Lea Grinberg, M.D., Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Dr. Grinberg is a neuropathologist and neuroscientist whose research focuses on the early mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. She leads the Neurodegeneration and Sleep Pathology Lab at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, which studies early subcortical changes, sleep dysfunction and biomarker validation across diverse populations. Her research team investigates selective neuronal vulnerability, sleep-wake regulation and subcortical pathology using advanced histology, neuroimaging and multi-omics approaches.
Dr. Grinberg is passionate about improving diagnostic accuracy and contributes to translational research that informs global health strategies. Before joining Mayo Clinic, she held academic and research appointments at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where she advanced work in neuropathology and neurodegeneration and contributed to international collaborations in brain disease research and education. She is the recipient of an NIH K24 award, supporting her commitment to mentoring early-career investigators and fostering interdisciplinary research in neurodegenerative disease. Dr. Grinberg is internationally recognized for her efforts to refine diagnostic criteria and improve biomarker validation.
Abhijit Satpati, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Since 2025, Dr. Satpati has been a research scientist in Dr. Grinberg's team at Mayo Clinic, integrating quantitative neuropathology, spatial multi-omics and clinical sleep data to define p-tau–associated molecular changes in vulnerable neuronal populations. His long-term goal is to advance precision therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Satpati earned his doctoral degree from Bangalore University, India, studying muscarinic acetylcholine signaling and age-related cognitive decline. Motivated by a strong interest in neuroimmune or neuroglial interactions, he completed a postdoctoral training at the University of North Dakota where he investigated infection-driven cortical inflammation in humanized HLA-II mouse models. In 2021, he joined Dr. Grinberg's lab at UCSF, where he examined selective vulnerability of sleep-wake regulatory neurons across Alzheimer's disease progression.
Outside the lab, Dr. Satpati enjoys philosophy, photography and cooking.
Gowoon Son, Ph.D.
Principal Research Technologist
Dr. Son is an early-career neuroscientist whose research focuses on selective neuronal vulnerability and human neuropathology in Alzheimer's disease variants and related tauopathies, with particular attention to their role in sleep and circadian rhythms dysfunction. She investigates the mechanisms underlying disease pathogenesis and heterogeneity, with the long-term goal of advancing precision and personalized therapeutic strategies.
Dr. Son earned a doctoral degree in brain and cognitive sciences (now called brain sciences) from the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology in Korea and a second doctorate in neurosurgery from Maastricht University in the Netherlands. She joined Dr. Grinberg's lab at UCSF as a postdoctoral researcher in 2021, where she established spatial proteomics and transcriptomics workflows to study the human postmortem hypothalamus and brainstem nuclei.
Dr. Son enjoys starting mornings with kouign-amann and a cappuccino — or a pour over with freshly ground light-roast beans — and high-intensity interval training workouts.
Liara Rizzi, Ph.D., M.S.
Senior Research Technologist
Dr. Rizzi's research centers on the discovery and validation of biomarkers for neurodegenerative disorders, with a particular focus on Alzheimer's disease. She is focused on advancing translational approaches for early detection and characterization of neurodegenerative diseases.
Dr. Rizzi holds a doctorate and a master's degree in medical sciences, both obtained in Brazil. After completing her doctoral studies, she pursued a postdoctoral fellowship in neurology at Unicamp, in São Paulo. She joined Dr. Grinberg's team at UCSF as a postdoctoral researcher. In 2025, she advanced to the role of senior research technologist in the Neurodegeneration and Sleep Pathology Lab at Mayo Clinic.
She has extensive expertise in protein analysis and assay development, including immunoenzymatic and chemiluminescent techniques. In addition, Dr. Rizzi has broad experience in designing, managing and executing both clinical and biological research projects. Her scholarly contributions bridge multiple disciplines, including neuroscience and neuropathology.
Jasmine R. Anderson, M.S.
Senior Research Technologist
Jasmine supports the Neurodegeneration and Sleep Pathology Lab's neuropathology research by overseeing day-to-day laboratory operations, managing regulatory compliance and coordinating multidisciplinary projects that advance understanding of neurodegenerative disease. She is especially interested in optimizing laboratory workflows to improve research efficiency, strengthen data integrity and build sustainable systems that foster collaboration across teams. Beyond her technical contributions, she is passionate about mentoring emerging scientists and promoting diversity of thought in scientific research.
Jasmine brings extensive experience in microbiology, molecular biology and laboratory management to the Grinberg Lab. She earned her Master of Science in biology from the University of North Florida, where her thesis research investigated Klebsiella pneumoniae antibiotic resistance mechanisms and contributed to a published genome study. She went on to lead projects in genomic sequencing, biodetection, and quality assurance within public health and federal laboratory programs, where she frequently served in leadership roles overseeing staff training, laboratory transitions and quality audits. Her background combines rigorous bench science with systems-level oversight, giving her a unique perspective on how research environments can be structured for both innovation and reproducibility.
Outside the lab, Jasmine enjoys exploring creative approaches to science communication, attending live music events and visiting theme parks where she can combine her love of adventure with her curiosity about how people experience stories and spaces.
Kira Dewi
Senior Research Technologist
Kira is certified as a histotechnologist (HTL and QIHC-ASCP) and licensed as a clinical laboratory technologist in the state of Florida. Her work has focused on advanced histology, immunohistochemistry and digital pathology, with contributions to research and clinical trials involving minimal residual disease. Her career goal is to continue advancing histopathology — particularly in neurodegenerative disease — through translational research and technology-driven solutions.
Kira graduated from Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor of Science and has over a decade of experience working as a histotechnologist in both clinical and research settings. When she's not working, she enjoys going to the beach, hiking and doing landscape photography.
Ana Moreno Arnas
Special Project Associate II
Ana has always been drawn to research in neurodegenerative diseases and has shaped her training to deepen her understanding of the field. Her research experience spans several laboratories studying Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies, as well as spinal muscular atrophy.
After developing expertise with two vastly different animal models, Caenorhabditis elegans and mice, Ana is now expanding her skills in Dr. Grinberg's lab by learning to work with human brain tissue, which requires distinct strategies and approaches. In this role, she is gaining hands-on experience with both wet and dry lab techniques.
Ana earned her Master of Science in advanced therapies in biomedicine and her Bachelor of Science in biomedicine, along with an expert title in entrepreneurship and innovation, from Universidad Francisco de Vitoria in Madrid, Spain. Beyond her work in the lab, she loves traveling and fitness. She channels her creativity through flamenco and classical Spanish dance, painting, and attending live concerts whenever she can.
Felipe L. Pereira, Ph.D.
Senior Data Science Analyst
Dr. Pereira is a bioinformatician and computer scientist with a strong background in computational biology, artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud infrastructure. He advances the understanding of neurodegenerative disorders by developing and deploying AI-driven tools to analyze multimodal data across diverse omics and imaging modalities — including MRI, immunohistochemistry, genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics. He collaborates closely with wet lab scientists and contributes to multiple publications and translational projects.
Dr. Pereira also leads infrastructure design for the lab's brain bank modernization project, building scalable cloud-based pipelines and machine learning solutions to enhance data accessibility and institutional knowledge across Mayo Clinic's extensive brain tissue archives.
Dr. Pereira earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of the Valley of Itajaí, followed by master's and doctoral degrees in bioinformatics from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, both in Brazil. During his postdoctoral studies, he served as the lead bioinformatician for Brazil's National Reference Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases and later held a faculty position at the Federal Institute of Santa Catarina. Before coming to Mayo Clinic, he contributed to Alzheimer's disease research at the UCSF Edward and Pearl Fein Memory and Aging Center, focusing on the selective vulnerability of neuronal cells in Alzheimer's disease progression. His career reflects a deep commitment to applying data science to complex biological questions.
Jonathan Chen
Associate Data Science Analyst
Jonathan aims to provide more accurate and efficient clinical diagnoses for patients. To accomplish this, he combines computer vision methods and histopathology in postmortem brain tissue to study diagnostic tools, such as tau PET and QSM-MRI, for various dementias. He also collaborates with colleagues to modernize human brain tissue storage at Mayo Clinic through pathology digitalization and AI-assisted classification, which accelerates scientific discovery in dementia mechanism and treatment. He plans to attend medical school to establish a career in scientific research and medicine with a focus on neurology.
Jonathan graduated from University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in cellular and molecular biology. He began his research career in Dr. Grinberg's lab at UCSF, focusing on using AI in neuroimaging and digital pathology for dementia research under the mentorship of Dr. Grinberg and Dr. Maryana Allegro. In his free time, he enjoys watching movies and shows, playing the drums, drinking coffee, and running.
Lucile H. Zhu
Statistical Programmer
Lucile drives computational efforts in the Grinberg Lab's brain bank modernization initiative, where she develops and implements scalable pipelines to improve data accessibility for research and educational use. She also has worked extensively to refine the lab's protocol for histological validation of novel imaging modalities that enable early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
Lucile earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in bioengineering and electrical engineering and computer sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. She joined Dr. Grinberg's lab at UCSF in 2022 and relocated with the team to Mayo Clinic in 2025. Through her research, Lucile has gained extensive experience in the development of data analysis and generation protocols as well as the automation of computational processing pipelines. Her interdisciplinary background allows her to bridge experimental and computational approaches in neuropathological research, with a particular interest in reproducible workflows and high-throughput data processing.
Samantha D. Preffer
Education Intern
Samantha Preffer is an intern in the Grinberg Lab at Mayo Clinic through the Undergraduate Biomedical Research Internship (U-BRI) program. Through this internship, she is expanding her knowledge of neurodegenerative diseases, with a focus on Alzheimer's disease. She is gaining hands-on research skills and a deeper understanding of how laboratory work informs clinical advances.
Samantha earned a bachelor's degree in biomedical sciences from the University of North Florida. Looking ahead, she plans to attend medical school and pursue a career in internal medicine, where she hopes to combine her research background with patient care. She is passionate about bridging science and medicine to improve health outcomes. In her free time, she enjoys reading, weightlifting and going to the beach.