Team Members

Martin Picard, PhD ⎢ Principal Investigator
Martin is an Associate Professor of Behavioral Medicine (in Psychiatry and Neurology) at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He trained as a physiologist in neuroimmunology, then in aging mitochondrial biology, psychosocial oncology, and systems biology at McGill University, Canada. As a postdoc fellow he worked with cellular and animal models of mitochondrial disease with Doug Wallace at the Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenetic Medicine (CMEM), and on stress neuroendocrinology with Bruce McEwen. Beyond his passion for mitochondria and transdisciplinary research, outside the lab Martin enjoys electric cars and renewable energy, and spending time in nature with family.
Caroline Trumpff, PhD⎢Assistant Professor
Caroline is an Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry. Caroline completed her postdoctoral training as a Herbert H. and Ruth S. Reiner Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Picard Lab. Caroline received her PhD in psychological sciences from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. She completed her doctoral research at the Belgian Scientific Institute of Public Health (Sciensano) where she studied the effects of iodine deficiency during pregnancy on children’s neurodevelopment. Caroline's research aims to understand the interplay of psychological stress exposure and mitochondrial biology as a potential biological pathway linking psychosocial stress to physical and mental health trajectories across the lifespan. Her research has been funded by a NARSAD young investigator award. Outside the lab, Caroline is an avid reader of literature and psychoanalysis, has a passion for the arts, and enjoys travelling and cooking. 
Anna Monzel, PhD⎢Postdoctoral Researcher
Anna completed her BSc in Biology at the University of Bonn in Germany and her MSc in Systems Biology at the University of Luxembourg. She received her PhD in Stem Cell Biology from the University of Luxembourg at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine. In her doctoral work she developed an iPSC-derived human midbrain organoid model, which she used to study the neurodegenerative disorder Parkinson’s disease. Her main scientific interest involves investigating the role of mitochondria in the development of neurological disorders. In particular, she is interested in understanding how health-relevant psychological and metabolic stressors influence mitochondrial behavior and predispose to late-life functional decline. Outside the lab, Anna enjoys cooking, baking, skating and spending time in nature. 
Gabriel Sturm, BSc ⎢Graduate Student
Gabriel is now a graduate student in Bioengineering at University of California Berkeley/USCF and honorary lab member. He is an alumni of the AMGEN Scholars Program and graduate from Yeshiva University’s Honor’s program in Biology and Computer Science. Gabriel has led the Cellular Lifespan Study which focuses on the interplay of mitochondrial/cellular energetics and cellular aging/senescence. Gabriel’s main scientific pursuit in biogerontology research aims to use multi-omic InSilico models of cell systems to advance our understanding of human aging. Outside the lab, he enjoys reading existential philosophy, virtual art, and wandering in nature.
Marlon McGill, BSc⎢Laboratory Manager
Marlon is a research scientist with background utilizing molecular biology techniques in clinical and bench research. He was the recipient of a NIMH NRSA grant  studying brain development as an undergraduate, and subsequently worked at Cornell University where he investigated serotonin and dopamine signaling related to depression and Parkinson’s disease, and then worked with the post-traumatic stress team at the Bronx V.A. where he implemented various molecular assays in human samples. Marlon manages lab operations and the MiSBIE biobank, performs cell purification, and measures the mitochondrial health index in blood leukocytes. Outside the lab, Marlon is a sports performance coach who is also passionate about art, and enjoys bird watching.
Marissa Cross, BA⎢Study Coordinator
Marissa completed her BA in Psychology at Oberlin College, where she studied neuropsychiatry and the social development of children and teens. After college, Marissa studied anhedonia and reward pathways in adolescents at risk for depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Marissa is the MiSBIE study coordinator and uses MRI to collect data on brain structure and function. She has a passion for studying the neural processes at play in life-altering disorders and hopes to one day utilize this knowledge in treatment. Outside of the lab, she enjoys singing, playing guitar, and baking.
Lea Gregorio, RN⎢Research Nurse
Lea is a registered nurse working in diagnostic radiology. As part of the MiSBIE study, she works with the team and uses her advanced IV skills to collect serial blood draws at multiple time points along the study protocol. She also processes patient-reported outcomes in questionnaires.
Grace Liu, MA⎢Data manager
Grace is the data manager in the Division of Behavioral Medicine. Grace provides comprehensive data services for our lab and the Division including data collection design, data quality checking, data reporting and data customization utilizing SAS, Excel/VBA, and other analytical packages. She maintains and updates the REDCap software/database for the MiSBIE study. Grace Liu holds a M.A. in Geographical Informational Systems and previous worked as analyst in nonprofit sector.
Shannon Rausser, BSc⎢Research Assistant
Shannon's background is in Neuroscience and Art. She received her BSc in Neuroscience from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her main interests include the creative mind, neural networks, and mental health. Her long-term goal is to complete a PhD in Neuroscience to continue research on stress and mental health disorders. Shannon’s current work in the lab focuses on longitudinal psychobiological assessments to evaluate the effects of stress and aging on mitochondria and hair. Outside of the lab, Shannon enjoys biking, creating art, and traveling.​
Jeremy Michelson, MSc⎢Graduate Student
Jeremy earned his Bachelor’s Degree at Tulane University, where he studied the impact of stress and early life experiences on infant development with Stacy Drury. After graduation, he worked at UCSF Institute for Human Genetics, where he helped manage the Program in Prenatal and Pediatric Genome Sequencing (P3EGS) with PIs Pui-Yan Kwok, Mary Norton, Barbara Koenig, and Neil Risch. Jeremy matriculated to the Nutritional and Metabolic Biology PhD program at Columbia with the aim of integrating genetic, neuroscientific, and metabolic approaches to understanding human disease. He is interested in the contribution of mitochondrial dysfunction to disease risk and the factors affecting mitochondrial network morphology.​ 
Alex Junker, BSc, MPH⎢Research Assistant
Alex earned their bachelor’s in biology from the University of South Carolina, studying ROS generation during nicotine withdrawal. After graduation, they studied cardiac metabolism at Cleveland Clinic before pursuing their MPH in Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia’s Mailman School. They’re interested in tying social determinants analyses with lab research on bioenergetics. In the lab, Alex performs analyses of sex differences in human mitochondrial biology, and deploys our high-throughput mitochondrial phenotyping platform to profile blood and brain mitochondria in humans. Outside of lab, Alex loves drawing murals, getting lost in parks, and doing comically amateur blacksmithing.
Natalia Bobba, MSc ⎢ Graduate Student
Natalia Bobba completed her BSc in Human Biology and her MSc in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the Universidad de la República (UdelaR) in Uruguay, carrying out her dissertation research at the Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable (IIBCE) and the Institut Pasteur Montevideo (IPMon), respectively. She was then awarded a Fulbright Foreign Scholarship for Graduate Students that brought her to the PhD program in Nutritional and Metabolic Biology at Columbia University. Her main scientific interest involves understanding how mitochondrial function influences gene expression regulation and its implications in human disease. Outside the lab, Natalia enjoys listening to music and playing the guitar, playing soccer and practicing yoga, as well as taking long walks around the city.
Alexander Sercel, PhD ⎢ Postdoctoral Researcher
Alexander earned his BA in Biology from the College of Creative Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara and received his PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles. He conducted his dissertation research in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Teitell where he developed stable isolated mitochondrial transfer technologies and applied them to cell engineering pipelines, enabling studies of mitonuclear interactions in patient-relevant tissue types. His broader scientific interests include understanding the role of the mitochondria in mediating brain-body signaling under stress and exploring the potential of mitochondrial metabolism as a target for future regenerative therapies. Outside of lab, Alexander is passionate about cooking, playing guitar, and seeing live music.​
Catherine Kelly, BA ⎢ Study Coordinator
Catherine graduated from Kenyon College in 2019 with a BA in Psychology and Dance. After college, Catherine worked in Denver Public Schools as an AmeriCorps service member and as a teaching assistant in an inclusive classroom. Her professional interests include child development, the mind-body connection, and movement research. In the lab, Catherine coordinates the MiSBIE study, through which she works at the interface of the clinical team, our visiting participants, and the wet laboratory where MiSBIE samples are processed and analyzed. Outside the lab, Catherine is a volunteer at Dance for All Bodies, a non-profit that organizes dance classes designed for people with disabilities.
Anjali Goyal, BSc ⎢ Research Assistant
Anjali earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biopsychology at Tufts University. She studied mindfulness and cognitive reappraisal on performance under stress using a virtual reality armed combat task and investigated the histopathological markers of Alzheimer’s disease, such as the development of neurofibrillary tangles and tau phosphorylation. In the lab, Anjali handles precious participant samples and leads work related to identifying markers of mitochondrial stress in relation to variation in human health, energy expenditure, and mitochondrial disease. She is also passionate about combating health disparities and promoting mental health advocacy. Outside the lab, Anjali also enjoys baking, investing, and traveling. 

Visiting scholars

Undergraduate students

Sophie Basarrate
Columbia University
Rohan Singh
Columbia University


​Mission Statement
Our goal is to identify novel principles that connect molecular processes within mitochondria with the human experience, thereby enhancing our understanding of brain-­body interactions to promote human health across the lifespan.

Core Values  
     1- Collaboration
     2- Innovation
     3- Integration
     4- Excellence
     5- Honesty