Staff and Trainees

Maria Fasolino, Ph.D., is the Program Director for ASPE. She obtained her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania under the mentorship of Zhaolan (Joe) Zhou, Ph.D., where she studied the molecular consequences of patient-associated mutations in MECP2 that cause Rett Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder with autistic-like features. Maria continued her training as a postdoc in the laboratory of Golnaz Vahedi, Ph.D., at the University of Pennsylvania, where she investigated the etiology and pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes, a complex autoimmune disease. Prior to joining ASPE, Maria was a preclinical and clinical product manager for a neuromodulation device company. Maria applies her training and experience to coordinate the various aspects of ASPE to ensure that program objectives are met.

Emily Colón, M.A., is the Communications and Outreach Specialist for the Autism Spectrum Program of Excellence (ASPE). With an M.A. in Writing and a B.A. in Psychology, Emily merges her diverse educational background and extensive outreach experience to formulate multimedia content related to the ASPE Study’s participant recruitment and external communications. She is particularly motivated to provide accessible information for marginalized groups within the broader autism community, liaising with various community organizations to develop stronger supports. As an undergraduate, Emily studied pre and post-pandemic mental distress in college students, with a focus on traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression with Dr. Eve Sledjeski.

Giulietta Flaherty, PsyD, is a member of the Brodkin Lab. Giulietta received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from The College of New Jersey, and her doctorate in School Psychology from Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. Giulietta has a passion for supporting adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities and has over eight years of experience working with this community academic, vocational, and residential settings. Giulietta’s current research focuses on TUNE In, a cognitive behavioral and mindfulness-based program that teaches autistic adults how to use skills of attunement to navigate social interactions.

Megan Fok, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral researcher for the Brodkin Lab at ASPE. She received her Ph.D. in psychology from Virginia Tech and has over a decade of experience in autism research. Her research interests include promoting social-emotional well-being for autistic individuals across the lifespan and utilizing methods of psychophysiology to explore underlying correlates of function. She is also trained as a clinical psychologist with expertise in conducting lifespan neurodevelopmental assessments and treating adult psychopathology. Dr. Fok’s current role at ASPE is to supervise clinical trials (e.g., TUNE In) for autistic adults.

Joanna Medina, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral fellow working with Dr. Zhaolan (Joe) Zhou to investigate the genetic underpinnings of ASD. She received her Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University at Albany, where she studied the interactions of stress and neuroendocrine-immune mechanisms underlying postpartum depression in a rat model. In the Zhou lab, Joanna is investigating the effects of Neurexin mutations on ASD-relevant behavioral phenotypes and their potential reversibility in mouse models.

Alekh Paranjapye, Ph.D., received his B.S. in microbiology with a minor in philosophy from the University of Washington. He then worked at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle as a research assistant before going on to receive his Ph.D. in Genetics and Genome Sciences from Case Western Reserve University under the mentorship of Dr. Ann Harris. There, he applied both bench and computational techniques to study chromatin dynamics and gene regulation in human lung epithelial cells, with additional focus placed on the epigenetics of cystic fibrosis.

Ellie Tarlow, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. Tom Jongens at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Washington University in St. Louis and subsequently obtained her PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. For the past decade, Ellie has been studying the influence of metabolism and mitochondrial function on behavior and cognition in genetic models of ASD.

Katelyn Titus, PhD is a postdoctoral researcher with the Autism Spectrum Program of Excellence (ASPE). Their research explores how genetic variation influences gene regulation in the brain and how these processes contribute to the diversity of neurodevelopmental outcomes seen in autism. Katelyn completed their PhD in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, where they studied chromatin architecture and gene regulation using large-scale genomic datasets, with work published in leading journals in genomics and neuroscience. At ASPE, they focus on integrating genomic data with clinical insight to better understand the biological pathways that shape neurodevelopment in autism.

Isabelle Cullen graduated from the University of Oregon Honors College in 2022 with a B.S. in Neuroscience. Her previous research was under the guidance of Dr. Matthew Smear and examined altered olfactomotor behaviors using SHANK3 mice as a model of autism. Now as a graduate student in the Brodkin Lab, she is studying how odors may modulate the autonomic nervous system using behavioral assays and EEG in autistic adults. Outside of lab, Isabelle is involved in volunteering with the Eagles Autism Foundation, NGG’s Graduate Lead Initiatives and Activities (GLIA), and training her own service dog, Theo.

Jamie Galanaugh was born and raised in Philadelphia and attended undergrad here at Penn from 2016-2020. They obtained their BA in the Biological Basis of Behavior in the College of Arts & Sciences and are now working toward a PhD in Neuroscience in the School of Medicine. While in undergrad, Jamie trained in cellular and molecular methods at the bench and computational and clinical methods in the classroom. Now as a graduate student in the Fuccillo Lab, Jamie combines behavioral and electrophysiological techniques in the mouse to answer questions of neurodevelopment, both normal and abnormal, in a translationally relevant manner.

Rili Ahmad received her B.S. in Biology and B.A. in Psychology from George Washington University, and worked with Dr. Hu on molecular mechanism of Atherosclerosis. She then worked in the Laboratory of Neurogenetics at NIA/NIH to study the effects of mutations associated with Parkinson’s disease on protein function. From there she went on to the University of Miami where she studied snRNA biomarkers for early detection of Parkinson’s disease. In the Korb lab she serves as lab manager and does research on chromatin mutations that affect autism. On her free time, Rili has a passion for community service and is an active member of the UPENN community outreach program PENN CARES. She loves to read, hike and has a general love for the outdoors.

Arpita Ghorai, M.Tech., is a Data Analyst for the ASPE study. She completed her Bachelors in Biotechnology and Masters in Bioinformatics in India. Under the supervision of Drs. Bucan and Almasy, she is involved in the analysis of sleep-related traits, heritability estimates and also in the application of several pipelines for the analysis of Whole Genome Sequence.

Saurabh Pandey, PhD, is a Research Associate in the Autism Spectrum Program of Excellence (ASPE), where he conducts research in Dr. Marc Fuccillo’s laboratory. He earned his PhD from IISER Mohali, India, in Dr. Samarjit’s laboratory, where he investigated the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating metabotropic glutamate receptor trafficking. He then completed postdoctoral training in Dr. Wei Lu’s lab at NINDS/NIH, studying how chronic stress alters neural function and contributes to stress- and anxiety-related disorders. His current research focuses on identifying synaptic and neural circuit dysfunctions that underlie social and repetitive behaviors in autism spectrum disorder.

Michele Perni, PhD, is a Scientist in the Autism Spectrum Program of Excellence (ASPE). He earned his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge (UK), where he trained with the late Prof. Sir C. M. Dobson and studied protein misfolding and aggregation in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. He subsequently worked in biotech in the UK and US as a Team Leader and Director of R&D, focusing on drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases. Across these roles, he helped advance key programs from proof of concept through IND-enabling studies and supported pharma partnering. At ASPE, he applies this translational experience to help advance the preclinical pipeline toward clinical trials and build collaborations with private-sector partners.

William Smisko graduated from SUNY Binghamton in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavioral Science. His previous work includes forest ecology, migratory bird research, and biogeochemistry. In the lab Will is part of the Autism Spectrum Program for Excellence (ASPE) looking at several human orthologs in C. elegans, and their response to FDA approved drugs. Outside of the lab you can find Will birding, taking pictures of the night sky, or cooking.

Holly C. Dow, B.S., is a Research Specialist and Laboratory Manager at the University of Pennsylvania. She has 17 years of research experience working for Dr. Brodkin. Holly’s work has focused on the neurobiology of social behaviors in mouse models related to ASD. Currently, she has completed training as a Clinical Research Coordinator and has been working as part of the ASPE Study Recruitment Team.

Ruchi Garuda is a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Brodkin Lab . She graduated from the University of Michigan with a BS in Biopsychology, Cognition and Neuroscience have previously worked on genomic sequencing and brain imaging studies on ASD. Ruchi currently works on understanding the genetic correlations with ASD and Neurexin and understanding altered physical activity and sleep quality levels among these adults. She eventually hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology and work with children with autism. In her free time, she loves working on puzzles and watching a good TV show.

Thomas Martin Sophocles is a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Brodkin Lab who received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of Michigan. He is passionate about understanding the breadth of autism phenotypes across various identities, with a specific interest in phenotypic differences amongst men, women, and non-binary people. His current focuses in the lab are TUNE In and ASPE Recruitment. In his spare time, he loves to play piano and care for his plants.