Current Lab Members

Professor, Ben May Department for Cancer Biology and Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology

Member: Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology

Committee on Development, Regeneration and Stem Cell Biology

Committee on Genetics, Genomics and Systems Biology

UChicago Comprehensive Cancer Center                                                           UChicago Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology

Ph.D. Biology, Yale University 1993
B.A. Mathematics, Columbia University 1987

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DRSB 2023

B.S. Indiana University Northwest, Biology

I am interested in understanding how intercellular signaling and cell mechanics work together to generate precise and robust patterns during development.

Personal Background: Born and raised in Gary, Indiana. In addition to science, I’m also an avid dancer and naturalist.

Favorite gene/protein: fruitless.

Honorary titles: TBA

B.A. Kenyon College 2024, Molecular Biology

I’ve always loved learning about the robust pathways that integrate cellular signals to guide an organism’s development and tissue formation! That’s one of the big reasons that I’m so interested in studying the Notch pathway, whose activity can lead to a variety of outcomes depending on the developmental context.

Personal Background: I am originally from Ohio and was introduced to the University of Chicago through a summer research program in 2022. I was trained as a percussionist in high school, but nowadays I really enjoy playing the bass!

Favorite gene/protein: Homeobox genes.

Honorary titles: None that the lab wants me to know of…

CDBM Post-Bac Scholars Research Program 2024

BS Harvey Mudd College 2024, Mathematical & Computational Biology

I’m interested in cell differentiation mechanisms and transcription factor network dynamics.

Personal Background: Grew up in China and moved to California as a teenager. I enjoy rock climbing in my spare time.

Favorite Gene: Just learning fly genetics – stay tuned…

Honorary Titles: TBA

DRSB 2019

BS in Biochemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

I’m interested in the cell biological mechanisms and regulatory signals that potentiate coordinated morphological changes across multiple cell types to give rise to a function organ.

Personal Background: Native Chicagoan.

Favorite Gene: Shavenbaby or Lavalamp

Favorite Paper: Canalization by Selection of de Novo Induced Mutations. Fanti et., al., Genetics (2017). This paper will either make you love or hate fly genetics.

Honorary Titles: I don’t think I’ve earned any honorary titles yet, but I’m sure that will change with time.

DRSB 2017

B.S. Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Genetics & Biotechnology

The simplicity in design of the Notch signaling pathway belies exceptional complexity as Notch can perform a plethora of functions (proliferation, cell fate specification, morphogenesis, cell death, etc) in a context-dependent manner (across different tissues or in the same tissue at different timepoints/conditions). I’m interested in understanding how different factors can activate/inactivate Notch in a spatiotemporal manner to ensure its proper functioning. Currently, I study how the Abelson kinase regulates Notch trafficking and signaling.

Personal Background: Born and raised in Peru. Lived in Havana, Cuba and various cities in the US

Favorite gene/protein: Of course Notch, but I also like armadillo (B-cat).

Honorary titles: The wing person in the lab, master of learning new protocols (even if I have to teach myself).

?? Major, UChicago Class of 2027

I’m interested in the cellular properties and interactions that contribute to the emergence of local and tissue-scale pattern. My project uses genetic perturbations to induce changes in cell growth in the Drosophila retina and then examine how the resulting local changes in packing geometry alter cell mechanics to impact broader tissue structure.

Personal Background: From Turkey.

Favorite Gene: TBA

Honorary Titles: TBA

PhD, Institute of Developmental Biology, Moscow

I am broadly interested in the evolution and function of gene regulatory networks during development. My current projects focus on transvection and transcriptional-level feedback regulation during cell fate specification.

Publications: Wu et al., PLoS Genetics 2020

Personal Background: Born and raised in the Soviet Union, but have worked at the University of Chicago for a long long time.

Favorite Gene: Even-skipped (Eve)

Honorary Titles: Grand master of molecular biology and genetics.