Paolo Cifani
Ph.D., Lund University, 2013
After graduating in Biotechnology from Padua University (Italy), Paolo trained in Lund (Sweden) with Peter James, a pioneer of mass spectrometry proteomics. He then moved to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for his postdoctoral training and worked in the group of cancer biologist and pediatric oncologist Alex Kentsis.
Maria Antonelli
Ph.D., University of Virginia, 2022
Maria joined the Cifani lab in 2023. She earned her PhD in Chemistry in the Hunt Laboratory at the University of Virginia in 2022, then spent a year in the Proteomics Resource Laboratory at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Maria grew up in Queens, NY, but has since moved to Suffolk County, Long Island. She is constantly traveling to visit family members all over the East Coast. When she is not traveling, she is reading, hiking, or running outside.
Francesca Minicozzi
B.S. Biology & Writing, 2021
Loyola University Maryland
Francesca joined the Cifani lab after completing her interdisciplinary degree in biology and writing from Loyola. Although she went to college in Baltimore, she is a native of Huntington. She is the go-to expert for all things Huntington – food, beaches, shopping – you name it. When she’s not growing cells in the tissue culture room, or running an in-gel trypsin digestion, Francesca is often travelling to new destinations. Her most recent trip included learning to ski in the Swiss Alps.
Ava Sann
B.S. Chemistry, 2023
Wake Forest University
Ava joined the Cifani lab in 2023 after completing her degree in chemistry from Wake Forest. Ava is from Port Washington, NY and spends her free time running, playing soccer, and listening to music. Throughout college, she enjoyed exploring the mountains in North Carolina and has recently started hiking back home on Long Island.
Lisa Kimoto
B.A. Sociology, Stony Brook University, 1992
Lisa joined the Cifani lab in 2024 but has been working at Cold Spring Harbor lab since 2016. She supports 3 other Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory with administrative tasks as well as handling the weekly calendar of events for the lab. Lisa was born and raised on Long Island and enjoys pickleball, hiking, gardening, and playing Mah Jongg.