Mari grew up in San Jose, California, and completed her undergraduate degree in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology at UCLA. While at UCLA, she worked on a methods development project focused on high throughput epigenomics under the guidance of Dr. Chongyuan Luo. In the Telese lab, she studies enhancer and regulatory element activity in the brain, with a broad interest in epigenetic and environmental interactions. Outside of lab, Mari likes to spend time tidepooling and visiting local farmers markets around San Diego.