Our Team
I studied Biology in Mainz, Germany, and got my Ph.D. in 1994 for work conducted at the Max-Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt/M. After a postdoc at The Rockefeller University (with A.J. Hudspeth), I became a faculty member at Harvard Medical School in 2000. My laboratory was part of the Eaton Peabody Laboratories at the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary.
In 2005, I moved to Stanford University, School of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery. I am a faculty member of the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Stanford.
I am the first of my family to attend University. I try to promote diversity and equality. I am not perfect, and I encourage my research team members to help me as we all need to set examples to make the world a better place.
I am no longer allowed (my lab told me! I break things) to touch a pipette and operate any of the expensive apparatus in my laboratory. This is ok - I like writing papers and to compete for funding. I am committed to helping my mentees succeed in any career they decide to pursue. I also rely on their feedback to help me on my journey. Science is fun and I have the job of my dreams!
I received my master’s degree in Molecular Cell Biology and Neurobiology at the University of Kaiserslautern in Germany and became fascinated by hearing science for my master's thesis and have been working in the broad field of hearing research ever since. During my master’s and doctoral theses, I had the opportunity to explore different aspects of sound processing in the auditory brainstem. Currently, I have shifted my research focus from the auditory brainstem to the auditory periphery. In April 2022, I started my postdoctoral position in the lab of Prof. Stefan Heller at Stanford University to study hair cell regeneration in the mouse cochlea. My biggest dream is to gain a broad knowledge and understanding of the breadth of the auditory system and to gain a more in-depth understanding of each aspect from the periphery to central processing. I believe that a holistic knowledge of auditory processing is essential for groundbreaking research and that it will broaden the possible directions for my future career and specialization as an independent scientist.
Email: aysems@stanford.edu
Where are you from? Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany
Education: Ph.D. (Kaiserslautern, Germany)
Hobbies: Biking, baking, reading fantasy books, playing board games, skydiving, hiking, traveling
Hello! I was born and raised in sunny SoCal. I attended Claremont McKenna College and then moved across the country to Bethesda, Maryland to pursue a postbaccalaureate fellowship at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. During my time there, I spent a great deal learning about the fascinating process of inner ear development in the lab of Dr. Doris Wu. I then came back to the West Coast in the fall of 2022 and started my journey as a PhD student in the Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine graduate program. The inner ear is an intricate organ and there are still many open questions. As a bilateral cochlear implant wearer, I hope to contribute to a better understanding of inner ear biology, which will drive the development of therapeutics to treat hearing and balance disorders.
Email: ahuang97@stanford.edu
Where are you from? Diamond Bar & Newport Beach, California
Education: Claremont McKenna College (BA, Molecular Biology, 2019)
Hobbies: Cooking, painting, videogames, swimming
I grew up in Shanghai, China, and came to the U.S. for my undergraduate education in 2017. I studied biology at Grinnell College in Grinnell, IA, and moved to New York City after graduation for a research position in the Choi lab at Columbia University. I spent two years in the Choi lab studying the activation mechanism of the insulin receptor and an insulin mimetic peptide. While training at the Choi lab, I realized my research interest in regenerative medicine and became more determined to pursue a PhD. In September 2023, I moved to the Bay Area for the first time to start my journey as a PhD student in the Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine program at Stanford. I am excited to explore the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine and spend the next five years or so on the sunny West Coast.
Email: wujiayi@stanford.edu
Where are you from? Shanghai, China
Education: Grinnell College, IA (BA, Biology)
Hobbies: Watching dramas, traveling, playing with my cat
I was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2019, I began my undergraduate studies in biology and anthropology at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where I graduated with Honors. During my time at Bowdoin, I worked in the Horch lab studying the regeneration of the auditory system in crickets after injury which kickstarted my interest in regenerative medicine. As an undergrad, I had the opportunity to work in the Greenwald lab at Columbia University and the Updike lab at MDIBL, which encouraged me to pursue a PhD. In the fall of 2023, I began my journey as a PhD student in the Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine graduate program at Stanford University. I am excited to refine my interest in regenerative medicine and learn more about the field of stem cell biology during my time in the Bay Area.
Email: lmirandp@stanford.edu
Where are you from? Boston, Massachusetts
Education: Bowdoin College (BA, Biology, Minor in Anthropology, 2023)
Hobbies: Teaching my cat tricks, hiking, and baking
The curvy morphology of the ear - from outer to inner - is a source of great fascination for me. I am an otolaryngologist (M.D.) dedicated to basic life science research. I received my Ph.D. in Virology at Kyushu University, specializing in deafness causing viruses. With the long-term goal of finding a mechanism of viral deafness and to prevent it, I realized that it is important to be well-versed in the inner ear field of research. Since joining Heller Lab, I have been characterizing mouse cochlear sensory epithelial cells using organoid techniques and scRNA-seq. My project focuses on driving quiescent cochlear cells toward cell cycle and differentiation. In September 2022, I received an NIH grant (NIDCD R21 ECR) to pursue research on "virus-induced hearing loss". I am looking forward to this new phase of my journey and welcome the challenges ahead.
Email: kubomari@stanford.edu
I’m a trained geneticist with an interest in developmental biology and inner ear transcriptional control. I grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, about an hour north of Boston, and received a B.S. in Genetics from the University of New Hampshire. I later completed my Ph.D. in Human Genetics and Genomic Medicine with Dr. Ronna Hertzano at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
During my Ph.D. I became fascinated with how the inner ear develops, and what signals (both intrinsic and extrinsic) individual cells receive that guide their maturation during normal development. In Dr. Heller’s lab, I’m studying how to effectively utilize known developmental signals to guide stem cells into inner ear organoids. Using scRNA-seq, my project focuses on profiling the small changes in gene expression that occur as organoid cells receive signals from growth factors and develop over time.
Organoid technology represents a powerful tool for high-throughput studies of the inner ear. It is my hope that this emerging technology will aid in the discovery of new treatments for both genetic and acquired hearing loss.
Email: mmatern@stanford.edu
Where are you from? New Hampshire, USA
Education: Ph.D. (Baltimore, Maryland)
Hobbies: Hiking, gardening, traveling, playing board games and Dungeons and Dragons
I grew up in a small town in southern India and moved to Bangalore, India, for undergraduate education, where I received a Bachelor of Engineering in Biotechnology. Driven by my curiosity and enthusiasm to perform scientific research, I moved to Edmonton, Canada, where I received an MSc in Experimental Oncology from the University of Alberta. After that, I briefly worked as a research technologist in an NGS core facility and then as a lab manager and research tech at the University of Alberta.
I did my PhD with Dr. Andrew Groves in the Genetics and Genomics program at Baylor College of Medicine. This was my first foray into the world of developmental biology, and I was hooked. During my PhD, I worked on understanding the role of BMP signaling in the cell fate determination and patterning of the organ of Corti, the sensory tissue that houses the hair and supporting cells which are crucial to hearing function. I joined Dr. Heller’s lab in July 2024, and I am excited to take a deep dive into the field of cellular reprogramming and regeneration in the inner ear.
Email: ishwarvh@stanford.edu
Where are you from: Gulbarga, Karnataka, India
Education: MSc. (University of Alberta, Canada), PhD (Baylor College of Medicine, USA)
Hobbies: Tinkering with electronics and setting up a home lab, reading and watching science fiction, cooking, and playing guitar, badly!
I was born and raised in Constantine, Northeast Algeria, and obtained my Pharm.D. from the University of Constantine in 2012. Driven by an interest in science since childhood, I decided to initiate myself into the world of fundamental and applied research in France by joining the Institute for Neurosciences of Montpellier, where I completed a master’s degree in Industrial Pharmacy in 2012 and obtained my Ph.D. in Biology and Health in 2018. From there, I conducted postdoctoral research in Dr. Stefan Heller’s lab in the Otolaryngology – Head & Neck SurgeryDepartment and the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Stanford University (March 2018-Septembre 2022).
I am building a career as an emerging auditory scientist in the field, having been mentored by some of the leaders in the field. This has always been important to me because the value of hearing is priceless. I have a passion for one day finding better treatments for hearing loss and helping the most vulnerable populations because not hearing separates people and leads to social withdrawal and depression.
In October 2022, I got promoted to an Instructor position. One of the things I enjoy most about being a mentor is the fresh perspective I can bring to a situation. By being a mentor, I also develop strong leadership skills, gain new perspectives, and the lessons I teach can also serve as reminders to myself to follow my own good advice! It is also gratifying to be a mentor for someone and a great way to thank those who helped me become the scientist and the person I am today.
Email: kafadar@stanford.edu
Where are you from? Constantine, Algeria
Education: Pharm.D (Constantine, Algeria), Ph.D (Montpellier, France)
Hobbies: Gardening, Cooking, BBQ, Watching detective movies