Predoctoral Fellowship and UCB Dissertation Year Fellowship , currently a Scientist II at Maze Therapeutics.

Michal Rivlin,  Postdoctoral Researcher, 2009-2013
Human Frontier Science Program Fellow
Assistant Professor at Weitzmann Institute
http://www.weizmann.ac.il/neurobiology/labs/rivlin/

Georgeann Sack,  Postdoctoral Researcher 2011-2014, Science communications and publishing, self-employed

Joshua Singer,  Postdoctoral Researcher, 1998-2000
Recipient of a Pharmacology Research Associate Program Fellowship from NIGMS
Associate Professor at University of Maryland

Mathew Summers, Ph. D., Molecular and Cell Biology, Recipient of NSF Predoctoral Fellowship, currently Scientist at Allen Brain Institute.

Alex Tiriac, postdoctoral researcher, 2016-2022, Currently Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University.

Christine Torborg,  Graduate Student (PhD), 2001-2004, Health Science Policy Advisor at NINDS, NIH

Josh Tworig, Ph. D. Molecular and Cell Biology, 2017-2022, Recipient of NSF Predoctoral Fellowship, postdoc 2022-2023, Currently Scientist at Ascend Gene and Cell Therapies.

Anna Vlasits, Ph. D. Helen Wills Neuroscience Program, 2012-2017. Recipient of NSF Predoctoral Fellowship and Ruth L. Kirschstein predoctoral Fellowship from NIH, starting Jan 2024, Assistant Professor at University of Illinois, Chicago Department of Ophthalmology.

Christiane Voufo, Ph. D. Helen Wills Neuroscience Program 2017-2022, current World Bank Africa Fellow, EdTech consultant

Chih-Tien Wang,  Postdoctoral Researcher, 2004-2007, Associate Professor at the National Taiwan University

Corey Webster, Ph. D. Molecular and Cell Biology, 2013-2019 Recipient of Ruth L. Kirschstein predoctoral Fellowship from NIH, current postdoctoral researcher with Judith Campisi at the Buck Institute

Wei Wei,  Postdoctoral Researcher, 2008-2011, Associate Professor, University of Chicago

Rongshan Yan, Postdoctoral Researcher, 2022-2023, currently postdoctoral researcher in Department of Ophthalmology, UCSF

Feller lab 2006 (UCSD):  Marla, Kevin, Anastacia, Tim, Tony, Justin, Aaron, Chih-tien and Papiya Mahapatria