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

email

DRSB 2024

B.S./M.S. Syracuse University 2021, Biochemistry/Biology

I am interested in applying quantitative imaging approaches and computational analysis to study cell and tissue scale morphogenesis.

Personal Background: I’ve been into science, particularly microscopy, since my early days as an undergrad.

Favorite gene/protein: TBA.

Honorary titles: Coding guru.

CDBM Post-Bac Scholars Research Program 2025

BS Tennessee Tech University 2025, Chemistry

I’m learning about developmental biology and fly genetics and am interested in just about everything.

Personal Background: I enjoy team sports, particularly soccer.

Favorite Gene: Notch or Delta.

Honorary Titles: TBA

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

?? 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: Akt

Honorary Titles: Expert campus tour guide

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.