People

Hari is currently a sophomore at UC Santa Barbara studying Biology through the College of Creative Studies with interests in neuroscience and bioengineering. His interest in the cellular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disease led him to explore lysosomal biology and dysfunction in aging and Alzheimer's disease in the CLD Lab! He hopes to pursue a PhD and career in academic research in the future. Outside the lab, Hari enjoys playing jazz trumpet, Classical Indian music, and playing tennis. 

Stephanie Hallerman earned her B.S. in Biology with a concentration in Neuroscience from the Commonwealth Honors College at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. As an undergraduate researcher, she completed an Honors Thesis investigating the electrofusion of lung adenocarcinoma cells, where she developed novel systems to enable the fusion of adherent cell populations. Stephanie’s passion for understanding the cellular mechanisms of human health and disease drove her to UCSF, where she works under Dr. Lane-Donovan in the Department of Neurology.

Sam is currently a 3rd year UC Berkeley undergraduate student with an interested in pursuing an MD. She is studying Molecular & Cellular Biology with an emphasis on Medical Human Biology. Her interest in gaining a stronger research background along with learning more about neurodegenerative diseases led her to UCSF, volunteering under Dr. Lane-Donovan in various research projects!

Jasmine is a 3rd undergraduate student at UC Berkeley in Bioengineering. She will be starting her PhD studies at Indiana University School of Medicine for Immunology in the fall. Fun fact: Jasmine is from Minnesota!

Emily earned her B.S. in Biology in 2025 at the University of San Francisco. There she briefly worked in an organic chemistry lab synthesizing a library of inhibitors for staphylococcus aureus before transitioning to become an undergraduate intern for Dr. Lane-Donovan. At UCSF, she learned the basics of IHC and microscopy in order quantify the fluctuation of cathepsin protease levels in different brain regions with age. After graduating, she joined the Kao Lab as an SRA and is working with Dr.

Courtney Lane-Donovan, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist dedicated to improving the understanding and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and frontotemporal dementia. As an assistant professor in the Edward and Pearl Fein Memory and Aging Center within the Department of Neurology at UCSF and a Weill Neurohubexternal site (opens in a new window) Investigator, she combines her clinical care for patients with cognitive impairment and dementia with cutting-edge research focused on the biology of aging brain cells.

Andrew earned his B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles. There he studied sex differences and pathological interventions for Multiple Sclerosis in the MacKenzie-Graham lab, first as an undergraduate volunteer and later as a full-time staff researcher collaborating with the Voskuhl and Waschek Labs. His background and interest in neurodegenerative disease led him to UCSF, where he works with Dr. Lane-Donovan to investigate lysosomal dysfunctions in aging and associated neurodegenerative contexts using relevant murine and in vitro models.