Lab Members

Paul Linesch, PhD, is a neuroscientist with expertise in developmental biology and stem cell research. He earned his doctorate from Cedars-Sinai, where his dissertation focused on engineering inducible gene expression systems to direct stem cell differentiation. His postdoctoral research continues to explore central nervous system development and regeneration. Paul has deep expertise in microscopy and automated fluid handling systems. He is working with the Sharma and Svendsen labs to support our space bioscience research efforts.

Madelyn (Maddie) Arzt earned her bachelor's in biochemistry from Pitzer College. She joined the Sharma Lab in October 2021. In addition to being the Sharma Lab manager, her role has focused on performing toxicity analyses on iPSC-derived cardiovascular tissues (2D and 3D) to understand the mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity. Maddie is the co-manager of the Cedars-Sinai Organoid and Organ-Chip Shared Resource Laboratory. She also supports the Sharma Lab's space research program and has deep experience in developing and executing space biosciences projects.

Maedeh Mozneb earned her PhD in biomedical engineering from Florida International University, where she studied the application of plasmonic-based optical sensors in cardiomyocyte electrophysiology. Maedeh joined the Sharma Lab in August 2022. She is working on cardiac organ-chip systems and exploring the effects of spaceflight on stem cell biology and biomanufacturing. She is the associate director of the Center for Space Medicine Research at Cedars-Sinai and has significant expertise in developing, managing and executing space biosciences projects.

Maria (Gaby) Otero, PhD, is a stem cell biologist and neuroscientist specializing in modeling neurodegenerative diseases using hiPSC-derived organoids and organ-chip models. She co-manages the Organoid and Organ-Chip Shared Resource Laboratory with the Sharma lab, organizes the annual Organoids and Organ-Chips Symposium at Cedars-Sinai and supports space biosciences research and biomanufacturing efforts.

Sean Escopete earned his bachelor of science in biology from California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). As a PhD student in the Biomedical Sciences PhD Program, Sean is studying the mechanisms of congenital heart disease using hiPSC-derived cardiac organoids. He is a CIRM Scholars fellow.

Jemima Moses was previously a CIRM BRIDGES scholar in the Sharma Lab and a master's student studying biotechnology and bioinformatics at California State University, Channel Islands (CSUCI). Jemima is investigating chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity using iPSCs. She also contributes to the lab's various organoid and space biosciences efforts.

Jasmine Gupta earned her BS in bioengineering from UC Berkeley and MS in biomedical engineering from Brown University. She joined the Sharma Lab in January 2026, where she has focused on developing hiPSC-derived organs-on-a-chip and other bioengineering technologies to support the lab's various spaceflight projects.

Lauren Wiegand is a research associate in the Sharma Lab focusing on drug cardiotoxicity and space biosciences. She previously served as a research intern in the Sharma Lab, majoring in biology at UCLA. She is a pre-medical trainee interested in space medicine and cardiovascular medicine.

Arati graduated with her bachelor's in biomedical engineering from the University of Buffalo. She then moved to L.A. to pursue her master's in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine at the University of Southern California (USC). She received her PhD in biomedical and translational sciences at Cedars-Sinai in the Jefferies Lab, where her dissertation project explored the interplay between heart disease and immunometabolism. In the Sharma Lab, her work focuses on using cardiac organoids for predictive modeling of drug cardiotoxicity. She is a CIRM Scholars fellow.