Primus Inter Pares

Ilya Finkelstein
([email protected] | Personal Site )

"Science is facts; just as houses are made of stone, so is science made of facts; but a pile of stones is not a house, and a collection of facts is not necessarily science."

--- Jules Henri Poincaré (1854-1912)

Lab Manager / Research Scientist

Nicole Johnson
 Since: February 2017
([email protected] )
"It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong."

-- Richard Feynman

Favorite Austin Activities:
  • Hiking around the State Parks
  • Eat my way through the taco list at Torchy's
  • Lift heavy things at Bonebreaker Barbell, then grab a beer next door at South Austin Brewery

Postdoctoral Scientists

Steve Jones
 Since: February 2015
([email protected] )
Half of learning to play is learning what not to play.

-- Ani DiFranco

The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.

-- Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Favorite Austin Activities:
  • Cruising the hill country and surrounding areas on my motorcycle.
  • Eating pecans from the trees at Barton Springs.
  • Going to shows at any one of the many bars in Austin.
Cheulhee Jung
 Since: March 2015
([email protected] )
(Joint with the Ellington Lab)

"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

-- Albert Einstein

Favorite Austin Activities:
  • Salt-lick BBQ
  • Oasis cafe
  • Camping in the state park
Michael Soniat
 Since: July 2016
([email protected] )
"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known."

-- Carl Sagan

Favorite Austin Activities:
  • Eating at all the great food trucks.
  • Enjoying new craft brews at any local bar.
  • Swimming at the Greenbelt.

Graduate Students

Max Brown
 Since: December 2012
([email protected] )
“For me, I am driven by two main philosophies, know more today about the world than I knew yesterday. And lessen the suffering of others. You'd be surprised how far that gets you. "

--Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Favorite Austin Activities:
  • Blazer Lazer Tag. I play with the tenacity of an enraged John Rambo
  • Biking the Greenbelt trail. Its a long ride so bring a snack.
  • DK Sushi Thursday Karaoke night. So much Journey.
Kaylee Dillard
 Since: January 2015
([email protected] )
Take chances, make mistakes, get messy.

-- Miss Frizzle

Favorite Austin Activities:
  • A cold beer on a hot summer day at Jester King Brewery
  • All the delicious food
  • Playing fetch with my cat
John Hawkins
 Since: May 2015
([email protected] )
(Joint with the Press Lab)

Anyone who attempts to generate random numbers by deterministic means is, of course, living in a state of sin.

-- John von Neumann

Favorite Austin Activities:
  • Backyard BBQs with friends
  • Watching local filmmakers' movies at Alamo Drafthouse
  • Kayaking on Town Lake to watch the fireworks on 4th of July
Yoori Kim
 Since: September 2013
([email protected] )
"Conditions for creativity are to be puzzled; to concentrate; to accept conflict and tension; to be born everyday; to feel a sense of self."

-- Erich Pinchas Fromm

Favorite Austin Activities:
  • Beautiful sky
  • Cheap, juicy beef steak
  • Highway
Logan Myler
 Since: April 2013
([email protected] | Personal Site )
(Joint with the Paull Lab)

Favorite Chuck Norris joke:

"Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding."

Awesomest Things to do in Austin:
  • Protein prep in the cold room on a hot summer day.
  • Take my dog Ivan to the RedBud Isle dog park
  • Eat a nice french meal at Justine's Brasserie
Jim Rybarski
 Since: February 2017
([email protected] | Personal Site )
"...men like you built the hydrogen bomb. Men like you thought it up. You think you’re so creative. You don’t know what it’s like to really create something - to create a life..."

-- Sarah Connor

Favorite Austin Activities:
  • Eating an entire Texas Donut
  • Making computers do what I mean
  • Naming my hypothetical cats
Jeff Schaub
 Since: December 2015
([email protected] )
"Biology is the study of complicated things that have the appearance of having been designed with a purpose."

-- Richard Dawkins

Favorite Austin Activities:
  • 65 degrees and sunny in December
  • Enjoying great food and beer
  • Swimming in Barton Springs

Research Scientists

Fatema Saifuddin
 Since: September 2014
([email protected] )
"Imagination is the highest form of research."

-- Albert Einstein

Favorite Austin Activities:
  • Eat at random places
  • Sleep in and bake brownies...I really need to get out of my house.

Alumni

Name Position From To Current Whereabouts
Kameron Azarm Undergraduate Student 2012-11 2014-06 NYU Medical School
Jacob Bobb Undergraduate Student 2013-10 2014-06 University of Texas
Ignacio Gallardo Postdoctoral Scientist 2012-09 2016-09 Environmental Scientist at Austin, TX
Brianna Gonzalez Research Scientist 2015-06 2017-01 Austin, TX
Greg Hild Lab Manager 2012-08 2013-09 MIA
Grace Kago Rotation Student 2016-06 2016-08 UT Austin
Vanessa Landsteiner Graduate Student 2012-12 2014-01 University of Texas
Andrew Leal Research Assistant 2014-10 2015-07 Austin, TX
Alfred Lentzsch Rotation Student 2014-08 2014-12 University of Texas
Letti Lopez Rotation Student 2017-02 2017-05
Nagisa Mikami Graduate Student 2015-12 2016-02 Gakushuin University, Tokyo, Japan
Aaron Robison Postdoctoral Scientist 2013-01 2014-05 Assistant Professor at Abilene Christian University
Wisath Sae-Lee Rotation Student 2014-08 2014-12 University of Texas
Çağrı Savran Visiting Professor 2014-08 2015-07 Purdue University
Eric Spivey Postdoctoral Scientist 2013-09 2016-11 Research Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University
Isabel Strohkendl Rotation Student 2015-12 2016-02 University of Texas at Austin
Marie Warburton Graduate Student 2014-04 2014-08 Paris
Soo-Hyun Yang Postdoctoral Scientist 2015-01 2016-07 Freshman Research Initiative (FRI) Research Educator
Jesus de la O Research Assistant 2014-01 2016-05 Austin, TX
Armando de la Torre Lab Manager 2013-09 2016-09 Austin, TX