Our People
Principal Investigator
Keith L. Ligon, MD, PhD
Born in Austin, TX
Hobbies: Cooking, eating, hiking
Favorite Lab Technique: Whole mount in situ hybridization
Favorite Band: Spoon
Born in Austin, TX
Hobbies: Cooking, eating, hiking
Favorite Lab Technique: Whole mount in situ hybridization
Favorite Band: Spoon
Post-Doctoral Fellows
Georges Ayoub
Research Fellow Born in Lebanon Hobbies: Backgammon, Hiking Favorite Lab Technique: Fluorescence in situ hybridization Favorite Band: Fleetwood Mac |
Dina ElHarouni
Research Fellow Born in Alexandria, Egypt Hobbies: Piano, Air rifle shooting Favorite Lab Technique: Clinical decision intelligence Favorite Band: Queen |
Cynthia Hajal
Research Fellow
Born in Cormeilles-en-Parisis, France
Hobbies: Running, Cooking
Favorite Lab Technique: qRT-PCR
Favorite Band: Dire Straits
Research Fellow
Born in Cormeilles-en-Parisis, France
Hobbies: Running, Cooking
Favorite Lab Technique: qRT-PCR
Favorite Band: Dire Straits
Collaborating Clinical Research Investigators
Mehdi Touat, MD
Visiting Assistant Professor, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Department of Neurology and Pathology, Harvard Medical School Assistant Professor of Neurooncology/Pathology, Gustave Roussy/Marie Curie Institute/Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital 
Sanda Alexandrescu, MD
Assistant Professor, HMS, Boston Children’s Hospital Mentored COG Pathologist Young Investigator/Clinical Research Investigator |
Matthew Wood, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Oregon Health Sciences University Mentored COG Pathologist Young Investigator/Clinical Research Investigator |
Staff
Crystal Chiu
Clinical Research Coordinator Born inMarlboro, NJ Hobbies: Cooking/Baking, Hiking Favorite Band: boygenius 
Elizabeth Hennessey
Clinical Research Coordinator Born in Boston, MA Hobbies: Playing/watching sports, Reading Favorite Lab Technique: Consenting patients Favorite Band: Fleetwood Mac 
Julia Japo
Clinical Research Coordinator Born in Boston, MA Hobbies: Reading, Baking Favorite Lab Technique: Gel Electrophoresis Favorite Band: Maneskin 
Hongyu Li
Research Technician Born in Kunming, China Hobbies: Cooking, Video Games Favorite Lab Technique: In Vitro HTS assay Favorite Band: Low Roar 
Prem Prabhakar
Clinical Research Coordinator Born in Westford, MA Hobbies: Indian Classical Music, Reading Favorite Lab Technique: RT-qPCR Favorite Band: The Jimi Hendrix Experience |
Maggie Cusick
Research Technician Born in Chicago, IL Hobbies: Yoga, Reading Favorite Band: Queen 
Jakob Ito
Graduate Student Researcher Born in Lüneburg, Germany Hobbies: Tennis, Chess Favorite Lab Technique: FACS Favorite Band: A Tale of Golden Keys 
Jackie Jones
Clinical Research Coordinator Born in Denver, CO Hobbies: Playing sports, Exploring Boston Favorite Band: Queen 
Seth Malinowski
Research Technician Born in Burlington, VT Hobbies: Video games, Hockey Favorite Lab Technique: SMR 
Erin White
Clinical Research Coordinator Born in Seattle, WA Hobbies: Running, Music Favorite Lab Technique: Consenting patients Favorite Band: Fleetwood Mac |
Administrative
Abbie Ossip
Administrative Support Specialist
Born in Ohio
Hobbies: Reading, Knitting/Sewing
Favorite Lab Technique: iLab ordering
Favorite Band: HaMadregot
Administrative Support Specialist
Born in Ohio
Hobbies: Reading, Knitting/Sewing
Favorite Lab Technique: iLab ordering
Favorite Band: HaMadregot
Past Members
Post-Doctoral Fellows
Malak Abedalthagafi, MBBS
Post-Doctoral Fellow 2014-2015 Assistant Research Professor, King Abdulaziz University for Science and Technology; Director, Saudi Human Genome Lab,King Fahad Medical University 
Frederik De Smet, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow 2015-2016 Assistant Professor, Translational and Tissue Research, Department of Pathology, Katholieke Universitet Leuven, Flanders, Belgium 
Cecile Maire, PhD
Post-doctoral Fellow 2008-2014 Staff Scientist, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany 
Shak Ramkissoon, MD, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow 2008-2014 VP and Medical Lead, LabCorp Oncology, Raleigh, NC (previously VP Pathology and Diagnostic Medicine, Foundation Medicine) 
Cecile Rouleau
Post-doctoral Fellow 2016-2020 Principal Scientist, Civetta Therapeutics 
Mehdi Touat, MD
Post-doctoral Fellow 2017-2019 Assistant Professor of Neurooncology/Pathology, Gustave Roussy/Marie Curie Institute/Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital 
Jim Whittle
Research Fellow 2021-2023 Laboratory Head, Brain Cancer Research Lab, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Victoria, Australia 
Yu Zeng
Post-doctoral Fellow 2018-2020 Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China |
Anne-Florence Blandin
Post-doctoral Fellow 2017-2019 
Ahmed Idbaih MD, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow 2007-2009 Assistant Professor of Medicine, Marie Curie Institute, Paris, France 
Lori Ramkissoon, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow 2010-2016 Fellow in Cytogenomics, University of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC 
Ben Rich, PhD
Wenyu Song, PhD
Post-doctoral Fellow 2009-2016 Instructor in Informatics, Harvard Medical School 
Yongji Tian, MD
Post-doctoral Fellow 2009-2010 Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tian Tian Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China 
Jared Woods
Post-Doctoral Fellow 2021-2022 Fulgent Genetics |
Clinical Research Fellows
Sandro Santagata MD, PhD
Associate Pathologist in Neuropathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Department of Pathology; Associate Professor in Pathology, Harvard Medical School |
Brian Alexander MD, MPH
CEO, Foundation Medicine, Raleigh, NC |
Clinical Research Coordinators
Raquel Arias-Camison
Clinical Research Coordinator 2019-2022 
Shawna Bilton
Clinical Research Coordinator 2017-2019 
Loreal Brown
Clinical Research Coordinator 2012-2015 Nursing School: University of New Hampshire Staff Nurse at Brigham and Women's Hospital 
Sarah K. Charbonneau
Clinical Research Coordinator 2015-2017 Graduate School: University of Connecticut, School Psychology 
Michaela Haller
Clinical Research Coordinator 2017 
Emily Lapinskas
Clinical Research Coordinator 2020-2022 
Hayley Malkin
Clinical Research Coordinator 2013-2015 Medical School: University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Medicine 
Michael Prabhu
Clinical Research Coordinator 2022-2024 Medical School: University of Virginia 
Claire Sinai
Clinical Research Coordinator 2015-2017 Clinical Research Coordinator, Center for Patient Derived Models 2019-2021 Student, Boston College School of Nursing 
Olivia Vizzini
Clinical Research Coordinator 2022-2024 
Fiona Watkinson
Clinical Research Coordinator 2017-2019 Graduate School: Imperial College London, Master of Public Health |
Sarah Becker
Clinical Research Coordinator 2017-2019 Clinical Research Coordinator at University of Massachusetts Medical School 
Connor Bossi
Clinical Research Coordinator 2022-2024 
Sabrina Chan
Clinical Research Coordinator 2022-2024 MD/PhD Student at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Medical School 
Jack Geduldig
Clinical Research Coordinator 2017-2020 
Bob Jones
Clinical Research Coordinator 2017-2019 
Lauren Logan
Clinical Research Coordinator 2015-2017 Medical School: Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine 
Will Pisano
Clinical Research Coordinator 2019-2021 
Rachel Schneider
Clinical Research Coordinator 2019 
Cecilia Sousa
Clinical Research Coordinator 2020-2022 
Jayne Vogelzang
Clinical Research Coordinator 2019-2024 MD PhD Candidate at UMass Chan Medical School |
Students
Charlotte Bellamy
Graduate Student 2019 Research Associate/ Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital 
Wenshin Lee
Graduate Student 2011-2013 Clinical Assistant Professor, Opthalmology, Stanford Medicine 
Karl Holmberg Olausson
Graduate Student, 2008-2014 Postdoctoral Researcher, Uppsala University, Sweden |
Juliana Bonardi
Co-op Student 2018 
Constantin Möller
Medical Student, Summer 2023 |
Technicians and Administrative
Ross Giglio
Research Technician 
Sam Haidar
Technician and Neuropathology Core technologist Philips 
Yun Jee Kang
Research Technician 
Emily Learner
Research Technician 
Alice Meng
Research Technician PhD Candidate, Rios Lab, Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology Program, Tufts University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences 
Kate Schoolcraft
Research Technician 
Matthew Theisen, MS
Technician and lead scientist, DFCI Living Tissue Bank Moderna Therapeutics |
Guadalupe Garcia
Research Technician 
Marilyn Hayes
Administrative Assistant 
David Knoff
Research Technician 
Jason Ling
Research Technician 
Kristine Pelton
Lab Manager Facility Director, Biomarker Laboratory at Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University 
Léon Taquet
Research Technician |