05/21

May 21, 2025 . EVENTS

Raising Up the Next Generation of Aging Researchers

Join us in-person or on zoom
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
11am – 12pm: Next Generation Scientist Lightning Talks
12pm – 12:30pm: Light Reception with Buck Scientists

A Community Fundraising & Educational Event at the Buck Institute

Be part of something transformative at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato! Raising Up the Next Generation of Aging Researchers is more than just a seminar — it’s a dynamic fundraising event designed to spotlight and support the rising stars of aging research.

This one-of-a-kind experience, organized by our brilliant students and early-career scientists, invites you to explore the future of science through fascinating talks, an interactive poster session, and inspiring stories from the young researchers who are already pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

Your attendance directly supports these young scientists — empowering their work, fueling innovation, and helping to drive breakthroughs in the fight against age-related diseases.

Come curious, leave inspired — and know that you’re investing in the future of healthy aging for all.

Event Program

Welcome by Malene Hansen, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Buck Institute

Keynote by Bijoya Sen, PhD:
Brain’s Cleanup Crew: Importance of Taking Out the Trash

Lightning Talks by Ariel Floro and Max Manwaring-Mueller:
Ketone Bodies in the Aging Immune System
Space and Aging, Converging Pathways to Disease

Closing remarks: Gordon Lithgow, PhD, Professor, Buck Institute

Light Reception and Poster Session with Scientists

Speakers

Bijoya Sen, PhD

Brain’s Cleanup Crew: Importance of Taking Out the Trash

Bijoya is Postdoctoral Researcher in the Hansen lab. She is from India where she got her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Biotechnology. Aging biology was introduced to her when she joined the lab of Gayatri Ramakrishna in Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi. There she studied the role of senescence-associated pathways in the progression of liver cirrhosis to hepatocellular carcinoma and received her PhD degree in 2019. Then she joined the Brand lab at Buck as a Glenn postdoctoral fellow. Her area of research was to explore mechanisms by which mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) acts as a signaling molecule to abrogate various pathways using hypoxia/HIF as a model. She recently joined the Hansen lab where she plans to delve into the cellular recycling process named autophagy and how it affects aging using mammalian cell culture and C. elegans as a model system. Outside of the lab, she enjoys a challenging hike and experimenting with recipes.

Ariel Floro

Ketone Bodies in the Aging Immune System

Ariel Floro is a PhD Candidate in the Verdin lab. Originally from Los Angeles, she graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor’s in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics and a minor in Biomedical Research. Her undergraduate research focused on the structure of an HIV protein. After graduating, she worked as a research associate, studying inflammation via UVB radiation and the neuro-immune interactions of psoriasis. She decided to pursue aging research as it ties together her passions for science and healthy living. In the Verdin lab, she studies the role of ketone bodies in aging of the immune system. Aside from lab, she enjoys training and teaching martial arts and wrestling.

Max Manwaring-Mueller

Space and Aging, Converging Pathways to Disease

Max is a Postbaccalaureate Researcher in the Furman and Winer labs. He is a Molecular, Cellular and Developmental biologist from UC Santa Cruz (UCSC). During his undergraduate years, he worked in the Hinck lab to investigate triple negative breast cancers and potential therapeutic targets of the PI3K/Akt pathway. In August 2023, Max started as a post baccalaureate research assistant in both the Winer and Furman labs. Here, he works in the wet and dry labs to study mechanoimmunology and simulated microgravity's effects on the immune system and to transform raw lab data into compelling analytics and insights.

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