Kim Dore, PhD

Yixing Du MD, PhD

January 2023 - present

Yixing worked as a Neurologist at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University in China after obtaining her MD and Ph.D. degrees. In 2013, she pursued her passion for neuroscience research and joined Dr. Min Zhou’s lab at the Ohio State University as an electrophysiologist. In his lab, her research focused on the electrophysiological characteristics of astrocytes, especially the astrocyte syncytium. She also explored how astrocyte syncytial coupling changed in neurological disease models, including epileptiform discharges, chronic stress, and Alzheimer's disease. Her interest in disease-related research has motivated her to join Dr. Dore’s lab in 2023. She is eager to apply her expertise to Alzheimer's disease research regarding how astrocyte syncytial coupling function is affected and how this could change neuronal circuit function through neuro-glia network crosstalk. 

Angela Snyder, PhD

January 2024-present

Angela is a neuroscientist interested in the brain changes involved in neurological disorders. She earned her BA in psychology and BS in neuroscience from Cedar Crest College in Pennsylvania where she got her start in scientific research. After graduation, she worked as a lab technician at UNC-Chapel Hill in the lab of Dr. Lisa Tarantino studying genetics associated with cocaine addiction. Later, she went on to earn her PhD in neuroscience from Penn State College of Medicine and completed her thesis work in Dr. Yuval Silberman’s lab. At Penn State she studied the effects of stress and alcohol exposure on neurocircuitry to better understand stress-related relapse in drug and alcohol use disorders. Most recently Angela worked as a Scientist at a contract research organization, where she designed and carried out neuroscience-based electrophysiological assays to serve clients’ drug discovery programs. Currently, Angela is a member of Dr. Dore's lab where she is continuing to apply and develop her electrophysiology expertise to study the mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease. She is also learning other techniques such as primary hippocampal cell culture, organotypic hippocampal slice culture, and fluorescence lifetime imaging. When not in the lab, Angela enjoys playing Mario games and volunteering at the Fleet Science Center and scientific outreach events.

Haritha Karthikeyan

October 2022-August 2025

Haritha is a Master’s student in the BS/MS program at UCSD. She joined the Dore Lab in the Fall of 2022 as an Undergraduate Research Volunteer to gain research experience in the field of neuroscience and further her research interests. She hopes to gain industry experience and apply to PhD programs in the future. Her thesis project aims to investigate the knockdown of ABHD17a, a depalmitoylating enzyme of PSD-95, as a potential target for effective gene therapy and treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease. Outside of research, Haritha loves going on food adventures and spending time outdoors.

Amber Lawrence

June 2024-present

Amber is a graduate student in the BS/MS Biology Program at UCSD. She joined the lab in Summer 2024 and has been using electrophysiology techniques to investigate sex differences in long term synaptic depression. Following her MS degree, she hopes to continue her studies and pursue a PhD in Neurobiology. Outside the lab, Amber is a resident advisor and enjoys spending time with her pet bearded dragon.

Maureen Dinata

September 2023-present

Maureen is a graduate student in the BS/MS program at UCSD. She joined the lab in Fall 2023 as a volunteer research assistant to gain research experience. Currently she is investigating the interactions between different postsynaptic proteins with PKCa and how it relates to synaptic loss in Alzheimer’s disease through fluorescence lifetime imaging in primary hippocampal cell culture. Outside the lab, she enjoys exploring San Diego and trying new food places.

Son Dinh

January 2025-present

Son is a senior at UCSD majoring in Cognitive Science with a specialization in Neuroscience. She joined the Dore Lab from the start of Winter quarter 2025 as an Undergraduate Researcher to deepen her research experience in neuroscience, particularly neurodegenerative diseases, building on her prior training in Public Health and Human Biology. In the lab, she is expanding her skills beyond her earlier work on Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers, learning other techniques such as DNA extraction and nanodrop concentration measurement, genotyping PCR, immunohistochemistry (IHC), brain dissection, brain slicing, confocal imaging, and electrophysiology. She hopes to pursue a PhD and a career as a research scientist in the future. Outside the lab, Son loves nature, photography, hiking, exploring different cultures through food, and watching movies.

Sofia De la Rosa

June 2025-present

Sofia is an undergraduate student majoring in Neurobiology. She joined Dore Lab in Summer 2025 and is part of the 2024 STARTneuro cohort. She is interested in the molecular aspects of neurodegenerative diseases, and excited to explore the role of PSD-95 in Alzheimer’s disease by using both biochemical and behavioral approaches. Outside of lab she enjoys reading, painting, and checking out local coffee shops. 

Sam Simon

June 2025-present

Sam is a 4th year undergraduate researcher at the University of Oregon majoring in Neuroscience. He is volunteering in the Dore Lab in Summer 2025. He is interested in the physiology of neurodegenerative diseases and memory cognition. He enjoys learning about patch clamp electrophysiology, confocal microscopy, and cognitive memory tasks. In his free time, Sam enjoys blogging (see: neuroforall.substack.com), biking, running, and playing volleyball.