Lab Members

Our Staff

JiEun Lee.
Ji-Eun Lee, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist

Dr. Ji-Eun Lee is a molecular biologist and a self-taught bioinformatician. She received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2007 from Seoul National University College of Medicine in Korea. Since joining the Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section, Dr. Lee has made significant contributions to the field by identifying MLL3/MLL4 as histone H3K4 methyltransferases and characterizing their crucial roles in enhancer activation. Moving forward, her long-term research goal is to deepen our understanding of the coordinated actions of MLL3/MLL4 with other enhancer regulators.

Our Fellows

Young-Kwon Park.
Young-Kwon Park, Ph.D.
Research Fellow

Dr. Young-Kwon Park received his Ph.D. degree from the Department of Life Science at University of Seoul in 2013. Since joining the lab, he has been working on two projects: (1) transcriptional regulation of adipose tissue development and expansion and (2) the epigenomic regulation of enhancers to control cell-type-specific gene expression. His research primarily focuses on understanding epigenomic regulation of cell fate transition, with a particular emphasis on the role of chromatin remodeling complexes in regulating enhancer activation, cell differentiation and mouse development.

Guojia Xie.
Guojia Xie, Ph.D.
Research Fellow

Dr. Guojia Xie received his Ph.D. in Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Peking University in 2017. His PhD project mainly focused on the subtype-selective regulation of hormone-responsive breast carcinogenesis by UTX, a specific member in MLL3/MLL4 complexes. In March 2018, he joined the Ge lab and continued to study the roles of MLL3/MLL4 complexes in embryonic development and cellular differentiation. Especially, he is interested in investigating how epigenetic regulators and the chromatin landscape coordinate to control cell fate transition during lineage commitment. By understanding the basic biological logic behind this, he intends to get more insights into the etiology and potential therapeutic targets for developmental diseases and cancers.

Danyang Wan.
Danyang Wan, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Danyang Wan received her Ph.D. in Cellular Biology from Wuhan University in 2018. Her research during her doctoral studies focused on the epigenetics of adipogenesis and metabolic diseases. Her thesis investigated the role of histone variant macroH2A in adipogenesis and high-fat diet-induced obesity. She joined Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section in September 2019 and continues her interests in histone variants and their chaperones in adipogenesis and adipose tissue function. She is also currently working on understanding the function of histone modifications H3K18ac and H3K27ac in cell fate decision and embryonic development.

Cuncun Ke.
Cuncun Ke, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Cuncun Ke received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from China Agricultural University in 2019. Her doctoral research was focused on verifying the receptor responsible for mediating the transfer of maternal IgG from females to the fetus. After completing her Ph.D., she joined the Joint National Laboratory for Antibody Drug Engineering, Henan University as a postdoctoral research fellow where she investigated human diseases such as cataracts and periodontitis. Since joining the Ge lab in October 2021, she has been investigating how H3K4 methyltransferases MLL1 and MLL2 regulate gene expression, cell differentiation, and mouse development.

Hieu Van.
Hieu Van, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Hieu Van received her Ph.D. in Genetics and Epigenetics from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. As a graduate student, she comprehended the importance of histone methylation and its modifiers in transcription and its implications in cancers. Her thesis specifically focused on biochemically and functionally characterizing two methyl lysine readers. She joined Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section in February 2022. She is determining the molecular model of lineage determining transcription factor (LDTF)-mediated enhancer activation, aiming to provide a holistic view of a coordinated network of transcriptional regulation and enhancer activation.

Christabelle Agyapong.
Christabelle Agyapong, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate IRTA

Ms. Christabelle Agyapong received her B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD. As an undergraduate student, she became very interested in research and developed her own research on the topics of the e-cigarette/vaping epidemic, COVID-19 pandemic, and public health through the MSU NIH ASCEND program. Her senior thesis specifically focused on the correlation of vaping and contracting COVID-19 in a historically Black University. She joined the Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section in August 2021. She continues building her research skills by assisting lab members with genotyping and mice management. She plans to continue her education by attending medical school in the near future.

Alumni

Zhizhong Ren, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2020-2021

Current position: Group leader, Shanghai Pharmaceuticals, China

Susanna Maisto, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate IRTA, 2020-2021

Current position: Ph.D. student, Yale University

Kaitlin McKernan, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate IRTA, 2019-2020

Current position: M.D./Ph.D. student, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Tian Xiao, Ph.D.
Visiting Scholar, 2019-2020

Current position: Associate Professor, Shenzhen University, China

Ruth Kopyto, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate IRTA, 2019-2020

Current position: Research and Development Associate, Regeneron

Nhien Tran, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate IRTA, 2018-2020

Current position: Ph.D. student, Harvard University

Younghoon Jang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2015-2019

Current position: Assistant Professor, Changwon National University, Korea

Hannah Schmidt, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate IRTA, 2018-2019

Current position: Ph.D. student, Duke University

Tommy O’Haren, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate IRTA, 2018-2019

Current position: Ph.D. student, Emory University

Victoria Noe-Kim, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate IRTA, 2017-2018

Current position: Resident Physician, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Aaron Broun, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate IRTA, 2017-2018

Current position: Social Science Research Analyst, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation

Lenan Zhuang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2013-2018

Current position: Assistant Professor, Zhejiang University, China

Nick Waring, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate IRTA, 2016-2017

Current position: Medical student, Columbia University

Eugene Froimchuck, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate IRTA, 2016-2017

Current position: Senior Scientist, AstraZeneca

Binbin Lai, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2014-2016

Current position: Associate Professor, Peking University, China

Limin Wang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2015-2016

Current position: Staff Scientist, NCI

Erin Koh, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate IRTA, 2015-2016

Current position: Chief Resident, Cleveland Clinic

Sarah Park, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate IRTA, 2013-2015

Current position: Physician, Mount Sinai Hospital

Chaochen Wang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2009-2014

Current position: Assistant Professor, Zhejiang University, China

Shiliyang Xu, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2012-2013

Current position: Head of Product Analytics, Google Workspace

Anne Baldridge (Giampietro), B.S.
Postbaccalaureate IRTA, 2011-2013

Current position: Registered Nurse, Included Health

Lifeng Wang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2008-2013

Current position: Associate Director, Takeda

Qihuang Jin, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2007-2012

Current position: Director in Biomarker Discovery, Dunwill Medical, China

Sean Grullon, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2011

Current position: Machine Learning Engineering Manager, PathAI

Soyun Choi, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate IRTA, 2010-2011

Current position: Manager, ConvergeHEALTH by Deloitte

Peter O’Halloran, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate IRTA, 2009-2010

Current position: Radiologist, Guthrie Clinic

Young-Wook Cho, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2003-2009

Current position: Contractor Molecular Biologist, NIDDK

Sunhwa Hong, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2003-2008

Current position: Senior Research Associate, University of Miami

Group Photos

Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section.Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section, 2023. Back left to right: Guojia Xie, Young-Kwon Park, Christabelle Agyapong, Hieu Van. Front left to right: Kai Ge, Cuncun Ke, Danyang Wan, Ji-Eun Lee.

Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section, 2017.Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section, 2017.Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section, 2015.Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section, 2015.Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section, 2012.Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section, 2012.
Last Reviewed May 2024