Dr. Lisa Julian
Principal Investigator
Assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry.
Tier II Canada Research Chair in Developmental Origins of Stem Cell Fate, and Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research / Parkinson Society BC Scholar. CV
Meet the Team
Current Members
Dr. Kin Lam (Kenny) Wong
Postdoctoral Fellow
Kenny completed his PhD thesis in the Verheyen lab at SFU, where he used the Drosophila Hipk tumor model to reveal potential metabolic vulnerabilities that could be exploited in cancer treatment. He then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University, where he studied synaptic partner matching, and developed methods to probe the brain wiring that sculpts cognition and behavior. In the Julian lab, Kenny is using his expertise to develop innovative ways of engineering brain tissues from human pluripotent stem cells.
Ethan Katz
MSc Candidate
Ethan recently completed his bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences at SFU. During this time he conducted research in the Hutter Lab investigating axon guidance in C. elegans. He has previously worked at STEMCELL Technologies (analytical chemistry QC) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, conducting salmon genetic research. Now in the Julian Lab, he is characterizing a novel, single-lumen hPSC-derived organoid model of the cerebral cortex. He is applying this exciting new model to determine how the earliest stages of brain development are altered in the rare epilepsy and cortical malformation syndrome Tuberous Sclerosis.
Lisa Lin
PhD Candidate
Lisa formerly worked at the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute where she developed methods for maturing iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes in vitro, and helped produce a more physiological relevant model for studying adult-onset cardiomyopathies. In the Julian lab, she is using iPSC-derived neural cells to characterize and identify the mechanisms behind the metabolic dysfunction in hyperactive mTORC neuropathies such as cancer, cortical formations, and tuberous sclerosis. By harnessing the power of machine learning and robotic automation, she hopes to identify novel small molecule drugs that can target these pathways.
Shama Nazir
PhD Candidate
Shama completed her master's degree by studying self-assembling peptide hydrogels for tissue engineering applications. As part of the Julian lab, she is investigating the unfolded protein response (UPR), a cellular pathway whose dysfunction is thought to underlie neurodegenerative diseases like tauopathies, synucleopathies, or prion diseases. Shama hopes to describe the UPR mechanism within human organoid models, and thereby identify potential therapeutic targets.
Alireza (Ali) Naderi
MSc Candidate
Ali holds a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from SFU and a degree in Computer Science from Tehran, Iran. As part of the Julian lab, he is focused on pioneering a cerebellar organoid model for spinocerebellar ataxia type 1.
Andrea Quintanilla
MSc Candidate (Co-supervised with Tom Claydon's lab)
We have been luck to have Andrea as part of our lab as both a BSc and MSc student! Starting as a 4th year research student in 2024, Andrea focused on characterizing immune cell populations in choroid plexus organoids produced from Spinocerebellar Ataxia 1 (SCA1) patient-derived iPSCs. She is now a co-supervised MSc student working to develop bioreactor strategies for reproducible and scalable neural organoid production and high throughput electrophysiological analysis.
Amanda Howard
Undergraduate Researcher
Amanda is in the final year of her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences at SFU and is in the process of completing an Independent Study Semester project in the Julian Lab. She is interested in neuroscience and the mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders. She is enjoying learning experimental techniques in hPSC culture, brain tissue micropatterning, and organoid generation
Kayla Talabis
MSc Candidate
Kayla has recently joined us after completing her undergraduate degree in the Biological Sciences program at the University of Manitoba, where she worked with zebrafish to analyze cell stress-related pathways involved in spinal cord repair. In the Julian lab, she is investigating the impacts on early brain development and disease pathogenesis in Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 1 (SCA1), using patient iPSC-derived cortical and cerebellar organoid models.
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Romina Razazi
Undergraduate Researcher
Romina is a third-year undergraduate student specializing in Cellular and Molecular Biology at SFU. In the Julian Lab, she is gaining hands-on experience sectioning, processing and analyzing (by fluorescence imaging) brain organoids. Romina's research interests are to understand how cellular mechanisms and molecular pathways contribute to the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
Amelinda Firdauzy
MSc Graduate (2025)
Amelinda won her bachelor's degree from McMaster University in 2021, where she investigated the effects of ocean acidity on sea urchin spine regeneration. In the Julian lab she focused on a rare genetic disease called CLN3 Batten Disease, and used patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells to explore the initial molecular events that drive disease progression.
Ronak Salamat
Lab Manager
Ronak formerly worked at Black Tusk Research Group as a Clinical Research Coordinator where she coordinated research studies for Cystic Fibrosis patients at Saint Paul's Hospital. She also worked at Jane Fowler's Lab at SFU, where she sequenced bacteria isolated from the SFU drinking water, and monitored recreational water sites to understand their microbiome and contamination sources. She joined the Julian lab in January 2025 as a lab manager.
Abhimanyu Minhas
Research Associate
Abhi formerly worked at BC Cancer in the Venturutti lab within the Centre for Lymphoid Cancer. There, he contributed to investigating the role of the receptor protein CXCR3 in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma. he also served as a volunteer in the Pantophlet lab at SFU, aiding research surrounding HIV vaccine formulations. In the Julian lab, he used various microbiological techniques, including western blotting, qPCR, cell culture, and bioprinting to investigate diseases such as Tuberous Sclerosis and Batten Disease. Abhi was awarded a Bachelor's degree in Health Science from SFU in June 2024.
Alumni Profiles
Negin Imani Farahani
Research Associate
Negin formerly worked at STEMCELL Technologies on their Neural R&D team, where she contributed to the commercialization of 3D neural organoid media kits, and also at Notch Therapeutics, where she helped generate iPSC-derived CD8SP T-cells for use in immuno-oncological applications. She joined the Julian lab in 2023, and uses iPSC-derived cerebral and choroid plexus organoid models to understand the developmental processes that underlie rare genetic brain diseases such as Tuberous Sclerosis and Spinocerebellar Ataxias.
Lab Alumni
Graduate students:
George Allen, MSc (Graduated 2024); Current: Oxford Biomedica
Amelinda Firdauzy, MSc (Graduated 2025)
​Postdoctoral Fellows:
Dr. Aaron Dhanda (2021-2022); Current: STEMCLL Technologies
Dr. Eric Lin (2022); Current: Thermo Fisher Scientific
​Research Associates & Technicians:
Negin Imani Farahani (2023-2025); Current: Aspect Biosciences
Abhimanyu Minhas (2024-2025)
Ronak Salamat (2025)
Undergraduate researchers:
Parham Fathi Naz (2024); Current: BSc candidate, SFU
Nick Rice (2024)
Makenna Chow, BSc (2024)
Taha Yildirim (2024); Current: MSc candidate (Kent lab)
Kaitlyn Locke (2023-2024); Current: Alectos Therapeutics
Christina Walker (2022-2023); Current: Student, BC Institute of Technology
Siddi Patel (2021-2023); Current: Medical School, U. Western Australia
Joshua Smithman (2021-2023); Current: Medical School, U. Western Australia
Nicole Vukasovic (2022-2023); Current: Fraser Northwest Family Practice
Rachel LaFrance (2023); Current: STEMCLL Technologies
Danielle Bonenfant (2022); Current: STEMCLL Technologies
Alejandra Jahns (2021-2022)
Omnia Taha (2021); Current: STEMCLL Technologies
Ashley Jukich (2020-Spring 2022); Current: Anodyne Chemistries