Thelma was born in Guatemala and raised in Southern California. She obtained her B.S. from UCLA in 2007 and her Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 2014. Her graduate thesis research at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), focused on understanding the regulation and function of T cell gene expression programs. She then joined Dr. Danny Reinberg’s Laboratory at New York University School of Medicine where she made important contributions highlighting mechanisms permitting epigenetic inheritance in mouse embryonic stem cells. Thelma joined the University of Washington Biochemistry and the Institutes for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine faculty in 2021.

 

 

Fredrik was born and raised in Sweden. He received his B.S in Biomedical Laboratory Science from Linköping University in Sweden and then obtained his Ph.D. at the Linköping University Department of Pharmacology, researching adverse effects of β-agonists and antagonists in isolated airways. He came to the U.S. for a postdoc at UW in Dr. Bornfeldt’s laboratory studying atherosclerosis initiation and regression in a diabetic model. In a second postdoc at UW in Dr. Campbell’s and Dr. Fausto’s Lab, he studied liver regeneration. He then worked as a research scientist in Dr. Stevens lab at UW studying artificial tissue in pre-clinical settings before joining Dr. Escobar’s lab.

 

 

 

Francisco was born and raised in Santiago de Chile. He obtained the degree of “Engineer in Molecular Biotechnology” from Universidad de Chile in 2014 and his Ph.D. from Universidad Andrés Bello in 2018. His research, done in Alejandra Loyola’s Lab at  “Fundación Ciencia & Vida”, was focused on the cytosolic maturation of newly synthesized histones H3 and H4, studying the complex network of enzymes and chaperones that are involved in the proper processing of histones on their way from the ribosome to the nucleus. In 2021, Francisco joined the UW Biochemistry Department and ISCRM to further explore how the processing and handling of histones can have an impact in cellular identity and differentiation.

 

 

 

Morgan is a PhD student in UW’s Biochemistry department. They got their BS in Cell and Molecular Biology at Western Washington University, where they were in the lab of Dr. Suzanne Lee, who studies siRNA biogenesis in Tetrahymena. Before pursuing graduate studies, they were a technician in the lab of Dr. Don Sodora and worked on elucidating the mechanisms behind B cell dysfunction during SIV infection. Outside of the lab they enjoy spending their time painting, gaming, and attempting to keep their plants alive.

 

 

 

 

 

Sara was born and raised in northwest Wisconsin. She received her BS in biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2021. During her undergraduate career, Sara studied the structure-guided function of DcrB, a Salmonella enterica copper-resistance protein. Currently, Sara is a graduate student in the Department of Biochemistry and is working towards her Ph.D. Outside of the lab, Sara spends most of her time trying to keep her cat out of trouble!

 

 

 

Brenda is a PhD student in the UW Molecular and Cell Biology Program. Originally from the Bay Area, she earned her BS in Cell and Molecular Biology from San Francisco State University in 2023. During her undergraduate career as a member of the Chan Lab, Brenda investigated how vacuole inheritance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae contributes to a change in size-scaling through optogenetics and fluorescence microscopy. Currently, she is studying how specific proteins function and influence the heterochromatin landscape of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Outside of the lab, Brenda loves thrifting, trivia nights, nature walks, and going out dancing with her friends on reggaeton nights!

 

 

 

 

Connor is from Boise, Idaho and is a current research scientist assistant in the lab. He obtained his BS in Biochemistry from the University of Washington in 2023. He previously worked as an organic chemist at an environmental safety laboratory before joining the team. Connor plans to pursue a PhD next year and has a passion for research and discovery. Additionally, he loves skiing, playing golf, hiking, and going to the gym.

 

 

 

Alex spent most of his youth in Mukilteo, WA, and is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Washington, expecting to graduate in Spring 2025 with a B.S. in Biochemistry. During his time with the Escobar Lab, he has worked on a project investigating the proteolytic processing of NPM1 as an ISCRM Fellow. He is currently continuing his experiments in collaboration with others in the lab to further explore this process, develop new experimental approaches, and potentially uncover additional insights into therapeutic interventions. With a strong passion for medicine and an appreciation for the critical role of research in advancing medical knowledge, he plans to attend medical school while remaining actively engaged in scientific research. Outside of the lab, he enjoys playing sports, spending time with friends, and expanding his knowledge of medicine.

 

Alumni

Name	Dates in Lab	Lab Position	Current Position
Charlie Clarke	2021	Rotation Student	Biochemistry PhD student, UW
Cassandra Zen	2022	Summer student	Undergraduate, Heritage university
Akimi Green	2022	Rotation Student	Biochemistry PhD student, UW
Michael Holt	2021-2023	Research Scientist	Assistant Teaching Professor, University of Washington
Stephanie Martinez	2022-2023	Post-bac student	PhD student, John Hopkins Medicine
Lily Worst	2023	Rotation Student	Biochemistry PhD student, UW
Aman	2024	Rotation Student	Biochemistry PhD student, UW
Odette Ibanez	2021-2024	Lab Technician	Industry
Nelli Aydinyan	2023-2024	Bioinformatician	Industry
Sophia G	2024	Summer student	Undergraduate, UW
Willow Chernoske	2021-2024	Undergraduate Lab Assistant	Bioengineering PhD student, UW
Thiago Figueiredo	2024	Rotation Student	Biochemistry PhD student, UW

 

Lab Pet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fun