Team | The Özkan Lab

Current members

Engin Özkan Associate Professor Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology The Neuroscience Institute The Institute for Biophysical Dynamics
Natalie Tsang Lab Manager Synaptic targeting and remodeling
Viola Nawrocka Graduate Student (Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics) Cellular signaling of neuronal wiring receptors in D. melanogaster
Elena Cortes Graduate Student (Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics) Structural biology of novel axon guidance receptor-cue complexes
Jessica Priest Graduate Student (Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics) Repulsive axon guidance receptors
Indya Weathers Graduate Student (Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics) Cross-talk between axon guidance pathways in the nematode nervous system
Sebastian Machera Medical Student/Research Assistant Dendrite morphogenesis in C. elegans
Asaf Lebovic Undergraduate Student Rational design and engineering of neuronal wiring receptors in the fruit fly

Past members

Yeonhee Jenny Park Lab Technician and Manager Crystallography and Biophysics of fruit fly proteins in synapse specification. Next Position: UIC College of Pharmacy, Doctor of Pharmacy Program
Elana Baltrusaitis Lab Technician and Manager Protein interaction screening. Next Position: UPenn, Ph.D. Program
Shouqiang Cheng Post-doctoral Scholar Cell surface Protein Interactomes regulating synapse formation. Next Position: Abbott, Senior Scientist
Jing Wang Post-doctoral Scholar Crystallography of axon guidance protein complexes.
Joseph Pak Graduate Student (Committee on Neurobiology) Axon guidance and coalescence in the mouse nervous system
Agnieszka Olechwier Master’s Student Crystallography and Biophysics of fly and worm protein complexes controlling axon guidance Next Position: Paul Scherrer Institute (Switzerland), Ph.D. Program
Patryk Poliński Master’s Student Structural Biology of secreted synaptogenic factors Next Position: Centre for Genomic Regulation (Spain), Ph.D. Program
Justyna Kurleto Master’s Student Biophysical rules and evolution of immunoglobulin superfamily proteins involved in neuronal identity and connectivity Next Position: UT Southwestern, Ph.D. Program
Nathan Canniff Undergraduate Student Cell surface Interactomes and Synapse Specification Next Position: UMass Amherst, Ph.D. Program
Brad Lee Undergraduate Student Extracellular Matrix proteins involved in controlling synapse formation Next Position: Northwestern University, Medical (M.D.) Student
William Mallen Undergraduate Student Signaling pathways involved in synapse formation and maturation Next Position: Columbia University, Ph.D. Program
Zainab Aziz Undergraduate Student Structural Biology of secreted proteins in synapse formation and axon guidance Next Position: Columbia University, M.D./M.S. Program
Raunak Kundagrami Undergraduate Student Molecular evolution of axon guidance complexes in early vertebrates Next Position: Harvard University, Ph.D. Program
Justin Lee Undergraduate Student Rational design and engineering of neuronal wiring receptors in the fruit fly
Isabel Ojeda Lab Technician and Manager Biochemistry of novel axon guidance receptor-cue pairs Next Position: Research and Development Scientist, Abbott
Michael Clark Rotation Student (MSTP, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics)
Christina Roman Rotation Student (Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics)
Marta Borowska Rotation Student (Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics)
Nicole Ladd Rotation Student (Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics)
Matt Reyer Rotation Student (Biophysical Sciences)
Matt Rosen Rotation Student (Computational Neuroscience)
Shuo Huang Rotation Student (Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics)