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Meet the Postdocs

Working on an individual personalized project under the guidance of a qualified faculty mentor, VAI’s exceptional postdoctoral fellows make great contributions to the science conducted in the Institute’s laboratories. They play a crucial role in the intellectual development and management of research projects and contribute to a considerable share of the hands-on research activities in the laboratory.

Department of Epigenetics

Nathaniel Buteyn, Ph.D.
Triche Laboratory

Pediatric leukemia immunology

Zach DeBruine, Ph.D.
Triche Laboratory
Anne Drougard, Ph.D.
Pospisilik Laboratory

Microglial cells control of peripheral metabolic tissues

Joel Hrit, Ph.D.
Rothbart Laboratory

Regulatory mechanisms of maintenance DNA methylation by DNMT1

Mengying Huang, Ph.D.
Shi Laboratory

Investigating the relationship between H2A.Z deposition and DNA methylation

Josh (Hyo Sik) Jang, Ph.D.
VAI Fellow
Peter Jones Laboratory and Dr. Stephen B. Baylin

Single cell resolution of immune landscape in cancer therapy

Ben Johnson, Ph.D.
Shen Laboratory

Epigenetics of reproductive cancers

Junwei Niu, Ph.D.
Wen Laboratory
Ilaria Panzeri, Ph.D.
Pospisilik Laboratory

Epigenetic origins of phenotypic variation in complex metabolic diseases

Hongkuan Wang, Ph.D.
Shi Laboratory

Identifying novel epigenetic readers and their inhibitors

Xiaoyan Xie, Ph.D.
Jones Laboratory

The role of DNA methylation in controlling gene expression during cancer development

Longxia Xu, Ph.D.
Shi Laboratory

Investigating novel histone readers and their function in cancer

Fan Xuan, Ph.D.
Wen Laboratory

Histone reader and epigenetic modifications in cancer

Hongwen Xuan, Ph.D.
Shi Laboratory

Histone readers and epigenomics

Zhaoyu Xue, Ph.D.
Wen Laboratory

Identifying and characterizing novel readers of histone modifications

Chih-Hsiang (Leslie) Yang, Ph.D.
Pospisilik Laboratory

Exploring the epigenetic mechanisms of Neuronatin (Nnat) deficiency-induced bistable overgrowth

Yucong Yu, Ph.D.
Shi Laboratory

Identifying and characterizing novel readers and epigenetic modifications

Department of Neurodegenerative Science

Miguel Aguileta, Ph.D.
Patrik Brundin Laboratory

Viral and bacterial infections as triggers for Parkinson’s disease

Ehraz Anis, Ph.D.
Patrik Brundin Laboratory

Exploring the contribution of the vermiform appendix to Parkinson’s disease

Amanda Burmeister, Ph.D.
Lena Brundin Laboratory

Investigating potential pathogen triggers for Parkinson’s disease

Hiba Douja Chehade, Ph.D.
Chu Laboratory
Liqiang Chen, Ph.D.
Chu Laboratory

Parkinson’s disease, basal ganglion, brain circuitry and dopamine depletion

Madalynn Erb, Ph.D.
Moore Laboratory

Functional interactions of genes that cause Parkinson’s disease

Clarissa Ferolla, Ph.D.
Moore Laboratory
Ella Kasanga, Ph.D.
Patrik Brundin Laboratory
Mohit Kwatra, M.Pharm., Ph.D.
Patrik Brundin Laboratory
Yue Ma, Ph.D.
Moore Laboratory

Immune therapy against prion disease

Caio Massari, Ph.D.
Moore Laboratory
Anthony Otero, Ph.D.
Moore Laboratory
Alice Prigent, Ph.D.
Henderson Laboratory
Emmanuel Quansah, Ph.D.
Patrik Brundin Laboratory

Pharmacological and epigenetic suppression of alpha-synuclein propagation

Estibaliz Santiago-Mujika, M.S., Ph.D.
Patrik Brundin Laboratory

Identifying pathogenic triggers of Parkinson’s

Dorian Sargent, Ph.D.
Moore Laboratory

Exploring the mechanisms implicating VPS35 in the neuropathology of Parkinson’s disease

Alex Soto-Avellaneda, Ph.D.
Henderson Laboratory
Naman Vatsa, Ph.D.
Henderson Laboratory
Saima Zameer, Ph.D, M.Pharm, B.Pharm
Patrik Brundin Laboratory
Wei Zhou, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow

Department of Cell Biology

Jamie Grit, Ph.D.
Steensma Laboratory

Inflammatory pain signaling in benign neurofibromas

Huadie Liu, Ph.D.
Yang Laboratory

Sumoylation and epigenetic silencing in the skeleton

Ye Liu, Ph.D.
Yang Laboratory

Desumoylation pathways in joint aging and osteoarthritis pathogenesis

Megan Michalski, D.D.S., Ph.D.
Williams Laboratory

Wnt signaling in craniofacial bone development

Payton Stevens
Payton Stevens, Ph.D.
Williams Laboratory

Wnt/Frizzled receptor signaling during pancreatic cancer progression

Department of Structural Biology

Minge Du, Ph.D.
Huilin Li Laboratory
H. Diessel Duan, Ph.D.
Huilin Li Laboratory

Investigating the mechanisms of lipid transport across biological membranes by P4 ATPase machinery

Qing He, Ph.D.
Melcher Laboratory

JAZ signaling in plants

Yihe Huang, Ph.D.
Lü Laboratory

Structural and functional studies of membrane proteins using single particle electron cyro-microscopy.

Sushant Kumar, Ph.D.
Du Laboratory
Yingying Meng, Ph.D.
Huilin Li Laboratory

How proteins safeguard genetic integrity of the species by directly binding to PPRs and eliminating Z-DNA structure in the germ cells

Zheng Ruan, Ph.D.
Du Laboratory

Ion channels, single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), electrophysiology

Feng Wang, Ph.D.
Huilin Li Laboratory

CDK phosphorylation of origin recognition complex (ORC)

Merissa (Xiansha) Xiao, Ph.D.
Huilin Li Laboratory

Proteasome and protein folding system involved in multi-drug resistance in Mycobacteria

Tinghai (Peter) Xu, Ph.D.
Melcher Laboratory & Jones Laboratory

DNMT-nucleosome complexes and PRC2-nucleosome complex

Yan Yan, Ph.D.
Melcher Laboratory

Structures and mechanistic studies of AMP-activated protein kinase

Qinglong You, Ph.D.
Huilin Li Laboratory

Epigenetic mechanisms in DNA damage point

Fengwei Zheng, Ph.D.
Huilin Li Laboratory

The molecular mechanisms of DNA replication in bacteria

Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming

Michael Dahabieh, Ph.D.
Russell Jones Laboratory

Characterizing heterogeneity of exhausted T cells and understanding the roles of peroxisomes in the tumor microenvironment

Joseph Longo, Ph.D.
Russell Jones Laboratory

Metabolic dependencies of immune and tumor cells

Eduardo Perez-Mojica, Ph.D.
Lempradl Laboratory

Mechanistic dissection of epigenetic inheritance

McLane Watson, Ph.D.
Russell Jones Laboratory
Lukai Zhai, Ph.D.
Krawczyk Laboratory

Histone H3 lysine 4 demethylase KDM5C/D functions in dendritic cells