Zheng Lab Members

Sika Zheng Ph.D.

Professor of Biomedical Sciences
Director, Center for RNA Biology and Medicine
Graduate Advisor, BMSC Graduate Program
Executive Committee of the Neuroscience Graduate Program
Regular Member, The Neurogenesis and Cell Fate (NCF) Study Section, NIH, 07/2021-06/2025

Sika received his B.S. from Tsinghua University (Beijing) and Ph.D. from the Department of Neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute. Sika was a HHMI postdoctoral scholar at UCLA before joining UCR as an independent PI. Spoiled in southern California for many years, Sika misses snowy winter (occasionally). Awards: University of California Annual Block Director Teaching Award, University of California Regents Faculty Development Award, University of California Regents Faculty Fellowship, NIH K99/R00 award, Sydney Finegold Award, Fine Science Tools Award for Excellence in Neuroscience Research, MBI Postdoctoral Award for Research Excellence in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pre-doctoral Fellowship (American Heart Association), Distinguished Graduate Award, Procter & Gamble Fellowship, NOVO NORDISK Fellowship, “12.9” Fellowship.

Shiyuan Chen

Education:
BS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
UCR GGB Ph.D. student

From table salt to complex neural systems that fire together to create sophisticated cognitive patterns, biological systems are governed by emergent properties. How the little dead things come out as a little not so dead has been a mystery since the appearance of the first protocell 3.8 billion years ago. What's fascinating to me remains in the emergent behavior of complex systems and using computation tools as a guidance to discover the unknown surprise gifted by nature at the beginning of life as we know.

Yannan Hu

Education:
UCR GGB Ph.D. student

Greetings! This is Yannan. I was born and raised in Wuhan, China. I like playing violin, boxing, playing badminton. I got into the UCR GGB program in Fall 2019. Now I am a PhD student in Dr. Sika Zheng’s lab exploring the key to the enigma of neuron survival and maturation

Yi-Li Lam

Education:
BS, Biochemistry Molecular Biology, UCSB
UCR Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. student

Born and raised in southern California, Yi-Li Lam received her bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Barbara before joining UCR’s Biomedical Sciences PhD program in 2021. In the Zheng lab, she currently studies the role of nonsense mediated decay in neurogenesis. When not in the lab, Yi-Li can be found exploring the Riverside area in search of yummy food.

David Nikom

Education:
BS, Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Masschusetts, Amherst
UCR Neuroscience Ph.D. student

David Nikom is a Boston native who moved to California to join UCR's Neuroscience PhD program in 2020. A graduate of UMass Amherst, he spent 3 years working in the biotech industry before diving back into research in the field of neural-specific alternative splicing mechanisms. He is a Russian speaker who enjoys playing jazz piano as well as mountaineering and rock climbing in the great outdoors.

Lillion On

Education:
BS, Microbiology, California State University, Long Beach
UCR ETOX Ph.D. student, Dean's Distinguished Fellowship

Hi, I'm Lillian! I was born in California and raised in Utah. I earned my bachelor's degree from California State University, Long Beach, and began my PhD in Environmental Toxicology at UCR in Fall 2023. My research in Dr. Zheng’s Lab explores how RNA splicing affects genes tied to neuronal longevity and survival. Outside the lab, you’ll often find me immersed in a romantacy book or out enjoying the outdoors through hiking and running.

Nanaka Kaneshiro Kubota

Education:
Ph.D., Okayama University, Japan

Hello, I am Nanaka Kanehsiro-Kubota. My previous research was on vesicular traffic impairment in Alzheimer's disease approached by biochemistry. Now, I am interested in the role of RNA biology (metabolism, splicing, modification etc.) in neuronal function and neurodegeneration. My favorites: Trekking, "Shiba-inu", Japanese pop music, Korean drama

Naoto Kubota

Education:
Ph.D., Kyushu University, Japan

Hello, my name is Naoto Kubota. I am a computational biologist working on functional genomics and transcriptomics. I previously studied the functions of human genomic variations in disease contexts using computational approaches such as NGS data analyses. One of my current interests is the regulation of splicing factors in neural development and diseases. I enjoy listening to music (city pop, rock), playing tennis, and walking in nature.

Lin Lin

Education:
M.D. Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China

Hello, I am Lin Lin. Now I am a postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Sika Zheng's lab. I come from Wuhan in China. I am interested in gene regulation such as alternative splicing during neuronal development.