Hao Li, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator

Hao was born and raised in Beijing, China. He completed his Ph.D. at the Medical University of South Carolina and postdoctoral training at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

In his spare time, Hao enjoys playing soccer, watching animes, and spending time with his cats, Huey and Emi.

Valentina Olivera-Pasilio, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow

Valentina was born and raised in Montevideo, Uruguay. She completed her Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at Rosalind Franklin University.

She enjoys being at home watching movies with her cat, Star, and she also likes to go for long walks on the beach. Right now she is trying to improve her cooking skills and learning how to bake.

Callista Polasek, B.S.
Research Assistant

Callista received her B.S. in neuroscience with a minor in psychology research methods from DePaul University.

Outside of the lab, Callista enjoys cooking, baking, skating, the lake, and she is learning to crochet. She has a sweet dog, Renny, who she is always happy to talk about.

Wanyi Guo, M.A.
Research Assistant

Wanyi received her B.S. in neuroscience from UCLA and her M.A. in cognitive science from Johns Hopkins University.

In her own time, Wanyi enjoys watching movies, taking care of her houseplants, and film photography. Doudou has been friend of Wanyi for 13 years, although he’s currently living with her parents.

Lab Friends:
Emi & Huey
Star
Renny
Doudou