Rod Maknouni, B.S.

Rod Maknouni graduated from UC Riverside in Spring 2023 with a B.S. in Biology. Before joining the Bitan lab, he volunteered in various Southern California hospitals for fifteen months. For three of those months, he shifted in the neurological unit of Riverside Community Hospital where he cared for patients suffering from various neurodegenerative diseases. Meanwhile, an upper-division neuroscience course sparked his desire to conduct research in this field. These experiences, accompanied by a life-long interest in neurobiology, motivated him to persue a research opportunity. He joined the Bitan Lab in June 2023. His research involves experimentation with various cell lines (mainly neuroblastoma) and follow-up examination of exophers in these cells.