Ashley Medina

Assistant scientist

My name is Ashley, and I started as an Assistant Scientist in the Chen Lab in September 2026. I was born in Louisiana, and have moved every ~3 years being in a military family. Philadelphia is my 10th place, with my longest time spent in Manhattan (6 years!), making the East Coast home. My family has roots in Panama and Puerto Rico. Outside of science my interests include: yoga, poetry, and public speaking.

I completed my Bachelor of Science in Neural Science at New York University. While an undergraduate and postbacc I worked in Dr. Katherine Nagel’s lab at NYU Langone. The Nagel Lab introduced me to Drosophila research as I studied the neuronal circuitry of the odor and wind pathways in the fly brain. I also researched the integration site in the Fan Shaped Body of the fly brain which combines olfactory and wind cues allowing the fly to navigate its environment to find food. I then worked in Dr. Takaki Komiyama’s lab at UC San Diego, where I researched the role of neuronal tau on decision making in mice while managing the lab.

I'm excited to get back to working with flies in the Chen Lab with the goal of eventually attending a Neuroscience PhD program. I’m interested in studying how neurons develop in the fly visual system, and how specific glial cell types may affect neuronal interactions. Down the road, I would love to integrate my knowledge of neuronal wiring to further machine learning models.

contact -

primary: ashley.medina0002@temple.edu

secondary: amm1537@nyu.edu

(Joined in September 2026)