About Dr. Y. Alvin Huang

  • Physician–scientist bridging clinic and bench, driven to decode how the brain functions in health, aging, and disease.

  • James and Dorothy Goodman Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry at Brown University, integrating expertise in neurology (M.D. & Residency, National Taiwan University) and neuroscience (Ph.D., Johns Hopkins; Postdoc, Stanford).

  • Leads a research program pioneering advanced stem cell and bioengineering platforms to unravel neuron–glial communication in Alzheimer’s disease, Angelman syndrome, and related neurocognitive disorders.

  • Passionate mentor and educator, serving as a graduate trainer in Brown’s MCB, Neuroscience, and Pathophysiology & Therapeutic Sciences programs.

  • Co-founder of Acre Therapeutics LLC, translating his lab’s award-winning discovery in secretory autophagy into first-in-class therapeutics for Alzheimer’s and tauopathies such as PSP.

Current Members

  • Alvin Huang (MD, PhD)

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

    Hobbies/Interests: Alvin somehow balances decoding the brain’s mysteries with cheering on his kids, adventuring across the globe, and filling the house with the wonderfully chaotic music of trombone, piano, and harp.

  • Xin Yang

    POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW

    Hobbies/Interests: Outside of the lab Xin enjoys traditional Chinese poetry and sleep.

  • Kevin Connolly

    PHD CANDIDATE

    Hobbies/Interests: Kevin enjoys creating artwork, cooking, and listening to music from the 70s and 80s, especially his all-time favorite: Stevie Nicks. He also enjoys making people laugh while reminding people “I may be funny but I’m no joke”.

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-connolly-32ba1b267/

  • Ryan O'Rourke

    PHD CANDIDATE

    Hobbies/Interests: Ryan enjoys watching Premier League soccer and hiking in U.S. National Parks.

    www.linkedin.com/in/ryanorourke1

  • Jules Duckhorn

    PHD STUDENT

    Hobbies/Interests: Jules enjoys watching sports, going to the beach, and hanging out with her cat.

    http://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-duckhorn

  • Ellie Doo Kyung Kim

    PHD STUDENT

    Hobbies/Interests: Ellie likes watching movies, discovering new restaurants, and going to the beach.

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellie-doo-kyung-kim-4077455a/

  • Joshua Wu

    MD/PHD STUDENT

    Hobbies/Interests: Josh is fond of traveling, playing ultimate frisbee and golf, playing the violin, and reading.

  • Jay Chi

    UNDERGRADUATE

    Hobbies/Interests: Jay has been training mixed martial arts his entire life and is a huge fan of the UFC. He also likes weightlifting, basketball, playing board games, and being a Marvel nerd.

  • Zachary Pearson

    UNDERGRADUATE

    Hobbies/Interests: Zach loves studying philosophy, being outdoors, and playing/watching basketball.

    http://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-pearson-4586682b8

Alumni

  • Benedetta Assetta

    POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW

    Benny is now a Senior Scientist at Astellas Pharma in Massachusetts.

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/benedetta-assetta-84a9b219/

  • Changyong Tang

    POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW

    Changyong is now a Principal Investigator at The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Sat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China.

  • Mikael Lehoux

    RESEARCH ASSISTANT/UNDERGRADUATE

    Mika is now a medical student at University College Dublin in Ireland.

  • Ayse Erdemir

    UNDERGRADUATE

    Ayse is now a Research Coordinator at Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC as she prepares her application for medical school.

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayse-erdemir-52b4011b1/

  • Gabriella Vulakh

    UNDERGRADUATE

    Gabby was awarded a Fulbright Award and will be participating in the program in Tel Aviv, Israel. She is planning on applying to medical school.

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriella-gabby-vulakh-770471183/