Lab Members

Prasant received his doctorate in biotechnology from Nirma University, India, focusing on probiotic Lactobacillus and gut microbiota effects in sugar-induced obese rat models. In his UC Davis postdoc, he explored Bifidobacterium infantis and prebiotic milk-oligosaccharide impacts on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and liver cancer. Jena investigates the gut-liver and gut-brain axis, revealing Western diet dysregulation causing inflammation cascades—bile acid synthesis, intestinal dysbiosis, hepatic inflammation, neuroinflammation, reduced synaptic plasticity, and psoriasis. Since September 2019, he collaborates on host-microbe interactions and bacteria-derived metabolites in murine Kawasaki disease at Noval Rivas Lab and Arditi Lab.

Asli earned her BSc and PhD from Bilkent University, researching genetic mutations in steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome. She holds an MS from Maastricht University, focusing on hippocampal plasticity in rats. As a visiting graduate student at Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute (2018-2022), she explored inter-organelle communication, specifically pathways in mitochondrial biogenesis during brown adipose tissue activation. Now at Noval Rivas and Arditi labs, her research focuses on mitophagy/autophagy in Kawasaki Disease vasculitis.

Thacyana earned her MSc and PhD in experimental pathology from the State University of Londrina, Brazil. She explored specialized pro-resolving mediators in arthritis models and pain mechanisms. As a visiting student at the Arditi Lab, she delved into IL-33's role in Kawasaki Disease. Now a postdoc at the Noval Rivas Lab, she investigates neutrophils, eosinophils, and the IL-33/ST2 axis in LCWE-induced Kawasaki Disease.

Benjamin holds a bachelor of arts in biological sciences from the University of Southern California, where he investigated the ecological effects of terrestrial dust deposition on the Northern Red Sea microbial communities. Specializing in bioinformatics and multi-omic approaches to biological research, he joined the Noval Rivas Lab in 2023, investigating intercellular cytokine communication networks in Kawasaki disease vasculitis using single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomic data from a murine model.