About Us

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Principal Investigator

Assistant Professor, Division of Genetic Medicine

Claudia received her PhD in Environmental Toxicology from Duke University, and did her postdoctoral training in the Department of Neurology at the Duke University School of Medicine. She joined the Division of Genetic Medicine in the Department of Medicine at VUMC in 2025. Claudia is originally from Panama, and is happy to talk about how good Panamanian coffee is for hours.

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Laboratory Manager

Sharia received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Tennessee State University. She’s been managing and performing experiments in the Gonzalez-Hunt lab since 2025. Sharia has an emergency stash of chocolate in her desk. If anyone needs some chocolate therapy, she is your friend. 

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Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Marina received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from St. Lawrence University, Master of Arts in Biology from Fisk University, and PhD in Neuroscience from Vanderbilt University. She joined the Gonzalez-Hunt lab in 2026 and will be studying the contributions of DNA damage to neurodegeneration. Marina is passionate about mentoring students and is always happy to share cute photos of her cat and two dogs.

Program: Master’s in Biomedical Sciences

Nasrine is a Thibodaux, LA native. She received her B.S. in Chemistry at the heart of her hometown at Nicholls State University. Nasrine is currently pursuing her M.S. in biomedical sciences, striving to earn her M.D., PhD to investigate preventative measures for neurodegenerative diseases. Nasrine is also a huge hobby collector. You can often find her trying new things and asking others about their interests for inspiration!

Hamza is majoring in Neuroscience and plans to pursue an MD/PhD. He is interested in Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Huntington's. In the lab he focuses on the role of DNA damage accumulation in Parkinson's disease.

Briee is a Vanderbilt undergraduate studying Biomedical Engineering and Communication of Science & Technology. She is interested in engineering approaches to genomics and cancer research. Originally from Vietnam, she loves to travel and has visited 25 countries. 

Maya is a Vanderbilt undergraduate studying Neuroscience on the pre-med track and minoring in Classics. She is interested in learning about the causes and effects of neurological disorders on the molecular level. She is from Austin, Texas and has a twin sister!