Team
Sophia M. Shi, Principal Investigator
Sophia is a Rowland Fellow and Principal Investigator at the Rowland Institute at Harvard University. She received her B.A. in Chemistry and Biology from Cornell University, where she conducted research at the chemistry-biology interface and developed a love for interdisciplinary problem-solving for human health. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford University in 2025 as a Bio-X Graduate Fellow, co-advised by Dr. Tony Wyss-Coray and Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi. Sophia’s doctoral research uncovered new biology of glycans in the brain vasculature, demonstrating how they regulate blood–brain barrier function and can be leveraged to improve brain health. This work forms the foundation of her laboratory’s efforts to open new avenues for understanding and treating brain aging and disease. Beyond the lab, Sophia is passionate about mentorship, health and fitness, and learning new things.
Ikshu Pandey, Post-baccalaureate Researcher
Onovughakpor Otitigbe, Post-baccalaureate Researcher
Ikshu earned a B.S. in Materials Science & Engineering and a B.S. in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University in 2024. Her undergraduate thesis focused on studying dysfunctions in the blood-brain barrier due to Alzheimer's Disease mutations. After graduation, she spent one year in Switzerland as a Fulbright Research fellow and expanded her research on brain barriers to study disease-induced dysregulations from a neuroinflammatory perspective. As a post-baccalaureate researcher in the Shi Lab, she is excited to integrate these experiences to characterize the role that glycans play at these fluid-brain interfaces. Ikshu is particularly interested in studying the choroid plexus and assessing changes to glycosylation in Alzheimer's Disease or other neurodegenerative conditions.
Coming soon :)
Hanah Youn, Undergraduate Student
Hanah is studying Neuroscience and Comparative Literature at Harvard College, where she also competes on the Varsity Sailing Team. As a summer researcher in the Thomas Südhof Lab at Stanford University, her work focused on the molecular logic of synapse formation to better understand how disruptions in synaptic connectivity contribute to neurodegeneration. In the Shi Lab, she is interested in harnessing glycans at the blood–brain interface to facilitate the delivery of therapeutics into the brain, with the goal of improving treatment strategies for Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative disorders. Her commitment to this work stems from her volunteer experience at an Alzheimer’s clinic in Spain, where she witnessed the urgent need for more effective therapies. Outside the lab, she enjoys boxing, writing comedy, and trying new things.