LAB MEMBERS
It takes a village!
DANIEL CIFUENTES, PHD
Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry
Principal investigator
Born, raised and PhD'ed in Barcelona, Daniel came to the US to train as a postdoc at Yale University. There he was initiated in the world of RNA regulation and zebrafish research. Daniel joined BU in 2016 as Assistant Professor. When not in the lab enjoys kayaking with the kids and taking care of the farm.
DMITRY KRETOV
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Dmitry received his B.S. in Biology from Voronezh State University (Russia) and earned his Ph.D. from University Paris-Saclay (France) where he investigated the biophysical properties of messenger ribonucleoprotein complexes (mRNPs). He joined the Cifuentes Lab in October 2016 to study the regulation of microRNA biogenesis and protein:RNA interactions. When not in the lab, you can find him running along the Charles or strolling around Boston taking film photos.
IMRAT
Post-Doctoral Fellow
The reputation of Taylor Quill precedes them, as they came to us with an impressive background. They have since become a valued Post-Doctoral Fellow on our team, adding important insights into our work.
STEPHEN ROSS
Ph.D. Student
From the sandy beaches of Cape Cod, MA, Stephen is a PhD candidate in the Cifuentes lab. He is currently studying study RNA regulation and transcriptional mechanisms in Filovirus. While always having loved virology, he began his scientific career studying a wide range of topics including parasite replication, cancer tumorigenesis, and enterotoxigenic E. coli. In his free time, Stephen enjoys making music with friends and taking care of his cat, Phoebe.
RAGHURAM PRASAD
Research Technician
I was born in Texas and raised in Wisconsin. I attended the University of Michigan for my undergraduate degree in Biophysics and Biochemistry, which was where I really got into research. I joined BU in 2022 as a Research Technician, and I intend to proceed on to medical school in the future. Outside of the lab, I enjoy Formula 1, cricket, badminton, and the outdoors.
ELAINE PARK
Undergraduate Student
After growing up in Maryland and graduating high school in Ohio, Elaine came to Boston University for her Undergraduate Education. She joined the Cifuentes lab at the beginning of 2021, and is graduating in the spring of 2023. She plans on attending medical school in the future and hopes to continue exploring all that research has to offer.
SAM WU
Undergradaute Student
Sam is a junior studying Math and Computer Science at Boston University in the College of Arts and Sciences. In the lab, Sam does data analysis regarding miRNA seed genesis. When not in the lab, Sam enjoys long walks in the park, ignoring the impending sense of doom, and cooking on the weekends.
FORMER MEMBERS
ALEXANDRA MORA-MARTIN
Associated Research Scientist
NOREEN SYEDAH
Research Technician