Jessica Butts, Ph.D. 
Assistant Professor, Principal Investigator
Department of Bioengineering, Neuroengineering Initiative
Rice University
HHMI Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Huda Zoghbi Lab, Baylor College of Medicine (2019 – 2023)
Ph.D. Bioengineering, University of California – San Francisco and Berkeley (2018)
B.S. Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis (2013)
Research Interests: The brainstem, understanding how neurons differentiate, multi-omics
Hobbies: Running, cooking, trying new restaurants, watching F1, and saltwater aquariums!
Hometown: Decatur, Il
Graduate Students
Madison McLaren
Department: Rice Bioengineering
B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Research Interests: Neuroscience, computational biology, single cell RNA sequencing
Hobbies: Video games, board games, legos, spending time with family and friends
Hometown: Pittsville, MD