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.

Curriculum Vitae

Kalpita Karan, PhD⎢Postdoctoral Researcher
Kalpita received her PhD in human molecular genetics from Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore, India. Her doctoral work involved understanding the molecular and genetic basis of a rare form of epilepsy known as hot water epilepsy, where she used whole-exome sequencing to identify a rare variant in the glutamate transporter SLC1A1 gene. Currently, Kalpita combines pharmacological and genetic approaches to understand the role of mitochondrial function and signaling in cellular stress responses, particularly pro-inflammatory activation. Her translational work in the MiSBIE study includes assessment of mitochondrial functions and of cellular stress responses in leukocytes of patients with inherited mtDNA disorders. Outside the lab, Kalpita enjoys cooking, blogging and painting. 

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 ⎢Research Assistant 
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 currently 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⎢Research Assistant
Alex earned his bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of South Carolina, where he studied the contribution of ROS generation in the nucleus accumbens to anxiety behaviors during acute nicotine withdrawal. Following graduation, he worked at Cleveland Clinic where he investigated connections between cardiac and systemic metabolism. He is currently an MPH student in Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. His work in the lab involves coordinating a meta-analysis on sexual dimorphism in human mitochondrial function. In the future, Alex hopes to pursue a PhD to further understand the biological mechanisms underlying maladaptive responses to psychological trauma.

Ayelet Rosenberg, BSc⎢Research Assistant
Ayelet completed her BA in Neuroscience and behavior at Barnard College in 2019, and completed her senior thesis on her work in the lab. She has worked on two main projects including a novel method to profile hair pigmentation patterns and documenting  the reversibility of hair graying, and she now is studying the effects of stress on mitochondria in mouse brains and tissues. Outside the lab, Ayelet enjoys drawings and spending time outdoors.

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.​

Visiting scholars

Carla Basualto, MD, PhD⎢Visiting Scholar
Carla is a visiting postdoctoral fellow from Universidad de Chile (Santiago, Chile). She completed her MSc in Biomedical Sciences and her PhD in this same institution. As a medical doctor, her interest has always been centered on translational research. Her MSc was focused on the effect of high altitude on human physiology. In her PhD thesis, she started to work with cellular models, investigating the intracellular pathways activated by testosterone, to induce skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Currently during her postdoc, in collaboration with a clinical research group, they are working with patient samples, studying whether different types of skeletal muscle diseases (congenital or acquired) have a mitochondrial component. Outside the lab, Carla enjoys sports (fencing and crossfit), trekking and photography. 

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Undergraduate students

Rachel Haahr
Barnard College

Sophie Basarrate
Columbia University

Rohan Singh
Columbia University

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Alumni
- Snehal Bindra (now @ Vanderbilt University, Medical Program)
- Gabriel Sturm (now @ Bioengineering PhD program, UC Berkeley)
- Lan A Li (now @ Assistant Professor, Rice University)
- Amy Vincent (now @ Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellow, Newcastle University)
- Veronica Taleon (Barnard College)
- Ryan Serrao (Columbia University)
- Divya Rajasekharan (Columbia University)
- Celina Porcaro (Smith College, AMGEN Scholar)
- Shani Erdman (Wesleyan University)
- Avsar Rana (Boston University)
- Meir Retter (Yeshiva University)
- Rikita Jodhani (Boston University)