People

Kenza Imane Aboulhouda recently graduated from UCLA in June 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychobiology, where she discovered her passion for neuroscience and cognitive science. Now, she’s excited to explore new research directions in human embryonic development and reproductive health, hoping to combine her passion for neuroscience with her growing interest in embryonic research as she prepares to apply for PhD programs in Fall 2025 (hopefully!). Outside of academics, Kenza loves practicing yoga, (she just became a certified yoga teacher), spending time with friends, going to concerts and live music events, and soaking up nature on the many Bay Area hiking trails.

Prof. Dominguez is the Endometrial Receptivity and Embryonic Competence Research Group Leader at the IVI Foundation Research Department at FIVI-Hospital La Fe, Valencia. He obtained his doctorate degree “cum laude” in 2003 from the Pediatrics, Obstetrics, and Gynaecology Department at the University of Valencia School of Medicine. He completed his post-doctoral training at the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC) and the Hospital de la Princesa in Madrid.

As a researcher, his focus is the study of the endometrium and the human embryo implantation process at both the transcriptomic and proteomic levels, while also developing new non-invasive aneuploidy diagnostic systems. Prof. Domínguez has been teaching postgraduate courses since 2003. He is currently the Coordinator of the Basic Research in Human Reproduction Module in the Master’s Degree in Biotechnology of Assisted Human Reproduction, a position he has held since 2001. He has received several awards for his research projects, including the ICIRA Award in 2009, the Spanish Fertility Society Award in 2000, and the Salud 2000 Foundation Award in 2004.

Prof. Domínguez loves traveling around the world, has two beautiful Labradors that always accompany him, and enjoys a good fantasy or science fiction book or TV show.

Esteban Etcheverry is the Lab Service Manager at the Stanford Matteo Molè Lab. With a diverse background in project management, IT, and operations, he brings a unique blend of technical and organizational expertise to support the lab's groundbreaking research. Esteban holds advanced degrees in Cultural Management from Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) and in Music from Universidad Nacional de La Plata (Argentina).

An expert in managing large-scale projects funded by the European Research Council, Esteban has collaborated with renowned academic institutions and international partners. His professional experience spans roles in academia, healthcare, and the arts, emphasizing innovation, precision, and teamwork.

Outside of work, Esteban enjoys spending time outdoors with his dogs, cooking for friends, traveling to explore new cultures and cuisines, and working out to stay active. He is also a passionate choir conductor, dedicated to fostering musical excellence and bringing people together through the power of music.

At the Matteo Molè Lab, Esteban is committed to fostering efficient lab services and supporting the team’s scientific advancements.

Nicole Horsley is a current PhD candidate in Stanford's Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine program, originally hails from Portland, Oregon. Throughout her journey, which included a six-year stint in the Air Force, she has cultivated a love for contemplating the intricacies of early development. Beyond her academic pursuits, she finds joy in outdoor adventures such as skiing, hiking, and skydiving. Her overarching aim is to merge insights from various scientific disciplines to advance stem cell models, with the ultimate goal of authentically replicating the complexities of development and embryogenesis in a dish.

May Levin is an undergraduate at Stanford University, majoring in Computer Science, specializing in Bio-computation and Artificial Intelligence. Her past research experience spans population genetics and genotype-to-phenotype prediction utilizing machine learning techniques. Previously, May has also collaborated with government agencies to develop COVID-19 dashboards to guide policy decisions. Later on, she joined Pfizer, applying her expertise to build disease prediction models that inform vaccine development strategies. She is excited to use her computational skills to improve embryo implantation analysis and modeling, focusing on automating metrics extraction and creating more precise predictive models. Outside the lab, you can find May scuba diving, taking film photography, or trying to fix her 3D printer.

Max is rotating jointly with Matteo Molè and Alex Dunn, working on modeling the human endometrium to study processes of placentation and vascularization in the context of healthy and pathological pregnancies such as endometriosis. In his spare time, he enjoys practicing the pipe organ in MemChu and going on walks. He previously worked with Brendan Harley under Aliki Kolliopoulos at UIUC. You can connect with him via LinkedIn and find his publications on Google Scholar.

Molika Sinha is a Senior Life Science Research Professional in the Molè Lab. She has seven years of diverse research experience, four of which were at Stanford and are still counting. She specializes in cellular and molecular biology, along with imaging and gene-editing techniques. To extend her research, Molika wants to enhance her understanding in reproductive health. Besides her research time at Stanford, Molika was among three selected speakers for the CONDUIT– a pep talk event on neuro, oncology, and reproductive health. She was also among the 25 NASA SHINE fellows. Molika aims to be a key contributor to studying reproductive health in space conditions in future. She is also a strong proponent of DEI activities and wants to create an environment intellectually supportive of people of all kinds. In her free time, you would still find Molika working, but on things like operating telescopes, studying fashion and finance, and enhancing her coding abilities [P.S. – She is not a work-a-holic!]. To know more about Molika, visit her website.

Odette Vera was born and raised in Santa Barbara, CA. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Cellular & Molecular Biology with a Minor in Chemistry from Westmont College. After completing her studies, she volunteered at the Hospital del Niño y la Mujer in Querétaro, México. Currently, she is a Biomedical graduate student and a CIRM Bridges Science Master’s trainee, visiting the Molè Lab from San Francisco State University. Her previous research at the University of California, Santa Barbara focused on understanding behavior in Drosophila melanogaster in the absence of external cues. Now, she is eager to broaden her expertise in reproductive health during her time at the Molè Lab. Outside of academics, Odette enjoys reading, traveling, and spending quality time with friends and family.