Principal Investigator
Juan Liu
liujuan(at)berkeley.edu
Assistant Adjunct Professor, Department of Integrative Biology (IB)
Assistant Curator, University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP)
Research Associate, American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)
Liu earned her M.S. from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (China) and PhD from the University of Alberta (Canada), studying fossil fish. Liu then spent several years as a visiting scholar at the American Museum of Natural History (USA). Prior to joining the IB and UCMP, she had been an assistant professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where she taught anatomy. She enjoys her research on the evolution of fossil fishes and the functional anatomy of the auditory system. In her leisure time, she enjoys practicing Taiji
Graduate Students
Jennifer Hoeflich
jchoeflich(at)berkeley.edu
Jennifer Hoeflich is a sixth-year graduate student in the department of Integrative Biology, whose dissertation research is focused on conductive hearing in Ictalurid catfishes, particularly how ecological factors influence the morphology and function of their multi-ossicle chain. Jennifer went to the University of Florida for undergrad and did research with the Florida Museum of Natural History. Currently doing research on the evolution and function of the Weberian apparatus along with working on paleo-hearing reconstructions using dynamic finite element modeling for catfish, carnivorans, and other vertebrates.
Derrick Leong
derrickleong(at)berkeley.edu
Derrick Leong is a fifth-year graduate student in the Integrative Biology department at UC Berkeley. He attended UC San Diego as an undergraduate and received his bachelor's degree in Geology at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. His current research is on the evolution of the lateral line canal-tubule system in extinct Devonian sarcopterygian fishes and extant early actinopterygian fishes. He also collaborates with ACCESS and the UCMP on outreach initiatives, developing teaching modules about Pleistocene canids preserved in asphalt seeps. During his free time, Derrick captains the Cal Ultimate B team, plays the violin, and enjoys exploring the bay with his friends.
Sonja Anderson
sonja.a(at)berkeley.edu
Sonja Anderson is a first-year graduate student in the department of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley. She earned her Bachelors of Science in Zoology from SUNY Oswego. Sonja loves anything paleontology, but focuses on vertebrates and will form her research around the functional morphology of hearing mechanisms in Paleozoic amphibians. Outside of academia, she loves movies and tv, video games, music production, making short films, and making glass art.
PostBac Researchers
Aidan Purcell
aidanqp00(at)berkeley.edu
Aidan majored in Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley. His interests include biological morphology, macroevolution, phylogenetics, and particularly enjoys the subfield of artistic fossil reconstruction within the greater field of Paleontology. In the FAM Lab he works on producing sketches and drawings of fossils to be used in research projects. These drawings are meant to highlight the 3D shape and texture of the fossil that may be difficult to see in photo scans. Outside the lab he enjoys various random artistic projects, puzzles, and video games.
Undergraduate Researchers
Ayden Chang
ayc(at)berkeley.edu
Ayden is a first year undergraduate in the College of Letters and Science planning on double majoring in Integrative Biology and Marine Science. His interests include Marine Biology/Ecology, with a particular broad interest in Sharks, Seabirds, Cetaceans, and Salmonids, particularly surrounding their evolution and the roles they played in their ancient ecosystems. Outside of the lab, he enjoys swimming (in the ocean or the pool), scuba diving, playing guitar, and cooking.
Cathryn Dong
Cathryn Dong is currently a first-year undergraduate at Cal and intends to major in molecular and cellular biology and Data science. She hopes to have her graduate study in bio science in the future. She is interested in animal physiology and genetics. She joined the Liu lab this fall and is currently working on segmentation of the lateral line canals and acid-preparation of fish fossils. Outside the lab, Cathryn enjoys climbing,learning Japanese, and basketball.
Sophie Han
Sophie joined the Liu Lab in spring 2024 and is a third-year undergraduate student in the Rausser College of Natural Resources, majoring in Molecular Environmental Biology. Her current research work consists of exploring and understanding the function and evolution of the middle ear in mammals through segmentation, with a focus on dogs. She is interested in veterinary medicine, animal welfare, chemistry, and otolaryngology. Outside of the lab, some of her interests include running, baking, pickleball, exploring the Bay Area, and going to the beach.
Bren Miles
Bren is a third year majoring in Integrative Biology and Statistics. In the FAM lab he is working zebrafish hearing and the zebrafish weberian apparatus. Bren is interested in all fish (especially freshwater fishes), quantitative and computational biology, evolution, and morphology. In his free time, Bren likes to read sci-fi books, visit aquariums, post on iNaturalist, and watch movies.
Alumni
Undergraduate Researchers
Isabel (Izzy) Banayad
Rangarajan Bharadwaj
Morgan Dickinson
Liuliu Gould — Graduate Student at UC Davis
Russell Huang
Khizur Kamran
Xinche "Chester" Li
Melody Lo
Anuksha Ram Madhan
Mason Munoz
Aidan Purcell
Nithya Shankar
Katherine Walton
Johan Zhang
Zehua Zhou — Graduate Student at Michigan State University
Postbacs
Ian Strieter
Medical Students
Chrisy Jiyun Yoon