Angel Brianna Martinez, originally from San Diego, California, is an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley studying Molecular and Cell Biology. She joined the Liu Lab in Summer 2024 through the Summer Program for Underrepresented Students (SPURS), where she was mentored by Richard Pan. Her project focused on the optimization of DNA demethylation tools for downstream therapeutic application in neurodevelopmental disorders. Her research interests lie in neurodevelopmental disorders, glial cell biology, and evolutionary neuroscience. She intends to pursue a Ph.D. or M.D.-Ph.D. to further explore these areas.

 

Aside from pipetting in the lab, Brianna enjoys biking outdoors, playing Pokémon Go! with her family, and talking about how much she loves California’s diverse landscapes and culture (as well as being from there!).

 

Research Experience

 

2024 Summer Program for Underrepresented Students (SPURS), Liu Lab, Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Optimizing CRISPR-Based Tools to Alter Methylation Levels in Mammalian Cell DNA

 

2023 STEM Excellence Through Equity & Diversity (SEED) Scholar Research Experience, Gomez Lab, University of California, Berkeley

Exploring the Role of Psychedelics in inducing Medial Prefrontal Cortex (mPFC) Neuron Plasticity

 

2022–Present Undergraduate Research Internship (URI), Barreto Chang Lab, University of California, San Francisco

Cerebral Oxygenation During Spine Surgery: How to Identify Intraoperative Changes & Implications