Our Team
Principal Investigator
Dr. Cai is interested in studying how chromatin organization and transcription can be influenced by biomoleuclar condensates. As a Principal Investigator of the Cai Lab, Dr. Cai will use advanced imaging techniques to study how cells remodel their regulatory DNA landscape to turn on transcription.
Email: danfeng.cai {at} jhu.edu
Choon Leng So, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Choon completed her B.Sc.(Pharmacy)(Hons) at the National University of Singapore and her Ph.D. at the University of Queensland. Her Ph.D. research focused on assessing the intersection between calcium signaling, matrix stiffness and morphological changes in the context of breast cancer. Intrigued by some interesting observations she made during her Ph.D. on transcription factors and coactivator proteins, she joined the Cai lab to explore them further.
Songtao Ye, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Songtao completed his Ph.D. in Chemistry at the Pennsylvania State University focusing on understanding the bimolecular condensates from biophysical perspectives. As a postdoctoral fellow in the Cai Lab, Songtao is interested in the physiological and pathological functions of membrane-less organelles. We he is not in the lab, Songtao enjoys traveling around, watching Netflix and spending time with his family.
Jane Lee
PhD Student
I’m Jane Lee, a first year PhD student in the John’s Hopkins Bloomberg SPH BMB program. I did my undergrad in biochemistry in Maine, which is why there’s so much snow in the picture! I enjoy studying about different diseases and how our discoveries can lead us to find new directions in therapeutic interventions. But, apart from school, I enjoy drawing and painting!
Ethan Black
PhD Student (BMB, Joint with Ashani Weeraratna lab)
Ethan completed his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at Rutgers and is excited to continue his career in research here at Johns Hopkins. Ethan is interested in research involving age-related disease and discovering new candidates for therapeutic targeting. When he’s not in the lab, you can find him taking care of his houseplants or trying new blends of tea.
Yiran (Erin) Wang
PhD Student (BMB)
Yiran completed her B.S. in Biochemistry at UC Davis and her M.S. at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She found her enthusiasm in researching fundamental biology. During her master, she searched for small molecules that facilitate pathogenic metal uptake during fungal infection. Intrigued by the diversity of cellular responses to stress, she is now interested in studying the regulatory mechanisms that enable the dynamics of subcellular compartments.
Nadav Benhamou Goldfajn
Undergraduate student (JHU)
My name is Nadav, I’m a senior biophysics major with a minor in applied math. I studied physics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, for two years before becoming fascinated with biomolecular condensates, transferring to Hopkins, and eventually joining the Cai lab. Outside the lab I enjoy hiking and learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Jindayi Liang
ScM Student
Jindayi is a second year ScM student in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg SPH BMB program. He completed his undergraduate studies in Biology at College of William and Mary, where he studied genetic modification of diatom biomaterial. As a master student in the Cai lab, he is interested in studying genome structure and transcriptional condensates.
Celia Hallinan
Rotation PhD Student
Welcome Celia, the first ever rotation student from the BCMB PhD program!
Amulya Rao
Rotation Master (ScM) Student
I'm Amulya Rao, a first-year student ScM student in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health BMB program. I completed my Bachelor of Engineering in Biotechnology at R.V. College of Engineering, Bengaluru, India. I am interested in the Cancer Biology domain and wish to wish to explore it as much as possible. I was fascinated by molecular condensates which led me to rotate in this lab.
Alumni
Binglin Huang, ScM student
Siyuan Hao, ScM student
Manasi Datar, research specialist
Hannah Fuehrer, MHS student
Suchitra Magesh, MHS rotation student
Justin Demmerle, postdoctoral fellow
Alex Lee, undergraduate student (UCLA)
Britney He, undergraduate student (Grinnell College)
Now: research assistant at Howard Chang lab, Stanford University