People

My group brings together a talented and dedicated group of passionate students and researchers who bring together a combination of expertise in islet biology, electrophysiology, microscopy, gene editing, and computational biology. Together we unravel how pancreatic islets work, in order to devise therapeutic strategies to fix them when they break down in diabetes.

Dr. Mark O. Huising

Mark obtained his Masters degree in Biology at Wageningen University in The Netherlands. He went on to conduct his PhD research on the evolution of endocrine and immune systems at the the Radboud University Nijmegen, work for which he received the Zoology prize from the Royal Dutch Zoological Society. From here he went on to join the group of Wylie Vale at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California as a postdoctoral fellow. It was there that Mark started to work on the pancreas and laid the foundations for his current research program, which he moved to UC Davis in the fall of 2014. When not teaching or conducting research, he likes to go out for a long trail run. He also tries to find time for hikes or road trips with family or friends in beautiful California and beyond.
Contact: mhuising@ucdavis.edu

Dr. Talitha van der Meulen

Talitha received her PhD in developmental biology studying muscle development in zebrafish at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. After studying biochemistry at San Diego State University and diabetes at the Salk Institute in La Jolla she helped set up the Huising diabetes research lab at UC Davis. These days she is an assistant professor of teaching at UC Davis, teaching NPB110A, NPB10 and NPB101L. She is leading a team of professors to enhance equity and inclusion in the NPB curriculum by updating the program learning outcomes (what students should be able to do when they graduate with an NPB degree) and implementing assessment strategies to actually find out if these program learning outcomes are met. After 2 years of Covid-19-related cancellations, her study abroad program for NPB110A in the Netherlands looks like it will be taking off in Summer 2022. She is still associated with the Huising lab and joins in lab meetings, but cannot spend much time there because of teaching. In her spare time, Talitha enjoys her family, cat, baking, camping, hiking and exploring California and nearby states.

Graduate Students

Michelle Chan

Michelle is a graduate student in the BMCDB PhD program at UC Davis. She graduated with a BS in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from UC San Diego, where she had the opportunity to conduct research in labs at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Scripps Research, and UC San Diego School of Medicine. After graduation, she worked in the lab of Dr. Steve Finkbeiner at the Gladstone Institutes to investigate the molecular mechanisms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Michelle’s interest in investigating cell signaling drew her to the Huising lab for her doctoral work, and she is excited to learn more about islet biology. Aside from research, she likes to read, visit new coffee shops, and watch Netflix in her free time.

Ryan Hart

Ryan is a graduate student in the Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology (BMCDB) Ph.D. program at UC Davis. He graduated from Truman State University in 2011 with a B.S. in Biology, and A.T. Still University in 2013 with an M.S. in Biomedical Science. Prior to joining the Huising Lab, he studied actomyosin associated cytoskeletal forces in the lab of Dr. Indra Chandrasekar at the University of South Dakota. In his free time he enjoys exploring California with his wife Kimmy, his daughter Allie, and their dog Jethro.

Mohammad Pourhosseinzadeh

Mohammad graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and is a current MD/PhD student. While a student at UC Davis, he gained an interest in research studying meiotic recombination in yeast. His interest in research and its applications in medicine drove him to join the Huising lab. In his free time he enjoys watching Netflix and reading.

Max Shin

Junior Specialist - Lab Manager

Naomi Cinque

Naomi graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior in Spring 2022. She first joined the Huising Lab as an undergraduate researcher in hopes of better understanding human physiology on a microscopic level and is continuing as the Junior Specialist/Lab Manager due to her interest in researching intercellular signlaing and signal transduction pathways. In her free time, Naomi enjoys discovering new eateries, exploring the outdoors, listening to music and spending time with friends and family.

Undergraduate Researchers

Emily Cao

Emily is a third year student studying Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior. She decided to join the Huising lab after working with many diabetic patients at Paul Hom Asian Clinic and learning more about diabetes in her NPB 110A class. Outside of school, she enjoys cooking, trying out new foods and enjoying the outdoors with friends and family.

Luhaiza Framroze

Luhaiza is a fourth-year international student from Pune, India majoring in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior and minoring in Education here at UC Davis! Her volunteer experiences in a clinical setting exposed her to the prevalence and detriment of diabetes. She joined Huising Lab with the hope of enhancing her understanding of pancreatic biology and experiencing the potential translational research holds to transform the medical world and lives of so many! Outside of school and work, she enjoys traveling, trying new foods, taking loads of pictures, and spending time with friends and family!

Jordan Lee

Jordan is a third year Biological Sciences major at UC Davis. She was interested in clinical research and wanted to gain experience in a professional laboratory which led her to the Huising Lab! Her favorite part of working in the lab is getting to actively connect what she learns in class to the work she does in lab. She likes to spend her time gardening, drawing, and drinking tea.

Sriansh Pasumarthi

Sriansh is a second-year Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior major. His interest in investigating diabetes — a disease that has impacted many members of his family and community — led him to join the Huising lab. After he graduates, he hopes to attend medical school and continue his research endeavors. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball with his friends.

Joel Sanchez

Joel is a second-year Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior major and Music minor at UC Davis. In his free time, he enjoys playing instruments, listening to music, and playing video games.

Khushi Shah

Khushi is a second year student majoring in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior and minoring in English. She joined the Huising lab because she is passionate about research and would love to further her knowledge of diabetes. She am also an EMT, where she gets the chance to interact with patients and work towards expanding her skill set for medical school. In her free time, she loves playing water polo, snowboarding, baking, and going on trips with her friends and family.

Gabriella Tenret

Gabriella is in her senior year as a Human Biology major. She became interested in the Huising Lab’s research after taking a physiology class from Dr. Huising. As a premed student hoping to become a physician, she feels passionate about gaining a deeper understanding of diabetes, as it is a disease that impacts the health of such a large population. She hopes that comprehensively understanding diabetes on a molecular level will help her in educating and treating patients in the future. When not in lab, she enjoys long days of studying in coffee shops, trips to the beach, and spending time with family.

Dominique Thao

At UC Davis, Dominique is a fourth-year Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior major. While taking NPB 110A with Dr. Talitha van der Meulen, Dominique became aware of the Huising lab and was immediately interested. The combination of cell signaling and research related to Diabetes intrigued him greatly. He aspires to one day become a Doctor of Family Medicine. In his free time, he enjoys playing guitar and piano.

Ramir Tirado

Ramir is a 4th year Neurobiology student and minoring in Psychology. He has always been so curious about brain and mind works. He loves cooking and trying new dishes.

Kelechi Unanwa

Timothy Vu

Timothy is a third year Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior major from the Bay Area. He has always been interested in cell signaling/communication and glucose metabolism. After looking into different lab websites, he found the Huising Lab and thought it was exactly what he was looking for. He hopes to apply the things he learns in lab to medicine or any pre-health career he chooses to pursue. In my free time, he likes finding new music, watching Netflix, spending quality time with family and friends, and playing with his dogs.

Huising Lab

Laboratory of Dr. Mark O. Huising, UC Davis