People
Lipovsek lab page
Marcela Lipovsek - Sir Henry Dale Fellow
I am a very proud alumni of the University of Buenos Aires where I obtained a Licenciate degree in Biological Sciences (which is equivalent to a BSc+MRes) in 2005, and a PhD in Biological Sciences in 2011.
In 2013, I moved to the MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology at King’s College London, joining Richard Wingate’s lab on a Royal Society Newton International Fellowship to study the evolution and development of hindbrain nuclei. Followed by a short postdoctoral position with Anthony Graham, studying the development of the intriguing mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus.
In 2016 I changed gears again, joining Matt Grubb’s lab to start a new multi-(single-cell)-omics, multidisciplinary project exploring the interactions between epigenome, transcriptome and neuronal function, alongside ‘within cell type’ heterogeneity, focusing on the dopaminergic interneurons of the olfactory bulb.
In 2021, I joined the UCL Ear Institute to set up my research group, funded by a Wellcome Trust / Royal Society Sir Henry Dale Fellowship, where we are using systems biology approaches, single-cell multi-omics, spatial transcriptomics and transcriptional manipulations to study the development, maturation, regeneration and aging of the inner ear sensory epithelia, the impact of deafness on inner ear neurons, the role of efferent innervation to the inner ear on its maturation, homeostasis and aging, the auditory circuits driving mating behaviour in malaria mosquitoes, and the evolution and development of sound localisation circuits.
Valeria Castagna - EMBO Fellow (2025-)
I am Valeria Castagna, I hold a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, and I am from Argentina. My project in Marcela Lipovsek’s laboratory focuses on understanding the transcriptional changes that occur in the inner ear during aging and how the interaction of these processes leads to different types of hearing loss.
Like any Argentine, I love mate, dulce de leche, and football. I also enjoy reading, cycling, and for the past four years, I have been practicing ceramics as a hobby.
Anya Suppermpool - Wellcome Trust Fellow (2024-)
Growing up in Thailand, Anya has been fascinated by the molecular and cellular underpinnings of behaviours. She started using zebrafish in research during her undergraduate years at King’s College London and subsequent Masters degree at UCL with Steve Wilson and Jason Rihel. Funded by a UCL Scholarship, she continued to study zebrafish sleep and synapse dynamics in the Rihel lab, earning her PhD in 2021. Anya embarked onto the use of non-model organism as a Research Fellow with Marta Andres at the UCL Ear Institute, where she set up tools to investigate neural circuits in the malaria mosquito. In 2024, Anya joined the Lipovsek lab with the Wellcome Trust Early Career Award to further investigate the circuits that underlie mosquito mating behaviour.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2769-4896
https://www.protocols.io/researchers/n4sle152s105qle1
Rachel Williams - Research Fellow
Dr Rachel Williams (she/they) is a neuroscientist, bioinformatician, and science communicator obsessed with the science of the senses. Her current research explores how we could ameliorate hearing loss by making our mammalian ears more “bird-like” using genetics.
In the Lipovsek lab, Rachel spearheads the analysis of single nuclei RNA sequencing data from the inner ears of chickens and mice to investigate why, unlike mice or humans, birds can regenerate the “hair cells” of the inner ear that are essential for hearing.
Rachel completed her PhD at King’s College London, studying the generation of appropriate behaviours (like hunting) in response to visual stimuli (like prey), in the larval zebrafish using confocal and 2-photon microscopy.
Rachel is also an experienced science communicator and has featured on broadcast, live, and livestreamed events for festivals, schools, and learned institutions across the UK including the BBC, Wellcome Collection, and Cheltenham Science Festival.
Jimena Perez-Lloret - Research Fellow
I am a Licentiate in Biological sciences from the University of Buenos Aires. I have decided to start this long career as I wanted to be photographer for National Geographic, traveling the world watching animals and taking pictures. Who wouldn’t hire a biologist and Photographer? But molecular genetics and specially miRNAs have taken me on a detour that got me a specialisation in Molecular genetics and Biotechnology focused on Plants.
I had the idea of making transgenic plants and make crops resistant to extreme climate conditions. But (yes there is another BUT here) I have moved to UK in 2011.
My journey took another long detour at Francis Crick Institute working in Immunology and finally joining the advanced sequencing facility. This meant a real opportunity to me as I went back to my real passion: Genomics. I have run at least 150 10X-single cell experiments, and I can do libraries with my eyes closed while running the Illumina sequencers. This expertise is what I am now using at Lipovsek lab but doing what I love and that is Research. Here I have found a new adventure into Inner ear biology, and I won’t stop until get my new specialization.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2666-3764
Eve Doran - Research Assistant
While carrying out her undergraduate at the University of Nottingham, Eve was introduced to the fascinating biology of parasites and their vectors. A desire to contribute to research in this field led to a Masters degree at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine studying the Molecular Biology of Parasites and Disease Vectors.
After working as a Research Assistant in the Kaufman Lab at the University of Cambridge studying the MHC of chickens, Eve secured an MRC LID funded PhD at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine under the supervision of Dr Matt Rogers and Dr John Raynes.
Her project investigated the role of human pentraxins in the Leishmania lifecycle within the sand fly vector and was completed in 2023. In 2024, Eve joined the Andrés lab at the UCL Ear Institute as a Research Technician, responsible for the rearing of six transgenic Anopheles gambiae lines. Eve then moved into the Lipovsek lab as a Research Laboratory Assistant on Anya Suppermpool’s Wellcome Trust Early Career Award.
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3352-4954
Judy Bagi - Research Assistant
Judy’s first experience working with mosquitoes was during her BSc degree in Medical Genetics at Queen Mary, where she worked on transposable elements in Anopheles stephensi. She continued her studies in molecular entomology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, where her MSc project investigated the mechanisms of insecticide resistance of anopheline mosquitoes in Zanzibar. She then continued her research at LSTM as a technician in the Vector Biology Department. She then continued her career in molecular entomology and laboratory support with a technical post working with bumblebees at Royal Holloway, where she researched the transmission dynamics of pollinator viruses.
After her post at RHUL, she continued her technical career as the senior research technician to the fly and mosquito labs at UCL Ear Institute, working with Joerg Albert and Marta Andres. Outside of her role, Judy is very interested in imaging, shadowing the Microscopy Facility Manager at the EI, and outside of the EI she enjoys pottery and fitness.
Liangjun Liao - PhD Student
I come from China. I received my BSc degree in Durham University in 2021, then I completed MRes study in UCL in 2023. I did my MRes research project about development of avian auditory nuclei in Ear Institute, supervised by Marcela Lipovsek. Now I am doing PhD project in Lipovsek lab, studying how progenitors with similar molecular identity contribute neurons to different auditory nuclei in chicken brainstem and when avian brainstem auditory nuclei form during embryonic development and. I’m interested in development of the central nervous system.
Yue (Joyce) Zhang - MSc Student
Hello, my name is Yue Zhang, and I am currently a Research Master's student in Brain Sciences at University College London. In daily interactions, I also go by Joyce. I completed my Bachelor's degree in biological sciences at Beijing Normal University in China. My research interests include the development, function, and regeneration of cells and neurons.
Currently, I am working on the transcriptomic identity of supporting cells in inner ear sensory epithelia under the supervision of Marcela. I look forward to enhancing my knowledge of hair cells regeneration and skills in transcriptomics and Immunofluorescence. I am passionate about exploring the intricacies of the brain, as I believe this knowledge will provide greater insights into my own self.
In my daily life, I enjoy reading and watching animation, concerts, and figure skating competitions.
email: uctvzhc@ucl.ac.uk