People

Dr. Viviana Gradinaru completed her B.S. at Caltech and her Ph.D. research at Stanford University and is now the Lois and Victor Troendle Professor of Neuroscience and Biological Engineering at Caltech. In 2024, Dr. Gradinaru was selected as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator.

Dr. Gradinaru's research interests focus on developing tools and methods for neuroscience (optogenetic actuators and sensors; tissue clearing and imaging; gene delivery vehicles) and using them to characterize circuits, including those underlying locomotion, reward, and sleep.

Prof. Gradinaru has received the many honors and awards, including: election as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), NIH Director's New Innovator and Pioneer Awards, a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, World Economic Forum Young Scientist, one of Cell's 40 under 40, Sloan Fellow, Pew Scholar, Moore Inventor, Vallee Scholar, and Allen Brain Institute NGL Council Member, the inaugural Peter Gruss Young Investigator Award by the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Early-Career Scientist Winner in the Innovators in Science Award in Neuroscience (Takeda and the New York Academy of Sciences), Gill Transformative award, twice a finalist for the Blavatnik National Awards for young scientists, Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science, Outstanding New Investigator Award by the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy, and the Society for Neuroscience Young Investigator Award.

Viviana Gradinaru has also been very active in teaching and service, participating with lab members in regular technology training workshops at Caltech and for summer courses at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory as well as advising the CLOVER Center.

Tim received his B.S. from Haverford College and his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Caltech, where he studied molecular recognition in ligand-gated ion channels. After an AHA postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University School of Medicine studying the molecular mechanisms of G protein-coupled receptor chemokine-binding and biased signaling, Tim joined the Department of Molecular Medicine at City of Hope Cancer Center, helping launch Akrevia (now Xilio) Therapeutics. Since joining CLOVER in 2019, Tim has leveraged his experience in combinatorial biology and protein biochemistry to advance CLOVER's core technologies and to facilitate their broad adoption.

Zhe received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from China Agricultural University and her postdoctoral training in biochemistry and neuroscience at the University of Missouri. Before joining the CLOVER center, Zhe worked at Southern Methodist University as a senior research associate studying the molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration.

Izabela received her Ph.D. in Synthetic Protein Chemistry from Rockefeller University and her postdoctoral training in Biological Chemistry at UCLA. In CLOVER, she is interested in AAV receptor identification.

Yaping Lei got her masters degree of biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Southern California. She worked at the Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology of University of Southern California before joining the CLOVER Center.

Kristen received her B.S. in 2021 and M.S. in 2023, in biological sciences from Cal Poly Pomona University. Her thesis at Cal Poly Pomona, studied the cellular mechanisms that play a role in the brain in mice, during West Nile Virus infection.

Bill received his B.S. in Neuroscience from UC Riverside in 2022. In undergrad, Bill worked in the Wilson Lab at UCR which investigated the mechanisms as to why the immune system creates a balance with Toxoplasma gondii during chronic infection.

Fiona graduated with a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Cal Poly Pomona University. During her undergrad, she contributed research at the Durrant Lab, focusing on how the immune system responds to viral encephalitis within the central nervous system.

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