UCSF’s innovative, collaborative approach to patient care, research and education spans disciplines across the life sciences, making it a world leader in scientific discovery and its translation to improving health.
Alexis is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Data Science and a concentration in Urban Science. As an Undergraduate Research Assistant, Alexis studied the impact of the technology industry on housing in the Bay Area. Her specialities include data mapping and data visualization, and she is deeply interested in the intersections of neurology, data science, and social justice.
Joseph graduated from UC Berkeley in 2017 with honors in molecular and cell biology (neurobiology). He began his research career in UCSF's Weill Institute for Neurosciences in Summer 2014 as a research assistant for Dr. William Seeley's Selective Vulnerability Research Lab. In Seeley’s lab, Joseph assisted with human brain banking and neuropathology studies of frontotemporal dementia.
Ian joined the Grinberg Lab in the fall of 2018 as an undergraduate research assistant due to his interest in neurodegeneration, following years of research experience in behavioral and molecular neuroscience. After graduating from UC Berkeley in 2021 with a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology and Data Science, he continued his work at the lab as a full-time staff research associate.
Dr. Palser joined the Clinical Affective Neuroscience (CAN) Lab in December 2018. Eleanor works with the UCSF Dyslexia Center, studying social and emotional processing in neurodevelopmental conditions, such as dyslexia and autism. To do this, she combines self-report, physiological and neuroimaging methods. Previously, she received a PhD degree in cognitive neuroscience from University College London.
Emily Paolillo, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center. She obtained her PhD degree in Clinical Psychology (emphasis in Neuropsychology) from the SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in 2021, which included a predoctoral clinical internship at VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Her research interests include evaluating digital health tools for early detection and monitoring of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Gabriella is a bilingual speech-language pathologist at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center in the Dyslexia Center led by Dr. Marilu Gorno Tempini. Gabriella has a BA degree in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico and an MS degree in Speech and Language Pathology from Carlos Albizu University. Gabriella is a native Spanish speaker, raised and educated in Puerto Rico, and is passionate about bilingualism.
Jessica Pasqua, MD, completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical-Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. There she was part of an advocacy and support group for former foster youth which inspired her to pursue a career in medicine with a focus on serving those with limited access to medical care due to poverty and social inequity. She then completed her Medical Degree (MD), her Adult Neurology residency, and her Epilepsy fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Bettina Pedemonte completed a PhD degree in mathematics in Italy at Genoa University and a PhD degree in mathematics education in France at Grenoble University. She has experience in teaching mathematics, in particular to students with learning disorders. She designed technological environments to support mathematical learning. Her research interests include understanding cognitive processes involved in solving mathematical problems and finding new teaching methods to support mathematical learning. Bettina joined UCSF in March 2018, specializing in designing a battery for dyscalculia.
In addition to her doctorate degree in Developmental Neuroscience from the University of Pisa, Francesca Pei brings over 20 years of leadership, operational management and strategic planning in a variety of health care, research, academic and education settings. She joined UCSF in 2022 as the Chief Operating Officer for Applied Neuroscience projects in the ALBA Lab at the MAC.
Dr. Watson graduated from the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology-Stanford PsyD Consortium in 2014. She has a background in psychology, developmental biology, neuroimaging and neuropsychology. Her research interests include brain development across the lifespan and, in particular, in the neuroscience of typical and atypical learning. She is currently working in the ALBA Language Neurobiology Lab with Dr. Maria Luisa Gorno Tempini.
