Group Members

Lief Fenno, M.D., Ph.D.

Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Neuroscience
Google Scholar | lief.fenno@austin.utexas.edu

Lief grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, trained in neurobiology at Harvard University, and completed PhD, MD, and Psychiatry Residency at Stanford University. His expertise is in the development and application of novel molecular and viral reagents for neuroscience. He has invented methods for targeting and controlling highly defined populations of neurons in awake, behaving animals and applied these to understand healthy and diseased brain function. His goal is to translate the findings and reagents generated in his research group to human patients suffering from neurological and psychiatric illnesses. He is also a practicing psychiatrist treating patients with substance use disorder as a faculty member of Dell Medical School.

Julia Bastin

Research Associate | Lab Manager
LinkedIn | julia.bastin@utexas.edu

Julia grew up in The Netherlands, where she obtained her Bachelor and Master of Science in Biology from Wageningen University. When it came to genetics, it was love at first Punnett square. She specialized in Health & Disease with the goal of investigating the underlying genetics that lead to disease.

Rinki Dasgupta, M.D., Ph.D.

Post-Doctoral Researcher
Neuroscience

Dr. Rinki Dasgupta is a postdoctoral research scholar in Molecular Biology at the Dell School of Medicine, University of Texas at Austin. She holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from Texas Woman's University and an MD in Pediatrics from the West Bengal University of Health Sciences, India.

Dr. Dasgupta’s research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases, with the aim of identifying potential therapeutic strategies. She has contributed to key projects, including the study of protein arginylation in neurodegeneration, the development of transgenic cortical brain organoids as 3D models for post-traumatic brain injury research, and the use of spatial omics to analyze dysregulated intracellular signaling pathways.

In addition to her research, Dr. Dasgupta has mentored undergraduate and graduate students, fostering a collaborative research environment. She is passionate about translating scientific discoveries into solutions that enhance patient care and improve lives.

Yeonha Ju, Ph.D.

Post-Doctoral Researcher
Neuroscience

Yeonha grew up in South Korea and obtained her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Science and Technology in Korea. She is an expert in electrophysiology and glial biology. After completing her Ph.D. in glial biology, her research led her to investigate the role of astrocytes in various neurological disorders.

Currently, Yeonha is a post-doctoral researcher in Lief's lab at the University of Texas at Austin, studying the relationship between astrocytes and psychiatric disorders such as autism. Now she is going to learn molecular engineering techniques in Lief’s lab. Her research aims to uncover the underlying mechanisms of these disorders and develop new therapeutic strategies to improve patient outcomes. Throughout her career, she has been passionate about using scientific research to improve our understanding of the brain and develop new treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders. Yeonha looks forward to continuing this work and contributing to the scientific community's efforts to improve human health.

Charles Sebesta, Ph.D.

Post-Doctoral Researcher

Charles Sebesta is a Postdoctoral fellow in the Fenno Lab, where he works on developing genetically-encoded technologies for neuromodulation using directed evolution and next-gen sequencing techniques. He received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from UT Austin and his PhD in Bioengineering from Rice University working with the Robinson Lab developing multidisciplinary nanotechnologies for neuromodulation. His previous work focused on optimizing magnetogenetics to improve temporal resolution and expand multiplexing capabilities using rate-sensitive TRPA1 channels and novel magnetic nanoparticles.

Megan Hall

Graduate Student
Neuroscience

Megan is a graduate student in the Institute of Neuroscience. She received her B.S. in Neuroscience from Colorado State University in 2023. Her main interests lie in molecular and cellular underpinnings behind neuropsychiatric disorders. Outside of lab , she enjoys hiking, concerts, swimming, and exploring ice cream joints.

Zorana Opachich

Graduate Student
Neuroscience

Zorana is originally from Phoenix, Arizona, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and psychology. Passionate about research in substance abuse disorders, she focuses on studying the endogenous opioid system and the brain’s changes due to opioid use. Currently, Zorana is pursuing her PhD in Neuroscience at UT Austin. Outside the lab, she enjoys spending time with her cat, traveling, and exploring Austin.

Rayna Taniguchi

Graduate Student
Biomedical Engineering

Rayna grew up in Japan and obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from University College London. While working on her final-year dissertation project there, based on gene therapy for the treatment of epilepsy, she became fascinated at how discoveries made in the Bioengineering field heavily influences advancements made in the development of therapies for neurological disorders. This led her to obtaining her Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Imperial College London. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering in the Fenno Lab, with the interest of widening the current toolkit available to neuroscientists for accessing the brain.

Susanna Bradbury

Research Associate

Susanna holds a B.S. in Neurobiology from Stanford University, where she worked in the Deisseroth Lab for five years. Prior to Stanford, she studied at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in the D.C. area and worked in the Lab for Computational Cognitive Neuroscience at Georgetown University. She joined the Fenno Lab in September 2022 and is primarily working on gene therapy engineering.

Abby Criswell

Research Associate
Biology, Computer Science

Abby Criswell grew up in Austin, Texas and obtained her B.S. in Biology and Computer Science from UT Austin. At UT Austin she worked in the Dillig Lab and Havird Lab for many years and participated in the Texas 4000 for Cancer bike ride. She joined the Fenno Lab in January 2024.

Emma Babaian

Research Associate

Emma grew up in Sugar Land, Texas, and obtained her B.S. in Neuroscience with a minor in Science Communication from the University of Texas at Austin. She is interested in understanding the biological basis of psychiatric disorders through the manipulation of neuron circuits and various neurotransmitter systems. She joined the Fenno Lab in March 2022.