Lien has always been interested in understanding the molecular pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders and in developing therapeutic strategies for these devastating diseases.

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Started her independent lab at the CNG, MGM, UF COM in December 2022, Lien is enthusiastic about gaining new knowledge and doing research to increase our understanding of disease and how the central nervous system works. Learn more about Lien's research interest and experience here. 

Svetlana joined the L.Nguyen lab in June 2023. Svetlana is a molecular and cell biologist with broad expertise in molecular, nucleic acids (tRNA, miRNA, mRNA), cell biology, redox biology, AAV, cell sorting, and sequencing. She is interested in understanding the SVA genome and how its role in disease and cellular function. 

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Research topics: Repeatome profiling, gene discovery, disease markers, disease mechanisms.

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Huong joined the Nguyen lab as a postdoctoral associate in June 2023 after earning her PhD in Biological Science at Nara Institute of Science and Technology. Huong's research interest includes discovery of novel repeat expansions that cause or are associated with Alzheimer's disease and development of mouse models of novel AD-associated mutations using AAV approach. Learn more about Huong's research interest, research experience, and hobbies here. 

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Research topics: Gene discovery, mouse model, disease mechanisms

Logan joined the lab in April 2023. He is excited about studying the role of tandem repeats in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. Logan's research involves studying repeat interactome and addressing questions whether repeats including transposon elements play roles in chromatin remodeling and regulating telomere function and integrity. Learn more about Logan's interest and research experience here.

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Research topics: repeats in disease, disease mechanisms, repeat interactome, gene discovery

Rodrigo Tomas is a Graduate Student in Neurocience. He joined the Nguyen lab in Dec 2023. Rodrigo is interested in understanding how repeat expansion mutations contribute to Alzheimer's disease using mouse and cellular models and patient derived models. Learn more about Rodrigo's interest and hobbies here. 

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Research topics: Disease mechanisms, disease models, animal studies, patient derived models.

Isabella first joined the Nguyen lab as a volunteer in Summer 2023. After graduation with the Honor Thesis program in 2025, Isabella  continues her research in the Nguyen lab as a Master student, where she explores toxicity of repeat expansion variants in various brain cells. Learn more about Isabella's interest and research experience here.

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Research topics: Cell-type specific toxicity of repeat expansion variants, studying mouse models of AD-associated repeat expansion variants, modeling diseases with patient derived neurons.

Feb 2024, Elizabeth joined the lab  an undergraduate research assistant. She is learning biological tools to identify novel repeat expansions that link with disease. Learn more about Elizabeth's interest and hobbies here. 

Ross joined the Nguyen lab in Summer 2024 as an OPS bioinformatician. He is interested in studying repeats across human genome using computational tools, existing big sequencing data, and sequencing data from well-characterized samples generated by our lab. Learn more about Ross's interest and hobbies here.

Alissa joined the lab in July 2024 as an OPS and then a Master student. She will study the repeat expansion pathology in patient derived models including brain organoids. She is also interested in studying the effects of stress in disease via repeat-related pathways. Learn more about Alissa's interest and hobbies here.

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Research topics: Repeat pathology in patient derived model, the involvement of stress in disease.

Denise joined the Nguyen lab as an undergrad volunteer in Fall 2024. She is interested in understanding the effects of disease-associated repeat variants on animal behaviors with the focus on learning and memory and anxiety. Learn more about Denise's interest and hobbies here.

​Andrea joined the lab in Jan 2025. She is interested in understanding how disease-risk repeat expansion mutations contribute to disease. Andrea uses patient derived models, CRISPR/Cas gene editing tools, and other molecular tools to address this important question. She is also involved in characterizing mouse models of disease-associated repeat expansion variants. Learn more about Andrea's interest and hobbies here.

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Research topics: Disease mechanisms, disease models, patient derived models, mouse models, drug discovery.

Stefani first worked in the Nguyen lab Summer 2024 through UF’s SSTP program, and joined the lab Fall 2025 as an undergraduate volunteer. She is interested in the genetics of neurodegenerative disease, specifically Alzheimer’s. Her undergrad degree is in a Microbiology and Cell Science major. Stefani is pursuing the Honors thesis program and hopes to become a MD in future.

Jansen is pursuing an undergrad degree in Health Science major on the Pre-Med track at the University of Florida. He also serves as Vice President of the Youth Movement Against Alzheimer’s at UF. Jansen joined the Nguyen lab as a undergrad research volunteer in Fall 2024. Learn more about Jansen's interest and hobbies here.

Corben is pursuing a BS degree the University of Florida, majoring in Microbiology and Cell Sciences, and minoring in Applied Brain Sciences. He is interested in neuroscience research, specifically in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's. Corben joined the Nguyen lab in Fall 2025. Learn more about Corben's interest and hobbies here. 

Johnathan is pursuing a BS degree with Microbiology and Cell Science major on the Pre-Med track at the University of Florida. He has a strong interest in genetics and cellular virology. Joined the lab in Spring 2026, Johnathan hopes to contribute to understanding of Alzheimer’s genetics and mechanisms and the development of effective treatments and potential cures for this disease.  Learn more about his interest and hobbies here. 

Kar Men joined the lab in Spring 2026 as a PhD student in Biomedical Science in the UF College of Medicine. Her research includes understanding the interaction of repeat expansion variants with other risk genes on influencing Alzheimer's risk. Learn more about Kar Men's resesearch experience, interest, and hobbies here. 

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Research topics: Disease mechanisms, interaction of disease associated mutations. 

Allison joined the lab in Spring 2026 as an undergraduate volunteer. She is interested in investigating neurological disorders through genetics. With her undergraduate degree in Biotechnology, she plans to pursue a PhD in Biomedical Sciences. Ultimately, she aims to leverage her academic background within the pharmaceutical industry to innovate novel therapies for disorders with unmet medical need.