Liz was the first member of the lab and was hired on as a Junior Specialist. She grew up in the Bay Area and attended Humboldt State University where she received her B.S. in Kinesiology. After graduation her interests expanded past the musculoskeletal system and into neurodegenerative disease, stem cell biology and later immunology. Her interests lead her acceptance into an internship sponsored by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) in the lab of Dr. Charles Chan at Stanford’s School of Medicine where she analyzed skeletal stem cell (SSC) diversity and intervertebral disc regeneration of the spine. Proceeding her internship, she began work in the lab of Dr. Ricardo-Gonzalez and uses several multi omics approaches, cell culture, microscopy and mouse models to study the mechanisms eliciting a divergence from a physiologic to pathologic response in the skin. Outside of the lab, Liz enjoys taking Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, cooking, and exploring the hidden gems of SF.