Lab

I completed my Ph.D. training at Harvard with Elliott Kieff, uncovering the complex host-pathogen chromatin interactions during viral-driven lymphomagenesis. I next moved west for some warmth and sunshine, where I worked with Garry Nolan at Stanford on technology development and ways to better interrogate biological systems. My current interests lie at the intersection of addressing critical questions in host-disease interactions, through the development and applications of novel spatial technology platforms and computational algorithms. Ongoing work includes the biology of viral pathogenesis, tumor biology, and immune dysregulation.

I fell in love with bench work while spending summers with my dad while he was in a PhD program, and bench work is all I’ve wanted to do since. I attended Lewis & Clark college and got a BA in Biochemistry and Molecular biology and a few years later joined a histology core in Oregon. My interests lie in all things tissue (so long as it can’t talk back).

I was recruited to the CVVR in Feb 2023 to bring research histotechnology capabilities to the institute. I split my time between Sizun’s lab, Dan Barouch’s lab and running the Tissue Technologies Unit.

After finishing high school in Germany, I moved to Cambridge (UK) for my undergraduate and master’s degrees where I worked with Dr. Geoffrey Smith on SARS-CoV-2 innate immune evasion and Dr. Colin Crump on HSV-1 tegument proteins, respectively. I then moved to the US in 2022 and am currently a G2 graduate student in the Virology PhD Program. My previous rotations were with Dr. Ben Gewurz and Dr. Philip Kranzusch, after which I rotated in and then joined the Jiang lab. My primary research interests are host-pathogen interactions at the immunity interface as well as the development and implementation of novel spatial technologies.

I completed my doctoral training with Ben Gewurz at Harvard. Through transcriptomics and proteomics approaches, I constructed the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)-B cell protein-protein interaction map, uncovering multiple mechanisms the virus employs to evade host intrinsic and innate immune pathways. Outside the lab, I enjoy photography and running.

During my Ph.D. life, I was co-trained in a wet lab (Dr. Zihai Li at OSU) and a dry lab (Dr. Qin Ma at OSU) for developing and applying machine/deep learning tools to study anti-tumor immunity. For computation, I am interested in modeling biological pattern presentation using graph-based methods. Regarding biology, I prefer to mine atlas-level data to study T-cell exhaustion mechanisms in different conditions. In the future, I would like to work in this direction in-depth.

During my Ph.D. studies, I specialized in deep learning and bioinformatics, primarily focusing on developing language and vision models for scRNA-seq, single-cell proteome, spatial transcriptomics, as well as multi-modal for multi-omics analysis.

During graduate school, my research focused on developing molecular classifiers to predict immunotherapy response in bladder cancer. Looking ahead, my goal is to build machine learning models that integrate multimodal data—genomics, histopathology, and clinical features—to predict disease risk and treatment response. By bridging computational biology with translational research, I hope to create predictive tools that can be integrated into clinical workflows to improve patient care through data-driven decision-making.

I completed my Ph.D. at University of Hong Kong (HKU) under the mentorship of Dr. Yuanhua Huang, focusing on single-cell genomics. My research has centered on developing statistical methods for allele-specific somatic copy number variation detection from single-cell and spatial transcriptomic data, with the goal of understanding genetic diversity in biological systems.

Currently, my interests lie in advancing research in gynecologic cancers and women’s health through the development and application of novel spatial technology platforms, computational modeling approaches, and creative data visualizations to uncover meaningful insights.

Outside of research, I am passionate about hiking, rock climbing, and other extreme sports. I also enjoy practicing calligraphy and recording moments from daily life for fun, which helps me stay creative and balanced.

I am a pharmacist by training with an interest in infectious diseases and host immunity. During my Ph.D., I investigated how the emerging fungal pathogen Candida auris develops multidrug resistance, causes hospital outbreaks, and interacts with the host immune system using molecular genetics and multi-omics approaches. In the Jiang lab, I am excited by the development of innovative technologies that enable us to study host-disease interactions in their native spatial and physiological context. I believe that new technologies unlock new biology. Outside the lab, I enjoy hiking and spending time with friends.

I’m a Harvard Medical School student currently in the Jiang Lab. My background spans molecular infectious disease, mechanistic immunology, and global health economics. I’m interested in the intersection of pathology and computational imaging, particularly in immunology and infectious disease. My current work involves helping to build a cell atlas from spatial proteomics data.

I completed my PhD with Dr. Christian Behl at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, where I worked on protein homeostasis and cellular stress in Alzheimer’s disease. In the Jiang Lab, I am interested in using spatial multi-omics approaches to study amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and dystonia, with a particular focus on how tissue architecture is reshaped during disease progression. Outside the lab, I enjoy photography and travelling.

Seven years ago, I studied cancer, as in crabs. Now, as a cancer immunologist, I am building interpretable virtual tumor models to simulate tumor-immune microenvironment remodeling in pancreatic cancer during chemo-immunotherapy! What do these two “cancers” have in common? Both live in complex environments and continually adapt their behavior to maximize survival. Taking an ecological lens to cancer allows us to view a tumor not simply as a collection of malignant cells, but as a dynamic ecosystem in which cancer cells, immune cells, stromal cells, and therapies interact and reshape one another over time. By combining spatial patient data with mechanistic computational modeling, I hope to uncover why some tumors respond to treatment while others resist. I have an interdisciplinary research foundation spanning genetics, molecular biology, immunology, informatics, and quantitative modeling, with experience in both computational and wet-lab approaches. Outside of research, my main hobbies are SCUBA diving, downhill skiing, and backpacking!

I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of California, Irvine, double majoring in Chemistry and Biological Sciences, where I worked with Dr. Rachel Martin on lens biology and cataract formation. I then earned my master’s in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania, developing placenta-on-a-chip models in Dr. Dan Huh’s lab to study preeclampsia. In the Jiang Lab, I continue to explore new scientific questions and broaden my research interests. Outside the lab, my hobbies are constantly expanding, but I especially enjoy hiking and staying active.

I majored in Life Sciences and have a strong interest in immunobiology and microbiology. During my undergraduate studies, I worked on a project aimed at discovering a novel toxin from gut Bacteroides under the supervision of Prof. Xiang Gao.

Moving forward, I hope to become an amphibious researcher. I am eager to learn how computational biologists think, ask questions, and approach biological problems.

Outside the lab, I enjoy cycling and reading novels, like the super long one.