Meet the Team!

Ryann Fame

I'm a neurobiologist with a passion for development, cerebrospinal fluid, and cellular metabolism.
Ryann Fame PhD (she/her) joined the faculty at Stanford University in 2022. Following her undergraduate degree in Biology and Chemistry at the College of William and Mary, Dr. Fame completed a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University. She completed her postdoctoral fellowships at The Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at MIT and at Boston Children’s Hospital Pathology Department. Her research program encompasses the early neural stem cell niche, neural tube closure, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), metabolism, and cortical neuronal development. As a stem cell and developmental molecular biologist, Dr. Fame is dedicated to broad collaboration focused on translating an understanding of neural development and CSF biology into regenerative strategies for the treatment of neurodevelopmental disease. Outside of research, she is an avid swimmer and cyclist who sometimes crochets or plays the clarinet.


Luke Liu

PostDoc
Luke (he/him) completed his doctoral training in toxicology at Purdue University (West Lafayette, Indiana). Under the supervision of Dr. Wei Zheng, he studied the mechanism by which choroid plexus (a heavy metal accumulation organ upon overexposure) modulates the subventricular zone adult neurogenesis and olfactory function through secretion of extracellular vesicles. Outside the lab, Luke enjoys basketball.


Hannah Pescaru

Undergraduate Student
Hi! I'm Hannah (she/her) and I'm a sophomore from the Chicago area planning on studying Chemistry. I originally became interested in neuroscience once I found out I had a body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB) and got involved in advocacy work and research about these stigmatized disorders. I'm currently learning how to program so I can use computational models to simulate effects of and therapies for neurological disorders in hopes of finding better future screening tools and treatments. I'm involved in the Stanford Undergraduate Neuroscience Society, Cardinal Free Clinics, and Stanford Women in Medicine. In my free time, I love going on long walks, baking brownies, and listening to Taylor Swift!


Blake Zhou

PhD Student
Blake (they/them) is a graduate student in the neuroscience PhD program at Stanford. They received a BS in brain and cognitive sciences in 2020 from MIT, where they studied adult neurogenesis and profiled recurrent thalamocortical networks. These days, Blake explores how cerebrospinal fluid impacts brain development. In their spare time, Blake makes bad presentation slides, attempts various crafts, pursues the affection of nearby cats, and practices fire arts.


Arjun Rajan

PhD Student
Hi, I'm Arjun (he/him)! I started my Ph.D. in Developmental Biology in 2022. I am originally from the east coast and graduated from the University of Michigan in 2021 with a degree in biomedical engineering and minors in philosophy & mathematics. I did my undergraduate research in Dr. Cheng-Yu Lee’s lab and studied gene regulation & fate determination in fly neural stem cells. I am currently interested in how chromatin state of forebrain progenitors changes during neural tube closure and the role of gene regulation on stem cell function. In my free time, I enjoy being a mediocre chess player, following the news, consuming large amounts of panda express, and being an avid Patriots fan.

Rotation Students

Sophia Mirda  - Developmental Biology (2024)
Jack Marciano - Neurosciences IDP (2023)
Arjun Rajan - Developmental Biology (2023)
Blake Zhou - Neurosciences IDP (2023)
Emma Follman - Neurosciences IDP (2023)

Lab Alumni


Ashley Thompson - HBMC REACH (2024)
continued as a medical student at Meharry Medical College
Florence Thwe - CCOP (2024)
transitioned to UC Berkeley as an undergraduate
Briana Griffin - HBMC REACH (2023)
continued as a medical student at Howard University College of Medicine

Inclusion
We are committed to active approaches to strive for inclusion and equity in life sciences including: 1) offering research opportunities to and advocating for underrepresented individuals in the sciences; 2) participating in programs designed to attract, support, and amplify diversity in all levels of research; 3) valuing outreach and advocacy alongside research productivity; and 4)teaching collaborative introductory / cross-disciplinary courses.
Resources
Join Us!
The Fame Lab is now recruiting a life sciences research professional (LSRP), Ph.D. students and postdocs. If you are a motivated and curious scientist, and you are passionate about the developing neural stem cell niche (or curious enough to learn why you should be...) - please contact us! We are looking for people like you to join our dynamic, young lab. Our lab is a place where you can grow and prosper as a scientist and as a person. Your input will be significant because each person can shape the culture and the future of the lab.​

How to join us:

a. LSRP: Applications through https://careersearch.stanford.edu and contact the FameLab at FameLabTeam@gmail.com to inquire about postings.

b. Graduate Students: The Fame lab welcomes rotation students from Stanford graduate programs in the Biosciences Programs (https://biosciences.stanford.edu/program-overview/). The Fame is primarily affiliated with the Neuroscience IDP (https://med.stanford.edu/neurogradprogram.html)

c. Postdoctoral Researchers: Reach out to Ryann with your interests and CV at fame@stanford.edu.