Lucas joined the lab as a graduate student from the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics in 2021, after previously working in the lab as a clinical research assistant. He is broadly interested in the genetic variation that makes us all so unique. As a result, his research projects focus on: language ability, risk for psychiatric conditions, and their shared biological underpinnings. He graduated from Cornell College with a BA in Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience. Much of his free time is spent watching sci-fi movies and exploring the Midwest.

Muhammad's journey in the lab began with a deep-seated interest in mental health conditions. As he immersed himself in the research environment, he realized the importance of understanding neurodiversity more deeply. This newfound awareness fueled his dedication to understanding the links between genetics, cognition, and mental health. Although Muhammad’s background was focused on computational biology and genomics, he’s interested in learning different methods and techniques. He’s currently working towards an expanded knowledge in linguistics, computer vision, neuroimaging, genetic analyses, and data science. In the lab, Muhammad's focus crystallized around the notion of using language as a metric for aspects of human experience that defy easy measurement. Whether it's cognition or mental health problems, he envisions language as a powerful tool for decoding the ineffable. Driven by a desire to bridge the gap between science and accessibility, Muhammad aims to develop tools and assessments that harness the power of language. His ultimate goal? To create a more inclusive and understanding world where everyone's voice is heard, regardless of their neurodiversity or background. P.S. Muhammad believes in the importance of our lab mission and its impact on individuals. After spending 3 years in lab, he realized how much he “fits in” with the populations we study and got diagnosed with autism at the age of 25!

Grace Kim is an INSPIRE postdoctoral fellow in Psychiatry. In the Michaelson lab, she applies computational genomics to investigate the genetic underpinnings of neurodevelopmental disorders, with a current emphasis on sleep issues in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). She earned her MS in bioengineering and PhD in neuroscience at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as her MD at the University of Illinois at Chicago prior to joining the Michaelson lab for her postdoctoral training.  Her academic journey, rooted in psychiatry, bioengineering, and neuroscience, has fueled a passion for computational psychiatry, especially in decoding the genomic and epigenomic landscapes of psychiatric conditions.  She is interested in learning to leverage advanced machine learning and data integration techniques to bridge functional genomics with clinical decision-making tools and to advance our understanding of psychiatric disorders. In her downtime, she enjoys traveling and has embraced the challenge of foil fencing after years practicing kumdo/kendo.

Ying Hsu is a postdoctoral fellow in Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences specializing in Bardet-Biedl Syndrome, a model ciliopathy. She is working with the Michaelson laboratory to understand the intersection of psychiatric disorders and ciliopathy. Additionally, she is interested in studying genetic variants that impact neurodegeneration. She earned a B.S. and an M.S. degree in Bioengineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a Ph.D. degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Iowa. In her free time, Ying enjoys boardgaming, tennis, volleyball, and has a large collection of plants. Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=WFNhtpYAAAAJ&view_op=lis...

Ashton joined the lab as an undergraduate student volunteer in 2021. He graduated from the University of Iowa in 2022 with a BA in Psychology and a BA in English, then began working full time in the lab in 2023. He is interested in the intersection between sex/gender and neurodevelopmental disorders, including ADHD and Autism. In his free time, Ashton enjoys longboarding, watching TV, and cooking.

Nihad joined the lab as a volunteer research assistant in 2024. He graduated from the University of Dhaka in 2022 with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and completed his master's degree in the same subject in 2023. He is interested in computational biology and its applications in understanding neurodevelopmental disorders. In his free time, he loves playing soccer, watching movies, and binge-watching series.

Camilla joined the Michaelson lab in 2023 and coordinated brain and behavior research.

Tayler is a first-year student in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics. She joined the lab in 2023 as a research assistant, where her work sparked her interest in genetic research and led her to continue in the lab as a graduate research assistant. With a BA in Biology and a BS in Psychology, she is broadly interested in the genetic underpinnings of mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions. Outside the lab, Tayler enjoys caring for her houseplants, spending time with friends and family, and walking her beloved chi-poo, Ivy.

Gabriella first joined the lab in summer 2024 as a Summer Intern in Bioinformatics through the Iowa Institute of Human Genetics. She then returned to the lab in December 2024 as a part-time research assistant.

Trevor graduated with a B.A. in Viola Performance in the Spring of 2025.

Shannon graduated with her B.A. in Psychology in the Spring of 2025.

Sayedeh graduated with a B.A. in Psychology in the Fall of 2025.

Annie joined the lab in May 2023 as a graduate student from the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics.

Courtney joined the lab in September 2021 and assisted with DNA extraction in the wet lab.

Ethan recently received his PhD in Computational Genetics from the University of Iowa and is doing postdoctoral work at WashU.

Maddy is currently working on her PhD in School Psychology at UIowa.

Taylor is currently pursuing post-doctoral work in Boston, MA.

Sydney is currently in graduate school studying psychiatric and behavioral genetics. 

Leo was one of our MD/PhD student in Iowa's MSTP program and a graduate research assistant in the Michaelson lab.

Tanner was the first graduate student to join the Michaelson Lab as part of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics.

Noah is currently enrolled in the Biomedical Informatics graduate program at Harvard University.

Chris is currently working as a Case Manager.

Brady is currently working as a Data Scientist with a concentration in predictive modeling in healthcare.

Elisabeth is currently working as a Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist.

Carolyn spent four semesters working in the Michaelson wet lab.

Florencia is currently working as a Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist.

Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics

Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics

Behavioral-Biomedical Interface Program

Behavioral-Biomedical Interface Program

Matthias was a German exchange student in the Michaelson Lab through the RISE Program.

Rachel rotated through the Michaelson Lab as part of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience at UIowa.

RISE Program - German Exchange Student https://www.daad.org/en/find-funding/undergraduate-opportunities/research-internships-in-science-and-engineering-rise/

Josie was part of the Behavioral-Biomedical Interface Program.

Summer Undergraduate Researcher

Behavioral-Biomedical Interface Program

Iman is currently employed at Morgan State University.

Dabney is a recent graduate of the Counseling Psychology graduate program at the University of Iowa.

Jin-Young Koh is currently enrolled in the Biomedical Engineering graduate program at the University of Iowa.

Brooke was the Michaelson Lab's first Clinical Research Assistant. Since moving on from the lab, Brooke has gone on to receive her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Emory University.

Kaleb is currently working as a software engineer.

Natalie is currently enrolled in the Clinical Psychology graduate program at Penn State University.

Mahesh is currently employed by Microsoft.

Shabana is currently employed by the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics.

Savantha is currently enrolled in the Biomedical Sciences graduate program at Iowa State University.

Kévin is currently employed at the Sanger Institute, UK.