Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Lab Members
Xiaonan Li, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Xiaonan was born in Hebei, China. In 2019, She got her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at University of Chinese Academy of Sciences under the supervision of Dr. Yan Zhu. She worked on the project of “taste coding of heavy metals in Drosophila melanogaster”. After graduated, she decided to continue her research about taste coding and social approach behavior in Dr. Yan Zhu’s lab. In 2024, she joined Dr. Simon Chen’s lab at the University of Ottawa to investigate the mechanisms underlying motor memory consolidation in mouse models. Outside of the lab, Xiaonan likes reading, cooking and wandering.
Nima Raman, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Nima is born and raised in Zanjan, Iran. He completed his BSc in Surgical Nursing at Zanjan University of Medical Sciences in 2014. He worked as a surgical nurse for almost two years in the surgical field. By his developing enthusiasm in the field of research neurosciences, he did his master’s studies at Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN) in the UK in 2017, focusing on “Novel translation strategies to inhibit RAN translation in C9ORF72-ALS-driven Neurodegeneration”. Pursuing his dreams, he joined Dr. Chen’s lab as a Ph.D. student in 2018, where he investigates the role of thalamocortical pathways in motor performance in normal and Parkinson’s mouse models. Beside research, Nima thrives on wandering in nature whether on his bike or climbing.
Betty Wan, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Xinghaoyun (Betty) was born and raised in Guangzhou, China. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from University of Science and Technology of China, and her Master’s degree in Neuroscience from Brandeis University in the US. She did her Ph.D. in Neuroscience with Dr. Jon Sakata at McGill University, where she investigated neurobiological mechanisms underlying the regulation of vocal learning and performance of zebra finch. On the first Monday of 2026, she joined Dr. Chen's lab to study the mechanisms underlying the development of motor movements in neonate mice. Besides being a researcher, she's also a caffeine addict, fanfic writer, medley swimmer, certified snowboard instructor, and childless cat lady.
Nathaniel Jones, MSc
PhD Student
Nate is born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States where he lived most of his life. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Neurobiology and Linguistics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, along with a Certificate in German after spending a semester abroad at the University of Bonn in Germany. Before he came to Ottawa his research was focused on using various neuroimaging techniques to investigate language in the Language and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, and sleep/consciousness at the Wisconsin Sleep center. In the summer of 2018, he came to the Chen Lab to investigate the role of Noradrenaline in motor learning with two-photon microscopy. His hobbies include Soccer, Yoga, and drinking too much coffee.
Jan Sidiangco, MSc
PhD Student
Jan was born in Manila, Philippines but moved to the UK when he was 5 years old. He received a BSc(Hons) in Pharmacology from the University of East London in 2017 where he developed the interests in neuroscience. He then did a MSc degree at the Sheffield Institute of Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), University of Sheffield in 2018, where he focused on “Developing zebrafish models of a rare human disorder affecting GPI-anchoring proteins". Before coming to Ottawa, he worked as a research assistant and external genotyper at the MRC Harwell Institute, Oxford. In the autumn of 2022, he joined Dr. Chen's lab group to investigate Npas4 transcriptomics during motor movement. Outside of research, he enjoys hiking, playing tennis and bouldering.
Weiduo Luo
MSc Student
Weiduo was born and raised in Hunan, China. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Psychological Science with pre-medical coursework in Neurobiology from the University of California, Irvine in 2023, where he developed a strong interest in the relationship between neural circuit dynamics and behavior. In the fall of 2025, he joined Dr. Chen’s lab at the University of Ottawa as a Msc student to investigate the role of NPAS4 in dendritic plasticity during motor learning, with an interest in potential collaborations bridging basic neuroscience and clinical research.
Jenny Zhang, MSc
PhD Student
Jenny Zhang was born and raised in Ottawa, Canada. She completed her Honours Bachelor of Science in Translational and Molecular Medicine and integrated Master's in Neuroscience at the University of Ottawa, where she conducted research in Dr. Maxime Rousseaux's laboratory studying the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases, with a particular focus on ALS and TDP-43 proteinopathy. Jenny is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, co-supervised by Drs. Simon Chen and Maxime Rousseaux. Her research investigates how traumatic brain injury contributes to ALS-like neurodegeneration by examining the mechanisms driving TDP-43 pathology and circuit dysfunction. She hopes to uncover therapeutic targets that could help prevent or slow neurodegeneration following brain injury. Outside of the lab, Jenny enjoys playing piano, hiking, organizing and volunteering at community and educational events.
Eugene Chu, MSc
PhD Student
Eugene Chu was born and raised in Taiwan and moved to Canada in 2022. He received his B.Sc. in Biology from Fu Jen Catholic University and his M.Sc. in Neuroscience from National Yang-Ming University, where he studied astrocyte calcium signaling and published two research papers. Before joining Dr. Simon Chen's lab, Eugene worked in the biotechnology industry, supporting research in molecular diagnostics, genomics, and biomarker development. In 2026, he joined Dr. Simon Chen's laboratory at the University of Ottawa as a Ph.D. student in the Neuroscience Program. His research interests focus on neural circuit plasticity, motor learning, and experience-dependent reorganization of the brain. Outside the lab, Eugene enjoys badminton, hiking, traveling, and spending time with his family.
Irina Morozov, B.Eng
Research Assistant
Irina comes from Kiev (Ukraine), and she earned a Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Victoria. In 2017, she joined Dr. Simon Chen's lab at UOttawa to design an automatic training system for learned behaviors in head-fixed mice. She has experience in electrical engineering, signal and image processing, Python, and Matlab programming. When she's not at the lab, Irina loves spending time in the kitchen, traveling with her family, and volunteering with youth sports teams; Kanata Minor Hockey Association and Glen Cairn Skating Club.
Yingben Xue
Research Assistant
Yingben was born in Suihua, China, and earned his Bachelor of Medicine degree from Harbin Medical University. After moving to Canada in 2002, he joined Dr. Diane Lagacé's laboratory. Since 2026, he has also been working as a technician in Dr. Simon Chen's lab. Outside of work, Yingben enjoys DIY projects, cooking, camping, and cross-country skiing.
Undergraduate Students
Ayaka Fujikawa (BSc, Biomedical Science)
Chloe Logan (BSc, McMaster University)
Anna Ye (BSc, Health Sciences)
Alumni
Sandrine Coté (PDF, nowAssistant Professor at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières )
Candice Lee (Ph.D. - Neuroscience, now Postdoc at Oxford University )
Jungwoo Yang (PDF, now Technical Officer at NRC)
Pablo Serrano (MS.C - Neuroscience, now PhD at uZurich)
Chloe Logan (BSc, McMaster University) 2024/25
Takeaki Fujikawa (BSc, Biomedical Science) 2024/25
Cayan Leite (BSc, Biology) 2024/25
Christina Yeuchyk (BSc, Biomedical Science) 2024/25
Amy Stewart (BSc - TMM), Honours Thesis, 2023/24
Jayda Felix (University of Ottawa, BSc - Chemical Engineering), 2023/24
Aaron Jumarang (University of Waterloo, BSc - Biomedical Engineering) 2023 summer
Matthew Loukine (McGill University, BSc - Cognitive Neuroscience), 2022/24
Bryan Mercado (BSc - TMM, now MSc student at McGill), Honours Thesis, 2021/22
Hritvic Chaudhary (BSc - TMM), Honours Thesis, 2021/22
Bianka Bezuidenhout (BSc - TMM), Honours Thesis, 2020/21
Zachary Eckert (BSc - Biomedical Science, now MSc student at uOttawa), Honours Thesis, 2019/20
Tianqi (Tony) Jian (BSc - Biomedical Science), Honours Thesis, 2019/20
Nabil Asraoui (BSc - Biomedical Science), NSER-USRA Summer Awardee 2018, UROP Awardee 2017/18, Honours Thesis 2017/18, MD Summer Research Fellowship, 2019
Marie-Eve Mathieu (BSc - Biomedical Science), NSERC-USRA Summer Awardee 2017 & 2018, UROP Awardee 2018/19, Undergraduate student, 2017-2019
Jason Ghossein (BSc - Biomedical Science), UROP Awardee 2018/19, Undergraduate student, 2019
Paul Thienpont, Exhange student from ENS de Lyon, 2017
Mohammed (B. Eng), Engineer UROP Awardee 2017/18, Undergraduate student, 2018