MemBrain Lab
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Photo by James Vaughen
John Vaughen
Principal Investigator

​John obtained a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Chicago, was a MEXT research scholar at Kyoto University, completed his Ph.D. in Developmental Biology with Tom Clandinin at Stanford, and is now a Sandler Faculty Fellow at UCSF. He unexpectedly fell in love with brain lipids and is studying how specific fats influence brain cell function across neurons and glia.  
 
John is an avid cyclist, atrocious pianist, and pastry fanatic fueled by exogenous insulin. Leaving lab is hard for this degenerate labrat, but you might find him visiting friends in Kyoto or family in Illinois. 
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Elizabeth Hardy
Graduate Student 
Liz joins us from the Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics program to work on genetics of fly lipid metabolism in glia! Liz is the Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation PhD Scholarship Recipient, and a NIH NIGS IMSD Fellow.​ 

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Wendy Cheng
Graduate Student 
​Wendy grew up in Shenzhen, China, and studied Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge, UK. After wandering through research labs in three different countries, she landed in the Tetrad program at UCSF, where she now spends her days chasing questions in cell biology. Outside the lab, Wendy’s life revolves around good food, music, and art. She is introverted but always happy to discuss cats (and of course science).

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James Forward
Friend of the fly brain
​James is a junior specialist with the Chang Lab at UCSF and is currently collaborating with the Vaughen Lab on the physical properties of the fly brain. Like many west coast Canadians, James likes hiking and climbing rocks.

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Ryan Lee
Summer Fly Engineer 
Ryan is an undergraduate at Brown University who joins us in the sunny-foggy bay to work on Saposin! Outside of preparing for his grueling future as a MD-PhD, Ryan is an avid photographer, biker, and budding snowboarder. 

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​Arianna Doss
Administrative Officer
I graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.S. in Public Health. I joined the Villeda Lab in 2023 as a Faculty Assistant for the UCSF Bakar Aging Research Institute (BARI). Outside of the lab I enjoy cooking, reading and finding new ways to stay active.
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Created with biorender.
Drosophila Melanogaster
Principle Researcher Organism
​Flies are fast and powerful. Their conserved genes, lipids, and cell type functions, combined with rapid genetic access, gives this tiny arthropod an oversized impact on biology. 
 
Outside of lab, D. melanogaster is very happy to escape lobotomization and peacefully consume fermenting fruits

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You?

Graduate students and postdocs interested in joining should Contact us.
John cares deeply about teaching and mentoring. 

If you have any questions about working with John, contact:
Emma Theisen, PhD student ([email protected])
Ryan Lee, undergraduate ([email protected])
Adriana Bibo, lab junior specialist ([email protected])

You have the ability to infect others with so much passion, curiosity, and inspiration when you talk science- it’s irresistible. I love it- Ryan Lee
Lab Alumni 
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Adriana Bibo
Adriana was a PROPEL scholar at UCSF and the brave first pioneer member of the lab. ​She is currently a graduate student at Stanford in Developmental Biology ([email protected]​)
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  • Research
  • Team
  • Papers
  • Ethos
  • Join!
  • News