Decoding the chromatin circuitry guiding stem cell fate, regeneration, and aging
Pooja Flora, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Pooja received her B.S. in Biology from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh in 2012 and soon began her Ph.D. studies at the University at Albany. She conducted her doctoral research in Dr. Prash Rangan’s lab, where her thesis focused on transcriptional and translational regulation during Drosophila oogenesis. After grad school, she moved to New York City for her postdoctoral training in Dr. Elena Ezhkova’s lab at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where her work centered on epigenetic and chromatin regulation of epithelial stem cells in adult mouse skin. In her own lab, Pooja intends to use multiple model systems to probe the epigenetic and chromatin mechanisms that govern tissue regeneration and aging.
Dipika Sekhar
Assistant Specialist
Dipika received her M.S. in Medical Microbiology from the University of Madras, India. She broadened her research training into neuroscience at UC Riverside, where she studied neuroinflammation in traumatic brain injuries. Having been at UCR for over three years, she joined the Flora Lab in September 2025. In her role, she plays a key part in laboratory management, ensuring smooth day-to-day operations, and provides technical support for ongoing research projects. Outside the lab, she enjoys drawing, painting, and creating artwork.
Federica Guarino
Graduate Student Researcher
Federica received her B.S. in Biology from the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” in Italy and went on to earn her M.S. in Molecular Biology at “Sapienza” University of Rome, where she studied the role of PRDM16 in maintaining genetic stability and nuclear integrity of fibroadipogenic progenitors (FAPs). She then spent a year and a half working at Takis Biotech in Rome, developing in vivo murine disease models. In 2023, Federica joined the Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology (CMDB) Ph.D. program at the University of California, where she is pursuing her doctoral research on epigenetic mechanisms that modulate stem cell fate. In her free time, Federica enjoys hiking and working out at the gym.
Soham Patil
Undergraduate Researcher
Soham is an undergraduate student at UC Riverside majoring in Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology. He volunteered in a USC-affiliated lab studying how sympathetic nerves influence hair follicle stem cell activation, with an emphasis on sex-based chromosomal differences. His research interests lie at the intersection of neuronal signaling and tissue regeneration, and he’s particularly curious about how these interactions shift with age. Soham looks forward to expanding his experience in stem cell biology, especially in understanding how chromatin regulators shape regenerative processes in the skin