Marina grew up in Lima, Peru and moved to the US after completing her B.Sc. in Biology at the National Agrarian University “La Molina”. For her PhD, she used zebrafish to study collective cell migration in the lab of Dr. Tatjana Piotrowski, first at the University of Utah and later at the Stowers Institute. She then moved to the NIH and joined the lab of Dr. Brant Weinstein, starting her postdoctoral work characterizing and studying the meninges in zebrafish. In 2023, she joined the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Utah, where she continues her research on the meninges as an Assistant Professor.

When outside the lab Marina enjoys walking, dancing and spending time with her family and friends. Although cooking is not something she likes to do daily, she will make sure she feeds you amazing homemade Peruvian food if you come visit!

Melanie was born and raised in Kansas City, MO (go Chiefs!). She began her scientific career as an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis, where she worked in Kelly Monk's lab studying myelination in zebrafish. Following her graduation from WashU in 2015, she continued her training first as a research technician in Takeshi Egawa's lab studying lymphocyte lineage decisions, then as a research assistant in Lavinia Sheets' lab modeling noise damage in the zebrafish lateral line. Melanie moved to Salt Lake City to begin her graduate studies at the U in 2022 and has been living her best life ever since then!

Since joining the lab, Melanie's research has focused on understanding the roles of a unique leptomeningeal cell population (fluorescent granular perithelial cells, FGPs) in promoting meningeal angiogenesis. 

When she's not at the bench, Melanie can be found hiking or camping somewhere in the mountains, in front of a sewing machine making excessively over-the-top outfits, or dancing her heart out at a concert (wearing one of the excessively over-the-top outfits, of course).

Adi is originally from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and graduated from The University of Alabama in 2022 with a B.S. in biology and a minor in Spanish. Following graduation, Adi pursued a post-baccalaureate position at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in Jeremy Day's lab. Here she studied the neurobiology of motivated and learned behavior, while also investigating the neural substrates of addiction. Now at the U, Adi is glad to be away from the Southern humidity and excited to work with a new (to her) model organism.

Adi's project focuses on characterizing ependymin-expressing cells (EPDs), a distinct population localized to the leptomeninges. Adi is investigating the molecular and genetic features of these cells, along with their developmental origins. Her project also explores how disruption of EPDs through injury or disease impacts key neurodevelopmental processes.

Outside of her love for science, Adi enjoys watching and listening to documentaries (especially true crime), making "okay-ish" pottery, and napping with her cat, Miso. 

Allison grew up in Casper, WY, and attended the University of Wyoming for her bachelors. After graduating in 2022, she packed a U-Haul up and moved to Maryland; here, her passion for developmental biology blossomed under the mentorship of Dr. Katherine Rogers as an NIH postbac. Allison’s research focused on characterizing a suite of optogenetics tools capable of modulating cell signaling when exposed to blue light.

Upon joining the lab, Allison has been investigating the development of a unique meningeal perivascular macrophage (fluorescent granular perithelial cell, FGP) in zebrafish and the roles of the mannose receptor in sequestering pathogens and clearing the cerebral spinal fluid.

Beyond her scientific pursuits, Allison considers herself to be a collector of random hobbies, recently taking up watercolor painting, aerial yoga, and line dancing! She loves finding new gluten and dairy free recipes to try and hopes to one day own two corgis (named Toast and Butter, ironically).

Risa was born in Japan but grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is a current student at the University of Utah, pursuing a B.S. in Biology with a double minor in Chemistry and Mathematics. Her interest in science stems from a lifelong curiosity about how living systems grow, change, and interact.

Her current lab project is still to be determined, but she is particularly interested in developmental biology and is excited to dive deeper into research that connects classroom concepts with real-world applications. She's looking forward to learning new techniques, asking big questions, and gaining experience at the bench.

Outside of the lab, Risa has been figure skating for over a decade. She also enjoys baking sourdough bread from scratch, often experimenting with different flavors and techniques, and finds peace in early-morning fishing trips to nearby lakes and rivers. Risa loves spending time with her dog and finds joy and calm in going on walks together as well. 

Will is from Cleveland, OH, and attended the College of Wooster, where he obtained his B.A. in Biology in 2025. For his senior thesis, he conducted a study investigating the population-level genetic diversity of an invasive mosquito species in northern Ohio. He has always wanted to live in the Rockies and jumped at the opportunity to continue his journey in genetics and microbiology at the University of Utah. 

As an IM-PREP researcher, Will has begun exploring potential project ideas while preparing to apply for PhD programs.

Some of Will's favorite hobbies include nature hikes and birdwatching, and he has maintained bird feeders in his yard for most of his life. Will has also been playing the trumpet in various school bands for over fifteen years, including high school and college Marching and Symphonic Bands. He also enjoys board and video games and likes tinkering with technology, having built his own PC.

Christian grew up in Indonesia and earned his bachelor's degree from i3L University. He has pursued an interesting and diverse scientific journey that began in Dundee, where he analyzed the nutritional value of organically grown greens under Dr. Rob Hancock. He later interned at NCKU in Taiwan under Dr. Tu Ting-Yuan, developing research tools using laser engraving technology for cultivating 3D cell cultures. Afterward, he moved back to the land of opportunity—and move to the interesting Salt Lake City—to work with Dr. Ofer Rog as a lab technician studying C. elegans (those cute squiggly worms) before joining the MVG Lab.

Outside the lab, Christian enjoys playing the Pokémon Trading Card Game. He currently ranks within the top 10% of players worldwide and aims to be “the very best, like no one ever was.” Beyond Pokémon, he also enjoys fishing and exploring artsy hobbies such as drawing, painting, and fly tying.