Faculty

DBBS mentors and educators are key to our training mission. Those who serve as primary mentors are DBBS Program Members, and others who participate in the educational mission are General Members. Learn about DBBS Faculty Membership »

To provide a supportive learning environment for our trainees, many DBBS-affiliated faculty have completed eight or more hours of CIMER-based mentorship training with a trained facilitator, as indicated below with a profile badge.

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Find faculty of interest by entering a name, program or expertise keyword in the search bar; selecting a PhD program from the drop-down menu; or selecting the last name initial from the A-Z filter.

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Ganesh Chand, PhD

Assistant Professor

Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Biomedical Informatics and Data Science
Computational and Systems Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology

Research summary
We develop innovative computational analytical methodologies for studying brain health and neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s. The lab employs AI and multimodal neuroimaging — including PET, MRI/fMRI, and EEG — as well as behavioral, clinical and genetic approaches for designing predictive models, identifying disease heterogeneity dimensions and facilitating precision medicine

Key words
Neuroimaging, neurophysics, neuroinformatics, computational neuroscience, clinical research, artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, big data, neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders, neuroimaging-genetics, neuroimaging-behavior

Baron Chanda, PhD

Professor

Program affiliation
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Neurosciences
Molecular Cell Biology

Research summary
Non-canonical mechanisms of voltage-dependent regulation of membrane signaling.

Key words
voltage-dependent gating, ion channels, GPCR, single-molecule fluorescence, cryo-EM, electrophysiology, ligand binding, Allosteric corregulation

Aisling M. Chaney, PhD

Assistant Professor

Program affiliation
Neurosciences

Research summary
My research focuses on investigating system biological immune responses in neurodegenerative disease. Using various PET radiotracers, the lab works to detect brain and whole-body inflammation and links these imaging biomarkers to underlying blood and tissue cellular and molecular readouts using appropriate techniques.

Key words
Molecular imaging, neuroimmune interactions, translational research, myeloid cell responses, neurological and neurodegenerative diseases

Su-Hsin Chang, PhD

Associate Professor

Program affiliation
Biomedical Informatics and Data Science
Computational and Systems Biology

Research summary
Health and economic burden of obesity and surgical treatments of obesity, transplant outcomes, multiple myeloma prevention and control, and health disparities.

Key words

Tao Che, PhD

Associate Professor

Program affiliation
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Cell Biology
Neurosciences

Research summary
Characterizing and dissecting the molecular mechanisms of opioid receptor signaling

Key words
GPCRs, Analgesics, Side effects, opioid receptors, opioids, opioid alternatives

Chun-Kan Chen, PhD

Assistant Professor

Program affiliation
Molecular Cell Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Genetics and Genomics

Research summary
The Chen lab utilizes multi-omic and high-throughput screening approaches to investigate the regulation and function of circRNA and uncover the molecular mechanisms of circRNA-mediated disease.

Key words
Circular RNA, Oxidative Stress, RNA Translation, Cancer Vaccine

David Y. Chen, MD,PhD

Assistant Professor

Program affiliation
Cancer Biology
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Molecular Genetics and Genomics

Research summary
Defining drivers of premalignant states in skin

Key words
epigenetics, aging, cancer, premalignancy, dermatology, melanoma, nevi, squamous cell carcinoma

Feng Chen, PhD

Professor

Program affiliation
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Cancer Biology

Research summary
Molecular genetic studies of kidney diseases and cancer

Key words
Molecular genetics, kidney diseases, cancer, single cell omics, spatial omics

Haobin Chen, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor

Program affiliation
Cancer Biology
Molecular Cell Biology
Molecular Genetics and Genomics

Research summary
Identifying new therapeutic targets of small cell lung cancer

Key words
Lung cancer, DNA damage repair, immunology, drug resistance, genetic screening, translational research, drug development, targeted therapy, precision therapy

Hong Chen, PhD

Associate Professor

Program affiliation
General

Research summary
Advances the field of NeuroSonics by integrating breakthroughs in neuroscience and ultrasonics to deepen our understanding of brain function and transform the diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases.

Key words
Brain, neuroscience, cancer biology, imaging, ultrasound

Li-Shiun Chen, PhD

Professor

Program affiliation
Biomedical Informatics and Data Science

Research summary
I am a physician scientist with research interest in precision medicine and implemenation science. My research areas include tobacco treatment, pharmacogenomics, precision prevention, health informatics, and vulnerable populations.

Key words
Precision Medicine, Implementation Science, Health Informatics, Addiction, Tobacco

Shiming Chen, PhD

Dr. Bernard and Janet R. Becker Distinguished Professor

Program affiliation
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Neurosciences

Research summary
Molecular mechanisms regulating photoreceptor gene expression in healthy and diseased retinas

Key words
Gene expression regulation, transcription factors, epigenetic regulators, photoreceptor development and degeneration, mouse models, gene therapy

Wayland W. L. Chen, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor

Program affiliation
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Neurosciences
Molecular Cell Biology

Research summary
I am interested in the structure and function of neuronal ligand-gated ion channels, and the mechanism of channel modulation by lipids and drugs. We seek to use basic structural information to discovery and design small molecule inhibitors of these ion channels that may be developed into analgesics. The lab uses a combination of cryo-EM, assays of ion channel function including electrophysiology, photo-affinity labeling with mass spectrometry, and molecular dynamics simulations.

Key words
structural biology, cryo-EM, ion channels, pharmacology, drug discovery, lipids, allosteric modulation

Yao Chen, PhD

Assistant Professor

Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Molecular Cell Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Computational and Systems Biology

Research summary
Understanding neuromodulator actions, sleep regulation and sleep, and mechanisms of learning through the spatial and temporal features of biochemical signaling dynamics

Key words
neuromodulator, sleep, dynamics, sensors, actuators, signaling, G protein coupled receptors, imaging, microscopy, learning, plasticity, engineering

Ying Maggie Chen, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor

Program affiliation
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Cell Biology

Research summary
Understanding the molecular mechanisms of primary nephrotic syndrome (NS)

Key words

Milan G. Chheda, MD

Associate Professor

Program affiliation
Cancer Biology
Immunology
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology

Research summary
Cancer stem cells, oncolytic viruses, and functional genomics of cancer

Key words
Cancer stem cells, oncolytic viruses, and functional genomics of cancer

ShiNung Ching, PhD

Professor and Department Chair of Electrical & Systems Engineering

Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology

Research summary
The interface between systems and control engineering, neuroscience and neural medicine

Key words
Control of neural dynamics; Biophysical modeling of multiscale brain networks;

Jaehyung Gus Cho, PhD

Professor

Program affiliation
Molecular Cell Biology
Immunology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology

Research summary
Understanding the mechanisms that regulate platelet and neutrophil activation and their homotypic and heterotypic interactions under thromboinflammatory conditions.

Key words
Platelet, Neutrophil, Thrombosis, Inflammation, Stroke, Sickle Cell Disease, Intravital microscopy

Jaebok Choi, PhD

Assistant Professor

Program affiliation
Immunology
Molecular Cell Biology
Cancer Biology

Research summary
Understanding T cells and immunoregulatory networks in GvHD and GvL for the treatment of hematopoietic malignancies.

Key words
graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), graft-versus-leukemia (GvL), JAK-STAT, very-low-density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR), protein kinase N1 (PKN1), immune cell trafficking, transplant immunology, CRISPR/Cas9

Kyunghee Choi, PhD

Professor

Program affiliation
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Immunology
Cancer Biology
Molecular Cell Biology

Research summary
Angioimmune interface in development, tissue regeneration, and cancer

Key words
Cell fate, transcription factors, hematopoiesis, vascular, development, regeneration, stem cells, tumor angiogenesis, tumor immunity

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