Jennifer Alexander-Brett, MD, PhD

Jennifer Alexander-Brett, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary & Critical Care

Our research focuses on respiratory mucosal immunology, with a particular interest in intercellular crosstalk mediated by cytokines and extracellular vesicles. We employ a broad array of techniques including multi-omics analysis, protein biochemistry and cellular immunobiology to study mechanism in the airway diseases COPD, asthma, cystic fibrosis and lung transplant rejection.

Alexander-Brett Lab website »

Farners Amargant i Riera, PhD

Farners Amargant i Riera, PhD

Assistant Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology

The Riera Lab uses a multidisciplinary approach to investigate how biochemical and biomechanical signaling from the ovary regulates folliculogenesis and oocyte quality, and whether these mechanisms are altered in reproductive-associated diseases such as PCOS and aging.

Riera Lab website »

Rajendra Apte, MD, PhD

Rajendra Apte, MD, PhD

Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Department of Developmental Biology

Research in the Apte lab is focused on innate immunity and immune effector mechanisms in the retina, oxidative stress and cell death, models of developmental angiogenesis and neovascularization, inflammation and photoreceptor survival, and macular degeneration.

Apte website »

Ghazaleh Ashrafi, PhD

Ghazaleh Ashrafi, PhD

Assistant Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology; Affiliate, Department of Biomedical Engineering

The Ashrafi lab uses genetic, biochemical, and quantitative optical imaging techniques to study metabolic regulation of neurotransmission. The overall goal of the lab is to uncover novel molecular regulators of glycolysis and mitochondrial metabolism and elucidate their role in axonal degeneration and neurodegenerative disease. .

Ashrafi Lab website »

Rita Brookheart, PhD

Rita Brookheart, PhD

Assistant Professor, Medicine

The Brookheart Lab focuses on the intersection of metabolism and stress responses in the context of aging and metabolic disease. We use basic and translational tools to identify and investigate regulators of metabolism important in controlling cell differentiation and function, as well as organ size.

Lab Website »

Grant Challen, PhD

Grant Challen, PhD

Associate Professor, Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine

The Challen lab studies the genetic and epigenetic regulation of blood-forming hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) with the goal to identify new methods of blood cancer prevention and treatment.

Challen Lab website »

Chun-Kan Chen, PhD

Chun-Kan Chen, PhD

Assistant Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology

Regulation and function of circRNA and to uncover the molecular mechanisms of circRNA-mediated disease. Using the circRNA screening technology that he developed to decipher RNA elements, genomic features, and protein components that regulate the functions of circRNAs and determine how they contribute to circRNA-mediated disease.

Chen Lab website »

David Chen, MD, PhD

David Chen, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Medicine
Associate Chief for Research, Dermatology

The unifying theme in the Chen Lab is to study the genetic and epigenetic factors that constitute premalignant states in the skin.  We have three active areas of study, including 1. Characterizing the interplay between aging and skin cancer, 2. Understanding the role of epigenetic perturbations in the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and 3. Characterizing melanocyte transition states in the development of melanoma.

Chen Lab Website » 

Shiming Chen, PhD

Shiming Chen, PhD

Dr. Bernard and Janet R. Becker Distinguished Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

The Chen Lab studies the molecular mechanisms controlling photoreceptor gene expression during photoreceptor development and maintenance in the mammalian retina, and how genetic mutations cause gene mis-regulation and defects in the function and survival of the photoreceptor neurons. They particularly focus on photoreceptor-specific transcription factors, such as CRX. Their ultimate goal is to develop therapeutic strategies for treatment.

Chen Lab website »

Yao Chen, PhD

Yao Chen, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience; Affiliate, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Neuromodulators such as dopamine, acetylcholine, and neuropeptides have profound effects on neural circuits and behavior. Altered neuromodulation is associated with most psychiatric disorders, major neurodegenerative disorders, and neuromodulatory systems are targets of almost all drugs of abuse. The Chen lab aims to understand how the dynamics of neuromodulators and intracellular signals contribute to the function of neuromodulators, to learning, and to the function of sleep.

Chen lab »

Kyunghee Choi, PhD

Kyunghee Choi, PhD

Professor, Department of Pathology & Immunology

The Choi lab studies the molecular mechanisms regulating vascular and hematopoietic specification and development.

Choi Lab website »

Matthew Ciorba, MD

Matthew Ciorba, MD

Associate Professor, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine

The Ciorba lab researches Intestinal inflammation and colon cancer.

Ciorba lab website »

Brian Clark, PhD

Brian Clark, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Department of Developmental Biology

The Clark lab is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying retinal neurogenesis and cell fate determination. Using a suite of profiling techniques, we seek to understand the gene expression and epigenetic changes governing retinal development.

Clark lab website »

Joseph Corbo, MD, PhD

Joseph Corbo, MD, PhD

Professor, Department of Pathology and Immunology

The Corbo lab studies the transcriptional regulatory networks that underlie the development, evolution, and diseases of photoreceptors.

Corbo Lab website »

Clair Crewe, PhD

Clair Crewe, PhD

Assistant Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology

The Crewe lab uses transgenic mouse lines, cell culture and biochemistry to understand extracellular vesicle (EV)-mediated signaling during homeostatic and pathologic metabolic regulation. Crosstalk between adipocytes and cells within the adipose tissue (AT) microenvironment directs healthy tissue expansion in response to overnutrition. In contrast, the inability to coordinate these inter-cellular signals during nutrient stress results in AT hypoxia, inflammation, and fibrosis, all of which contribute to systemic metabolic disturbances in obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Crewe Lab website »

Aaron DiAntonio, MD, PhD

Aaron DiAntonio, MD, PhD

Professor, Department of Developmental Biology

The DiAntonio lab investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation using genetic, molecular, cell biological, and neuroanatomical techniques in both human stem cell-derived neurons and animal models. Their goal is to translate fundamental mechanistic insights into novel treatments for neurological disease.

The DiAntonio lab is ideal for students interested in MD/PhD programs or PhD students interested in the intersection between fundamental research and the development of novel therapies. Applicants with some previous research experience are preferred.

DiAntonio Lab website »

Sabine M Dietmann, PhD

Sabine M Dietmann, PhD

Assistant Professor of Developmental Biology and Medicine, School of Medicine

The Dietmann Lab specializes in the development of integrative multi-omics and machine learning approaches to the complex data sets generated by single-cell sequencing technologies in developmental biology and medicine. Her research has focused on the epigenetic landscape of embryonic stem cells and in vitro systems of human development.

Dietmann Lab website »

Naomi Dirckx, PhD

Naomi Dirckx, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery

My research interests revolve around the investigation of a crucial TCA metabolite called citrate and its plasma-membrane transporter, SLC13A5. Utilizing murine models, my lab will study the role of SLC13A5-mediated cellular citrate import in bone mineralization throughout growth and aging, while also investigating the systemic implications of altered citrate partitioning in skeletal tissues by targeting osteogenic citrate metabolism. In addition, I’m also interested in elucidating the molecular mechanisms behind SLC13A5 epilepsy, a rare human disease with loss-of-function mutations in SLC13A5, causing childhood epilepsy, developmental delays, hypotonic muscles and amelogenesis imperfecta.

Sergej Djuranovic, PhD

Sergej Djuranovic, PhD

Associate Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology

Djuranovic Lab uses different biochemical, molecular biology and genetics techniques to investigate the process of gene expression regulation at the level of mRNA translation. The research is focused on sequence motifs in mRNA as well as on ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes and RNA binding proteins (RBPs) that control translational efficiency of their target mRNAs or play a general role in RNA metabolism.

Djuranovic Lab website »

Ziao Fu, PhD

Ziao Fu, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology & Physiology

The Fu Lab utilizes cryo-EM and cryo-ET to investigate the structure and dynamics of cellular membranes and protein complexes in their native environments. Our research focuses on understanding how membrane proteins respond to stimuli, particularly mechanical forces in mechanosensation. Beyond scientific discovery, we are also dedicated to advancing cryo-EM techniques to further our research objectives.

Dennis Goldfarb, PhD

Dennis Goldfarb, PhD

Assistant Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology

Dennis Goldfarb, PhD’s research focuses on computational mass spectrometry, proteomics, and their applications in biology. His lab develops open-source solutions for novel data acquisition strategies, data analysis, and visualization tailored to the unique challenges of each experiment. Dr. Goldfarb aims to increase the throughput and reproducibility of large-scale projects with automated pipelines that leverage high-performance computing. Recently his research has concentrated on instrumentation, protein complex identification, and de novo peptide sequencing.

Goldfarb Lab website »

David Gutmann, MD, PhD

David Gutmann, MD, PhD

Professor, Department of Neurology

The Gutmann lab studies the genetic, cellular and molecular causes for neurodevelopmental disabilities and brain tumorigenesis using novel genetically engineered mouse and human iPSC models.

Gutmann Lab website »

Claudia Han, PhD

Claudia Han, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology & Immunology

Microglia are resident macrophages of the brain that engage in a variety of processes essential for brain development and homeostasis. Microglia dysfunction contributes to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases and neurodevelopmental conditions. My research program investigates microglia phenotypes in these neuropathologies through the lens of epigenomics and transcriptomics. Particularly, I am interested in identifying and modifying the microglial gene regulatory networks that respond to changes in the brain environment through the use of mouse genetic models, humanized mice models and iPSCs.

Lab Website »

Xueyan He

Xueyan He

Professor, Cell Biology & Physiology

The He Lab is dedicated to advancing knowledge of the mechanisms responsible for colorectal tumor progression, with a specific focus on Stress and its influence on the Tumor Microenvironment.

Lab Website »

Jing Hughes

Jing Hughes

Assistant Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism & Lipid Research

We study how the primary cilium, sensory antenna of the cell, regulates signaling and secretory functions in the pancreatic islet.

Hughes Lab website »

Benjamin Humphreys, MD, PhD

Benjamin Humphreys, MD, PhD

Professor and Chief, Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine

The Humphreys Lab investigates kidney injury, regeneration and fibrosis using single cell transcriptomic, epigenomic and spatial techniques, pluripotent stem cell-derived kidney organoids, mouse models and human tissue. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to learn wet lab approaches including single cell pipelines and may receive computational training depending on interest and experience.

Humphreys lab website »

 

Sanjay Jain, MD, PhD

Sanjay Jain, MD, PhD

Associate Professor, Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine

The Jain lab studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate maintenance, differentiation and function of kidney progenitors in normal development and disease states.

Jain Lab website »

Silvia Jansen, PhD

Silvia Jansen, PhD

Assistant Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology

Focus is on elucidating the molecular mechanisms that regulate the architecture, dimensions and dynamics of actin filament networks, and tune them to support essential cellular functions ranging from cell migration and cytokinesis to neurogenesis.

Jansen Lab website »

Sheng Chih (Peter)  Jin, PhD

Sheng Chih (Peter) Jin, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics

Research in the Jin lab is devoted to identifying the genes and elucidating the molecular, cellular, and developmental mechanisms that drive the development of specific neurodevelopmental disorders, including congenital hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, and Moyamoya disease.

Jin Lab website »

Aaron Johnson, PhD

Aaron Johnson, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Developmental Biology

The Johnson lab develops and uses a variety of functional genetic approaches to gain deep mechanistic understanding into the processes controlling muscle development, regeneration, and disease.

Johnson Lab website »

 

Yoon-A Kang, PhD

Yoon-A Kang, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology

The Kang lab's research interests are understanding the mechanisms underlying cell fate decision and lineage specification in hematopoietic stem cells and multipotent progenitors to modulate lineage output in disease and aging contexts.

Kang lab website »

Celeste Karch, PhD

Celeste Karch, PhD

Professor, Department of Psychiatry

The Karch lab studies the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative tauopathies.

Karch Lab website »

David J Kast, PhD

David J Kast, PhD

Assistant Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology

Biogenesis and dynamics of intracellular membrane compartments; molecular mechanisms and regulation of cytoskeleton and membrane interactions.

Kast Lab website »

Miriam Kim, MD

Miriam Kim, MD

Assistant Professor, Oncology

Focused research on rational manipulation of human hematopoietic cells for the treatment of disease by combining genetically engineered hematopoietic stem cells and chimeric antigen receptor T cells for therapy of acute myeloid leukemia.

Faculty Profile »

Eynav Klechevsky, PhD

Eynav Klechevsky, PhD

Associate Professor, Immunology

The Klechevsky Lab investigates the role of dendritic cell subsets in both healthy and diseased tissues, as well as the environmental cues that regulate their development, with the goal of developing novel immunotherapy approaches to combat cancer and autoimmune diseases.

Lab Website »

Kristen Kroll, PhD

Kristen Kroll, PhD

Professor, Department of Developmental Biology

The Kroll lab uses human stem cell and mouse models to study transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of brain development and its disruption to cause neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and intellectual disability syndromes.

Kroll Lab website »

Kory Lavine, MD, PhD

Kory Lavine, MD, PhD

Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Department of Developmental Biology

The overarching goal of the Lavine laboratory is to identify disease mechanisms that contribute to the pathogenesis of heart failure and design novel strategies to effectively treat these important diseases. They focus on two important areas: precision therapies for heart failure and immune cell heterogeneity and ontogeny.

Lavine Lab Website »

Tristan  Qingyun Li, PhD

Tristan Qingyun Li, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Department of Genetics

The Li laboratory is broadly interested in neuroimmunology with a focus on microglial biology. Particularly, the lab is interested in combining cutting-edge single-cell genomic technologies with in vitro and in vivo genetic, molecular and cellular tools to investigate microglial development, heterogeneity and mechanisms of neuro-immune interactions underlying brain structure and disease. We try to address two major questions: (1) how microglia (and other immune cells) are different in development, aging and neurodegeneration, and related to that, how these different populations of microglia interact with other neural cells to control brain structure and functioning; (2) how microglial fate is specified and diverged from other tissue macrophages during early embryonic development. By studying these questions, the overarching goal is to gain a better understanding of microglial functions in the establishment of the nervous system, as well as how changes in these functions contribute to neurological diseases.

Li Lab website »

Michael B Major, PhD

Michael B Major, PhD

Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology

Studying how perturbation of specific signal transduction pathways contributes to the initiation, progression and dissemination of cancer.

Major Lab website »

Helen McNeill, PhD

Helen McNeill, PhD

Professor, Department of Developmental Biology

The McNeill lab studies how tissue growth and patterning are regulated in normal development, and how disruptions lead to disease. Current projects focus on Nemp proteins in metazoan fertility and the Fat/Hippo pathway in flies and mice.

McNeill Lab website »

Michael P. Meers, PhD

Michael P. Meers, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics

The Meers Lab studies how transcription factors interact with and overcome barriers presented by chromatin landscapes to specify developmental and cellular reprogramming outcomes. To do so, we develop cutting-edge epigenomics techniques to map transcription factor binding and chromatin structure in the same context at high resolution. We further use these tools and the insights gained from them to better understand the etiology of a range of cancers whose pathogenesis centers on the global dysregulation of chromatin landscapes.

Meers Lab website »

Gretchen Meyer, PhD

Gretchen Meyer, PhD

Assistant Professor, Program in Physical Therapy; Affiliate, Department of Biomedical Engineering

The Meyer lab focuses on understanding how changes at the cellular level in skeletal muscle affect muscle structure and function, and, in turn, how pathological changes in muscle affect cellular processes. In particular, their research investigates fat’s effect on muscle function and how that effect is regulated at cellular and tissue levels.

Meyer lab website »

Timothy Miller, MD, PhD

Timothy Miller, MD, PhD

Professor, Department of Neurology

The Miller Laboratory is dedicated to understanding neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and dementias in order to develop new, effective, and safe treatments. They focus on translational neuroscience, new therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative diseases, and precision medicine.

Miller lab website »

Jeffrey Millman, PhD

Jeffrey Millman, PhD

Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Lipid Research, Department of Medicine; Department of Biomedical Engineering

The Millman lab investigates novel stem cell technology and biomedical engineering approaches for the treatment of diabetes.

Millman Lab website »

Mayssa Mokalled, PhD

Mayssa Mokalled, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Developmental Biology

The Mokalled lab investigates mechanisms of spinal cord regeneration after injury or disease using zebrafish as a primary model.

Mokalled Lab website »

Josh Morgan, PhD

Josh Morgan, PhD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

The Morgan Lab studies the organization, development, degeneration, and regeneration of the synaptic organization of the visual system. We are currently focused on determining the extent to which microcircuitry in the visual thalamus can recover from denervation..

Morgan Lab website »

Colin G Nichols, PhD

Colin G Nichols, PhD

Carl Cori Professor, Department of Cell Biology and Physiology; Director, Center for the Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases; Affiliate, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Colin’s research spans from the molecular basis of potassium channel activity to human disease. His work on KATP channel activity led to the discovery of the mechanism of human neonatal diabetes and a revolution in therapy – affected children can now take once a day pills – even dissolved in milk – rather than traumatic, three times a day insulin injections.

Nichols Lab website »

David Ornitz, MD, PhD

David Ornitz, MD, PhD

Professor, Department of Developmental Biology

The Ornitz lab investigates the functions of Fibroblast Growth Factors (FGFs) and their role in development, homeostasis, tissue regeneration, and response to injury. We primarily use mouse models and cell culture. Our areas of interest include skeletal homeostasis and maintenance of bone mass, postnatal lung development, pulmonary hypertension, and heart failure.

Ornitz Lab website »

B. Duygu Ozpolat, PhD

B. Duygu Ozpolat, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Department of Developmental Biology

If humans lose their reproductive cells (i.e eggs and sperm) they become infertile, in contrast, some animals regenerate their reproductive cells and reproductive organs. The Ozpolat lab's goal is to uncover the mechanisms of reproductive cell and tissue regeneration by identifying the cell types and genes involved in this process, which will inform regenerative medicine approaches.

Ozpolat lab website »

David J Pagliarini, PhD

David J Pagliarini, PhD

Hugo F. & Ina C. Urbauer Professor and BJC Investigator Departments of Cell Biology and Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, and Genetics

We are an interdisciplinary team of scientists driven to understand the biochemical underpinnings of mitochondrial dysfunction in human diseases. Together, we integrate large-scale methodologies with traditional biochemistry to investigate the modulation, adaptation, and basic metabolic function of mitochondria.

Pagliarini Lab website »