Ryan graduated from North Carolina State University with a B.S. in animal science and returned to southeastern NC to become part owner/operator of a large family farm. After thirty years, he returned to NCSU to earn a PhD in molecular toxicology where he studied the role of a neurotoxin associated with ALS, along with learning to use CRISPR-Cas9 genomic editing in zebrafish to work towards developing models of neurodegeneration. In the Cohen lab, Ryan investigates the role of environmental insults in relation to pathological TDP-43, along with downstream targets and other associated proteins. Outside of lab, Ryan enjoys spending time with his wife, visiting their children, running, lifting, reading, and playing the piano.

Reshma earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Delhi, followed by a Master’s and PhD in Neuroscience from the National Brain Research Centre, India. Her doctoral work focused on delineating the mechanisms of Zika virus-induced microcephaly. Specifically, she explored how the Zika Virus Envelope (E) protein induces quiescence in human neural stem cells and disrupts the microRNA regulatory networks, leading to reduced neural cell populations. At Washington University in Dr. Celeste Karch’s Lab, Reshma investigated the mechanisms of Tauopathies by employing patient iPSC-derived brain cells. She studied regulatory functions of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tau aggregation and disease progression. In the Cohen Lab, Reshma is using human iPSC-derived cell models to study the cellular and molecular pathways involved in tau pathology. Her work continues to focus on the role of non-coding RNAs in neurodegeneration, aiming to uncover new therapeutic targets for tauopathies. In her free time, she loves to play Ping-Pong, Tennis, and badminton and can be seen enjoying the company of her cat, Simba.

Carli received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience in 2024 and is continuing as a postdoc in the lab. Before coming to UNC for graduate studies, Carli received a B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology at California State University, Northridge. She worked with Dr. Randy Cohen studying the neurodegeneration of Purkinje cells from excitotoxicity by GABA receptor activation in an ataxic rat model. After graduating in May 2015, Carli joined Dr. Daniel Geschwind’s lab at UCLA as a staff research associate where she investigated the effects of overexpression of specific genes known to be involved in neurogenesis such as NGN2, FGFR2, and SOX5 in primary human neural progenitor cells. Now in Todd Cohen’s lab at UNC Chapel Hill, Carli is evaluating the role of a particular post-translational modification, tau cleavage by caspases, and its implications for Alzheimer’s disease. Outside of the lab, Carli enjoys baking, hanging out with her cat, running, eating cheese, and making craft cocktails.

Miles graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a B.S. in Marine Biology. Soon after, he worked as a research technician in the lab of Dr. Nancy Andrews at Duke University where he focused on characterizing in vivo models of iron dyshomeostasis. For his graduate work, Miles joined the lab of Dr. Aaron Bowman at Vanderbilt University where he investigated the role of manganese homeostasis on neuroprotective pathways (autophagy, IGF/AKT signaling) in Huntington’s disease. After his PhD, he joined the lab of Dr. Cohen at UNC in 2020 where he is investigating key pathological mechanisms of tau in Alzheimer’s disease and how to target these therapeutically. I love cruising to warm locales with my wife (COVID, please stop…), hanging with our three cats, fishing, gardening, gaming, and a good IPA.

Baggio studied in the Cohen Lab and received his Ph.D. from the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology in 2023. Before coming to UNC for graduate studies, Baggio received a B.S. in Molecular and Microbiology at the University of Central Florida (UCF). There he studied epigenetic regulation of alpha-synuclein in Parkinson’s disease in the laboratory of Dr. Yoon-Seong Kim. From there, Baggio collaborated with Dr. Dmitri Kolpashchikov in the UCF Department of Chemistry where he designed a biosensor for pathological alpha-synuclein. After graduating in May 2017, Baggio joined the lab of Dr. Kenneth Teter where he investigated the biochemical properties of a molecular chaperone, Protein Disulfide Isomerase, and its ability to disaggregate alpha-synuclein and amyloid beta fibrils as a pan-therapeutic for neurodegenerative proteinopathies. In his graduate studies and now as a post-doc, Baggio is investigating 1) a gene therapy strategy for eliminating ALS-associated TDP-43 proteinopathy in vivo using Protein Disulfide Isomerase and 2) T-cell-mediated neuroinflammation in ALS.