Team

Suzanne Chen (Principal Investigator) Suzanne is an assistant professor at the Department of Biology at New York University. Before joining NYU, Suzanne was a research associate at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, working in the Christine Mayr lab. She earned her Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from ETH Zurich in April 2018, advised by Prof. Dr. Yves Barral. Gapped by one year of industrial research experience at the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, she earned her M.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the National Institute of Biological Sciences in 2010. Besides work, Suzanne continues her experiments in her kitchen and enjoys cycling around NYC.

Alyssa Ramsay (PhD student) Alyssa is a PhD student at NYU Biology. Before joining NYU, she was a clinical research coordinator for cardiac surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital for 3 years before returning to the bench as a research assistant in the Birnbaum Lab at NYU. She earned her Bachelors degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Skidmore College in 2021. When not in lab, Alyssa is probably swimming, sewing, or traveling.

Paloma Maldonado (PhD student) Paloma is a Ph.D student at NYU Biology. Before coming to New York, they were a Research Assistant at The Salk Institute, La Jolla. Paloma earned their Bachelor’s degree at UC San Diego and CEU San Pablo, Madrid. When Paloma is not in the lab they are probably kicking a ball around in a random patch of grass in the city.

Ivy Ratchford (Junior Research Associate) Ivy is a Junior Research Associate at NYU Biology with the Chen, Gibbs, and Smith labs. Before moving to New York, she was a research assistant at the University of Chicago, where she earned bachelors in Biology, Chemistry, and Biochemistry. She earned her Masters from the Experimental Humanities (XE) department at NYU in 2026 before returning to the lab. When not in lab, look for Ivy in the mountains, on her bike, and in the library.

Elise Dunshee (Postdoctoral Associate) Elise is a postdoctoral associate at NYU Biology. Prior to joining NYU, she earned her PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics from the University of Minnesota in May 2026, advised by Dr. Aaron Goldstrohm. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry at SUNY Binghamton in 2019. Outside of lab, Elise enjoys running, hiking adventures, and trying to keep her houseplants alive.

Lucas Lyu (Undergraduate Student) Lucas is a senior undergraduate student at NYU pursuing a B.A. in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Psychology. Before joining the Chen Lab, he conducted research in the Vogel Lab, where he developed a strong interest in RNA biology and gene regulation. When Lucas is not in the lab, he enjoys spending time with his dog, as well as skiing and photography.