For 50 years, Sanford Burnham Prebys has advanced research, discovery, and translation. As part of our 50th Anniversary celebration, we’re hosting an Alumni Reception where you can reconnect with fellow alumni and meet our current graduate students and postdocs.
Before the reception, join us for an Alumni Panel where selected alumni will share their career journeys and insights. This is just the beginning to building lasting alumni connections where we can celebrate your journeys and successes.
Agenda
Join us for a day that will feature short talks, poster presentations, and an art competition from our grad students and postdocs. This year, we’re also celebrating the Institute’s 50th Anniversary and celebrating our alumni with a dedicated panel and reception.
- Keynote & Oral Presentations
9:30 AM – 3:30 PM - Alumni Panel
3:30 – 4:30 PM - Alumni Reception
4:30 – 6:30 PM
Keynote Speaker
Fiona Scott PhD
- Vice President, Lead Generation Biology
Neurocrine Biosciences
Sanford Burnham Prebys Alumna
Featured Alumni
Meet our Panelists
Carolina Kumsta PhD
- PANEL MODERATOR
Associate Dean of Student Affairs
Assistant Professor
Center for Cardiovascular and Muscular Disease
Sanford Burnham Prebys
Postdoctoral Alumna, 2016
Miguel Reina Campos PhD
- Assistant Professor
La Jolla Institute for Immunology
Graduate School Alum, 2019
Michaela Romero PhD
- Postdoctoral Fellow
Cardiovascular Research
Ionis Pharmaceuticals
Graduate School Alumna, 2025
Paloma Sánchez Pavón PhD
- Translational Scientist
Aspen Neurosciences
Graduate School Alumna, 2023
Elena Rubio de la Torre PhD
- Founder and Principal Consultant
bioCustomer Support Solutions
Postdoctoral Alumna, 2015
Eric Lau PhD
- Associate Professor
Knight Cancer Institute
Oregon Health and Science University
Postdoctoral Alum, 2015
Jonatan Matalonga Borrel PhD
- Scientist
Avidity Biosciences, Inc.
Postdoctoral Alum, 2021
Alumni Outcomes
Meet Daniel Ojeda Juarez, PhD, an alum of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences 2020 and current UC San Diego Postdoctoral Researcher. Daniel investigates the cellular mechanisms that drive neurotoxicity in human prion disease.
Daniel was recently featured on the Scientist “Postdoc Portrait” and has been named one of the UC San Diego Shirley-Marcos ADRC Research Education Component (REC) Scholar.
Meet Carter Palmer, PhD, a postdoc alum from the Chun lab. Carter and his colleagues founded Third Element Bio, a startup company focused on developing innovative therapeutics for neurological diseases, which successfully obtained a competitive NIA SBIR award and
He was recently featured on the ASBMB “In conversation with …” podcast and has been named one of the UCSD Chancellor’s Innovation Award Finalists.
Meet Cynthia Lebeaupin, PhD, a former postdoctoral fellow in the Kaufman lab and now a Scientist II in the Gastroenterology Drug Discovery Unit at Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Cynthia focuses on developing new therapeutic approaches for chronic liver diseases, including liver fibrosis.
During her time at Sanford Burnham Prebys, Cynthia studied stress response molecules involved in liver disease progression and participated in leadership and professional development programs across the Institute.
Where are they now?
Key Moments
- 1:24 What attracted alumni to the PhD program and Sanford Burnham Prebys?
- 8:24 Favorite memories of the Institute and the PhD program
- 22:05 How the PhD program helped alumni achieve their goals