Zheng Lab Members

Sika Zheng Ph.D.

Professor of Biomedical Sciences
Founding Director, Center for RNA Biology and Medicine
Graduate Advisor, BMSC Graduate Program
Executive Committee of the Neuroscience Graduate Program
Director, Musculoskeletal Medicine (MDCL 234, Medical School Education Curriculum Block 4)

Sika received his B.S. from Tsinghua University 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: UC Riverside School of Medicine Distinguished Service Award, 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. External Service: review grants for the European Research Council and multiple NIH institutes; regular member of Neurogenesis and Cell Fate review panel (2021-2025); review manuscripts for Neuron, Molecular Cell, Developmental Cell, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Cell Biology, Nature Medicine, Nature Neuroscience, Nature Structure & Molecular Biology, Nature Communications, Nucleic Acids Research, Science Advances, Genes & Development, Cell Reports, PNAS, RNA, Trends in Neuroscience, etc (over 40 scientific journals).

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.