TEAM ENCALADA

Sandra E Encalada, PhD

Principal Investigator
Arlene and Arnold Goldstein Associate Professor
encalada [at] scripps [dot] edu

Sandra is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine and an Investigator of the Dorris Neuroscience Center, and of the Neurodegeneration New Medicines Center at Scripps Research. She received her International Baccalaureate (I.B.) degree from the United World College - USA, and her B. A. from Earlham College in Physics with a minor in Biology. Sandra obtained her PhD in Molecular Genetics from the University of Oregon, where she studied under the mentorship of Bruce Bowerman. She was a Damon Runyon Postdoctoral Fellow at UC San Diego in the laboratory or Larry S. B. Goldstein where she characterized the mechanisms of transport of the prion protein. She is the recipient of The Glenn Foundation Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging, The Baxter Foundation Young Faculty Award, and The Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholar in Aging Award. Outside of the lab, she enjoys swimming in the ocean, playing the piano, and picking bugs with her daughter.

Delany Rodriguez Lara, PhD

Staff Scientist/ Lab Manager
derodriguez [at] scripps [dot] edu

Delany F. Rodriguez, Ph.D., is a staff scientist and lab manager specializing in molecular and cellular biology, with a focus on prion disease, aging, vascular biology, and developmental biology.
Delany's academic journey began at the National Autonomous University of Morelos in Mexico, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology with honors. He furthered his education at New Mexico State University, obtaining a Master's in Molecular Biology, with his research focusing on the role of ion channels in sperm physiology. He then pursued his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology at New Mexico State University, with research centered on the spatial regulation of cytokinesis in sea urchin embryos. Throughout his career, Delany held key research positions, including a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Santa Barbara, supported by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). Notably, his work in the De Tomaso lab significantly advanced the understanding of germ cell development, vasculature dynamics, and aging in the ascidian Botryllus schlosseri. He then studied epigenetic changes and their effect on biological age in both mice and humans at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute.
Currently, Delany is actively engaged in groundbreaking research, employing super-resolution microscopy to investigate the role of Prion proteins in disease. His work aims to unravel the intricate details of disease mechanisms at the molecular level, further enhancing our understanding of these complex processes. Outside of the lab, he loves surfing, snowboarding, hiking, and traveling around the world.

Yin Wu, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate
yinwu [at] scripps [dot] edu

Yin is a graduate student in the Scripps Doctoral Program in Chemical and Biological Sciences. She completed her B.S. in Life Sciences at University of Science and Technology of China in the Special Class for the Gifted Young. For her Ph.D. research, she works in the lab of Sandra Encalada to study the mechanisms of tau aggregation in axons of mammalian neurons. In her spare time, she likes doing exercise, reading suspense novels and doing sudoku (the failure of which often results in tears).

Jaycee Baker Saunders

Molecular and Cellular Department Manager
Laboratory Administrative Coordinator for Encalada Lab

jbakersa [at] scripps [dot] edu

Jaycee is the Director of Research Administrative Services at Scripps Research. With a background in accounting and office management, she started at Scripps Research in 2007 in the Molecular and Experimental Medicine department, supporting Dr. Frank Chisari and four junior faculty who researched liver diseases, primarily around Hepatitis B and C. Over the years she continued to rise through the ranks, supporting multiple labs and departments and was promoted to Director in 2023. While leading a team of over 60 Laboratory Administrative Coordinators she is currently the Department Manager for the Molecular and Cellular Biology Department and helping to support the Encalada lab.

Corinna Braun, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate
cbraun [at] scripps [dot] edu

Corinna is a postdoctoral associate specialized in molecular and cellular biology. She earned her B.Sc. in Molecular Mycology and both her M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biology from Heinrich-Heine-University in Germany. Her research focused on the molecular interactions between obligate intracellular bacteria and host cells, particularly examining how chlamydial proteins influence cytoskeletal dynamics and establish their intracellular niche during infection. Corinna employed advanced imaging techniques, including super-resolution structured illumination microscopy and correlated light/electron microscopy, alongside deep-learning software for imaging and data analysis. Currently, in the Encalada lab, she is keen to apply these microscopy techniques to study prion disease in mammalian primary neurons. Outside the lab, she enjoys baking, traveling, gardening, and spending time with family and friends.

Dikshaa Padhi is a Postdoctoral Fellow. She investigates the mechanisms of neurodegeneration in prion diseases and related proteinopathies. She completed her Integrated BS-MS in Chemical Sciences and earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Biology at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru, India. Her doctoral research focused on developing multifunctional small molecules to mitigate amyloid toxicity and ferroptosis, and on uncovering how underexplored post-translational modifications drive liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and aggregation of tau and Aβ in Alzheimer’s disease. Driven by a deep interest in the molecular basis of neurodegeneration, she is currently expanding her expertise to the biochemical and in vivo characterization of LLPS and aggregation of mutant prion proteins, and the therapeutic targeting of condensates in mammalian neurons and in mice. Beyond the lab, she enjoys acrylic painting, exploring libraries steeped in history, travelling and conversations with her parents.

Postdoctoral Fellow

dpadhi [at] scripps [dot] edu

Dikshaa Padhi, PhD

Faustus Tuschmann

Graduate Student
FTuschmann [at] scripps [dot] edu

Faustus is a visiting graduate student from Heidelberg University, joining our lab as part of his research focus in biomedically oriented molecular and cellular biology. Originally from the Münsterland region in Germany, he moved to Heidelberg to complete his B.Sc. in Biosciences and is now pursuing a consecutive M.Sc. in Molecular Biosciences. During his five-month stay in our lab, Faustus will work on biologically validating optimized lead-like analogs of promising drug candidates for the treatment of prion diseases and Alzheimer’s disease. Beyond his research activities, he enjoys going to the gym, running, and discovering new coffee shops, bars, and restaurants with friends.

Postdoctoral Associate
LDecoster [at] scripps [dot] edu

Laurine is a postdoctoral associate with expertise in cellular biology, neurophysiology, and in vivo experimental approaches. She earned her B.Sc. in Cellular and Physiological Biology, followed by an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Lille, France. Her doctoral research focused on the neural circuits underlying neuroendocrine responses and innate behaviors in mice, particularly investigating the role of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons in the olfactory networks.

Laurine has developed strong technical skills in advanced in vivo neuroscience methods, including chemogenetics, optogenetics, brain tissue clearing, 3D imaging, behavioral assays, and cellular analyses. Currently working in the Encalada Lab at The Scripps Research Institute, she is applying her expertise to study prion diseases in transgenic mouse models. Outside the lab, Laurine enjoys traveling and outdoor activities such as hiking, running, and surfing.

Laurine Decoster, PhD

Prof. Encalada's CV

ALUMNI

Graduate Students:
Tai Chaiamarit, PhD - Principal Investigator Mahidol University
George Campbell, PhD - Sr. Researcher at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Miguel Alves Ferreira, PhD - Clinical Scientist and Invited Auxiliary Professor at School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS), University of Porto.

Postdoctoral Fellows:
Mariana Do Amaral, PhD.
Adriaan Verhelle, PhD, Business Development Manager at OHMX.bio
Nandini Shukla, PhD, postdoctoral researcher UCSD
Adeola Adeyemo, PhD, Technical Support Scientist at Advanced Cell
Diagnostics
Romain Chassefeyre, PhD - Project/Team Leader at Evotec, France
Sylvia Neumann, PhD - Project Scientist and Lab Manager, UCLA
Erin Greiner, PhD - Territory Account Manager, Illumina, San Diego

Assistants:
Nirvan Rouzbeh, Doctoral Graduate Student, University of Montana
Diana Gonzales, Research Assistant at DKFZ German Cancer Research Center
Jesse Holt
Andrew Huang
Cynthia Cho
Leena McCann, Senior Scientist at Cepheid

Undergraduate Students:
Desi Martin
Phil Frankino
Krystal Lawrence