Han Arbach, Ph.D. grew up dreaming of becoming an astronaut after watching the space shuttle land at the military base where their family was stationed. As they continued to grow up and became a “frequent flyer” in the orthopedics department for various injuries, their aspirations shifted towards medical training. Encouraged by fantastic AP biology and chemistry teachers in high school, they pursued a biochemistry major at Mount Holyoke College. Here they were encouraged by a chemistry professor to try out research. This fostered a newfound love for discovery, and with it a new dream career of becoming a scientist. Han completed their Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Washington, studying tail regeneration and nuclear structure in tadpoles. They did postdoctoral work at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center using viruses as a tool to probe facets of cell biology. Now, they are a Program Officer at the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group. Outside of work, you will find them raising two dogs with their partner, attempting to befriend crows, and being a poor but enthusiastic gardener.

Ashwin Bhandiwad, Ph.D. has spent a remarkable amount of time trying to understand how the brain is organized. Once called “the most handsome boy in the world” by his mom, Ashwin is now a scientist at the Allen Institute for Brain Science working on developing tools to create maps of the brain. Ashwin received his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Washington where he investigated how loud noise causes damage in the inner ear. Simultaneously, he disregarded that research by attending many loud concerts. Ashwin also loves swimming, starting projects that he’ll never finish, and talking in silly voices to his young children.

Max DePartee is a research scientist from the Pacific Northwest who has always had a fascination with the natural world. A curious nature and outdoor spirt led him to attend Montana State University where, between fly-fishing on local rivers and skiing the Rockies, he earned his bachelor’s degree in biotechnology. Max’s career and training as a scientist have taken him many places, from a Ph.D. program in North Carolina, to a small biotech start-up in Washington, and back to his home town of Seattle where he now works at the Allen Institute for Brain Science.

Rachel Hostetler, Ph.D. is a scientist at the Allen Institute for Brain Science where her role focuses on providing scientific training to users of the institute’s tools and datasets. Prior to this, she completed a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at West Virginia University, where she used many Allen Institute datasets to guide her research on somatostatin inhibitory interneuron diversity. She completed her B.S. at the University of Minnesota, double-majoring in Neuroscience and German Studies. Now living in Seattle, she yells out in excitement whenever she sees a mountain (not just Mt. Rainier but literally any mountain) after growing up in the Midwest. When not yelling at mountains, she spends her free time trying new seafood restaurants with her partner, snuggling with their very needy cat, and exploring the beauty of the PNW.

Rachel McCue is a Research Associate at the Allen Institute where she works in Tissue Processing. She graduated from University of Washington with her bachelor’s degree in biology in 2018 and completed her master’s degree in biology from Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis in 2021. Rachel likes to spend most of her time listening to music and crocheting. Being very crafty, she has many crafting projects in progress at the moment. As the oldest of seven children, she loves attention and tries to sing at karaoke every chance she gets. Rachel also belongs to the Allen Institute band, Em City, as one of the singers, making her debut performance at the 20th Anniversary party of the Allen Institute in 2023. She was late diagnosed with ADHD and Autism as an adult, which lead to a very interesting path through early adulthood. She lives with her cat, Maleficent, whose sassy antics keep her fully entertained.