Lab Members
Principal Investigators
William C. Liedtke, Jr. Chair in Cancer Research
Professor, Experimental Radiation Oncology
Distinguished Teaching Professor
Founder and Director, TRIUMPH Postdoctoral Training Program
Co-Director, CATALYST Summer Training Program
Program Director, UPWARDS
Email: KKeyomar@MDAnderson.org
Dr. Khandan Keyomarsi is a leading expert in cell cycle deregulation and targeted therapies, and she made the seminal discovery that cyclin E deregulation drives tumorigenesis, establishing low molecular weight (LMW) cyclin E as a key prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target. Her research has defined how aberrant cyclin E expression contributes to resistance to endocrine therapy and CDK inhibitors, leading to novel drug targets in breast cancer and other malignancies.
Her laboratory has demonstrated that tumors with high LMW-cyclin E expression exhibit enhanced CDK2 activity, making CDK2 inhibitors (e.g., Blu-222) a promising strategy to overcome CDK4/6 inhibitor resistance. She also identified IL-6 as a key driver of CDK4/6 inhibitor resistance in HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer, leading to the REVERT trial, which evaluates STAT3 inhibitors combined with CDK4/6 inhibitors (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT05384119). Her work on autophagy inhibition has influenced clinical trials aimed at enhancing CDK4/6 inhibitor efficacy (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03774472), and she has contributed to Wee1/Myt1 dual inhibition strategies for therapy-resistant tumors.
With more than 150 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals such as Nature Medicine, JNCI and NEJM, her research is supported by multiple NIH R01 grants, the Department of Defense, CPRIT and industry partnerships.In addition to her scientific contributions, Dr. Keyomarsi is dedicated to mentoring and training the next generation of cancer researchers. She provides structured mentorship in translational research, clinical collaborations and grant writing, preparing postdoctoral fellows for careers in academia and industry. She also supports high school, undergraduate and graduate trainees, fostering early-career development in oncology research.
Through her groundbreaking research and commitment to education, Dr. Keyomarsi continues to drive innovative therapeutic strategies for therapy-resistant breast cancer, shaping the future of translational cancer research.
Olla Stribling Distinguished Chair for Cancer Research
Professor and Chair, Breast Surgical Oncology
Joint appointments as Professor, Experimental Radiation Oncology and as Professor, Surgical Oncology
Email: KHunt@MDAnderson.org
Dr. Kelly Hunt¡¯s work focuses on finding more effective therapeutics for patients with breast cancer and soft tissue sarcomas. Her translational research investigations focus on developing novel treatment strategies involving agents that target cell cycle regulation. One of the KeyHunt lab¡¯s significant projects, was identification of low molecular weight cyclin E as an important prognostic marker of breast cancer. Ongoing studies are investigating the underlying mechanisms of resistance to standard of care therapeutics and metastasis for estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. The team has also identified a novel combination treatment strategy using cell cycle checkpoint defects in soft tissue sarcoma. Dr. Hunt has to her credit more than 700 peer-reviewed publications, 69 book chapters and eight books. As an international leader in breast cancer research, she has directed major clinical trials whose results have changed standard of care treatment for many patients with breast cancer.
Dr. Hunt served as the chair of the Breast Committee for the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG) and vice chair of the Breast Committee for the Alliance in Clinical Trials in Oncology. She also served as program director of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Cancer Research Program, and vice chair of the ACS Cancer Surgery Standards Program. She is the Immediate Past President of the Society of Surgical Oncology, Past President of the American Radium Society and Recorder of the American Surgical Association. Her contributions to the field of oncology and translational research have been recognized through numerous awards and accolades, including Faculty Achievement Award in Clinical Research from MD Anderson, a Texas Business Women¡¯s Award and induction into the Greater Houston Women¡¯s Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame, America's Top Doctors, the John Mendelsohn Award for Faculty Leadership and OncLive 2024 Giants of Cancer Care. She was elected as a fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Members
Hannah Wingate,?Ph.D.
Principal Research Scientist
Dr. Wingate's research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the progression of breast cancer. She continues to collaborate with researchers in the medical center. Dr. Wingate¡¯s teaching focus is on establishing a solid foundation of knowledge and interest in the general biology courses. She specializes in teaching cellular and molecular biology courses and developing critical thinking and laboratory skills in the upper-level courses.?
Yan (Esther) Wang, Ph.D.
Research Scientist (2019¨Cpresent)
Dr. Wang earned her Ph.D. from the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (China) and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. She joined the KeyHunt Lab in 2019 and works on identifying biomarkers in breast cancer in addition to providing her expertise in clinical studies. Specifically, she studies changes in cyclin E expression during tumor progression and identifies new biomarkers for early diagnosis and new prognostic factors to predict recurrence or drug resistance.
Min Yi, M.D., Ph.D.
Data Integration Developer
Dr. Min Yi earned her Ph.D. in biostatistics and a master's degree in health informatics. She has many years of experience working with clinical researchers and basic scientists and is responsible for the application of standard statistical methods in many projects within the KeyHunt Lab.
Xiayu Rao, M.S.
Research Statistical Analyst (2019¨Cpresent)
Xiayu earned her B.S. in biotechnology and M.S. in biology from Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangdong, China. She relocated to the United States and completed her M.S. in food & nutrition with a specialization in cancer nutrition from Purdue University, followed by M.S. in Biostatistics from the University of Texas at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health. Xiayu works on bioinformatics/biostatistics-related data analysis for the lab. She enjoys cooking, exercising, watching movie, and traveling in her free time.
Tuyen N. Bui, B.S.
Research Investigator (2003¨Cpresent)
Tuyen N. Bui received his B.S. degree in chemistry and biology from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Alabama. He joined the KeyHunt Lab as a Research Assistant in 2003 and was promoted to Research Investigator in December 2017. Since 2021 he has been serving as Coordinator of the Research Laboratory in the KeyHunt Lab. Tuyen is experienced in a vast array of lab techniques and protocols in molecular and cell biology, integrating his expertise into all projects within the laboratory. Additionally, Tuyen serves as the Lab Manager, overseeing lab operations, compliance and organization. As the coordinator, he organizes, distributes and verifies the work of others and participates in their training. He also coordinates the execution of projects and services and designs new laboratory exercises and procedures.
Rezvan Esmaeili, Ph.D.
Faculty/Instructor (2023¨Cpresent)
Dr. Rezvan Esmaeili holds a Ph.D. in molecular genetics from Tarbiat Modares University, Iran. Her research centered on prognostic, predictive and therapeutic biomarkers in breast cancer. In 2023, she joined the KeyHunt Lab at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Prior to this, she served as an Associate Professor at Motamed Cancer Institute, where her outstanding contributions earned her recognition as a distinguished researcher.
Driven by a passion for advancing cancer treatment, she decided to leave her previous role to pursue greater opportunities for contributing to cancer treatment discoveries. Her current research interests include exploring novel therapeutic strategies, with a particular focus on CDK7 inhibitors and drug resistance mechanisms in treating ER-positive and triple-negative breast cancer. Her overarching career goal is to enhance personalized treatments for breast cancer patients, emphasizing translational research.
Beyond the laboratory, Dr. Esmaeili enjoys TRX workouts, cooking and traveling with her spouse and friends.
Akshara Singareeka Raghavendra, M.B.B.S., M.S.
Assistant Professor
Akshara Singareeka Raghavendra is an Assistant Professor in Breast?Medical Oncology. Her research interests include identifying?prognostic and predictive factors to improve breast cancer survival.?Specifically, she focuses on identifying optimal treatment patterns and?prognostic or predictive factors through clinical and biological markers that?will generate interventional clinical trials and develop hypotheses related to?biological phenomena that will assist in personalized therapeutic decisions and ultimately elucidate mechanisms of resistance in advanced breast cancer.
Roanna Debler
Research Assistant I
Roanna Debler is a cancer researcher at MD Anderson with a background in psychology and neuroscience. She obtained her B.S. in psychology at Sam Houston State University and some graduate studies at Texas A&M University. Her previous work included studying nanoparticles for brain delivery and aryl hydrocarbon receptors in depression. She has published in the Journal of Affective Disorders and presented at the Society for Neuroscience. Currently she is honing her skills to contribute meaningfully to the KeyHunt lab. Outside the lab, Roanna enjoys crocheting and making art.
Brian Xu
Research Assistant I
Brian Xu earned a Bachelor¡¯s degree in Biology and Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis in 2021. Originally from Irvine, California, he recently relocated to Houston and joined the KeyHunt Lab in February 2025. Brian's previous research focused on exploring learning and memory mechanisms using mouse hippocampal models. Currently, his research interests center around investigating various types of cancer and their potential treatment strategies in clinical settings. Outside of the lab, Brian enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with his cat, Mushroom.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Mei-Kuang (Kathy) Chen, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2022¨Cpresent)
Dr. Chen earned her bachelor¡¯s degree in life sciences from National Tsing-Hua University, Taiwan, and pursued master¡¯s degrees from both the Institute of Molecular Medicine at National Tsing-Hua University and the Cancer Biology Program at UTHealth in Houston, TX, USA, where her research focused on DNA repair mechanisms and nuclear protein kinases. In 2020, she completed her Ph.D. at MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houson Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, studying kinase profiling in PARP inhibitor resistance in triple-negative breast cancer, a field she continued to explore during her early postdoctoral training.
In October 2022, Dr. Chen joined the KeyHunt Lab as a postdoctoral fellow. Her research aims to develop novel targeted therapies to overcome therapeutic resistance in breast cancer, with a particular focus on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying drug resistance. She is currently investigating the targeting of cell cycle regulatory kinases as a strategy to address resistance in both triple-negative breast cancer and CDK4/6 inhibitor-resistant ER-positive breast cancer. Additionally, Dr. Chen is now expanding her research by developing the use of electron microscopy for profiling breast cancer organoids.
Outside of her research, Dr. Chen enjoys cooking, solving jigsaw puzzles and shopping for her son.
Mi Li, B.S.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2023¨Cpresent)
Mi Li received his B.S. in Biology from Sichuan University in China after starting his research career as a technician at West-China Hospital of Sichuan University. Before starting his graduate studies at?Â鶹ӳ» MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, he received training at MD Anderson Cancer Center as a research assistant. In the KeyHunt lab, Mi is interested in the oncologic functions of low molecular weight cyclin E (LMW-E), particularly the association between LMW-E and genomic instability in breast cancer development, the different effects of LMW-E and full-length cyclin E on DNA replication and DNA damage responses, and how LMW-E facilitates DNA replication stress tolerance and cell proliferation with damaged DNA. Since childhood, Mi is a fan of model ships and planes. He enjoys upgrading toys for his two kids with 3-D printing.?
Linjie Luo, M.D., Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2021¨Cpresent)
Linjie Luo received her M.D. degree from the Sino-France medical program at Wuhan University, China, and Lorraine University, France. She obtained her Ph.D. degree from Texas A&M University Health Science Center in 2020. Her current research interests are investigating therapeutic strategies and mechanisms of drug resistance in breast cancer, particularly the CDK4/6 inhibitors in the treatment of HER2-enriched breast cancer. She is also interested in studying breast cancer initiation, risk factors, ethnic disparities and determinants for outcomes. Her career goal is to improve breast cancer prevention and patient outcomes from basic, translational research to clinical practice. She loves all kinds of tasty food and green tea worldwide and explores new restaurants in her spare time. She also loves classical music, particularly Frederic Chopin, and watching a variety of entertainment shows.
Nga Nguyen, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow?
Nga Nguyen earned her?B.Sc. and?M.Sc. in Biotechnology from the University of Science, Vietnam National University, in 2015 and 2019, respectively. She then obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, in 2024. In January 2025, Nga joined the KeyHunt Lab as a postdoctoral fellow. Her research focuses on investigating the potential of cell cycle-targeting inhibitors as anticancer therapies and elucidating their molecular mechanisms.
Ton?i Ivani?evi?, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow?
Ton?i Ivani?evi? joined the Keyomarsi Hunt Laboratory as a postdoctoral fellow in February 2025. He earned his undergraduate and master¡¯s degrees from Trinity College, University of Oxford, and completed his Ph.D. at the KU Leuven ¨C VIB Center for Cancer Biology. During his Ph.D. studies, he focused on the proteostatic regulation of RAS signaling, with a particular interest in the role of LZTR1 in tumorigenesis. In the Keyomarsi Hunt Lab, he is investigating the role of IL6 in the progression of metastatic breast cancer.
Graduate & Undergraduate Trainees
Xiao-Ting Jiang, M.D.
Graduate Student?(2023¨Cpresent)
Xiao-Ting Jiang received her M.D. degree from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in China. Since 2021, she has been enrolled in an 8-year continuous Masters-Ph.D. program at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China. Additionally, she is in her second year of a 2-year Ph.D. exchange program with her Chinese mentor, Professor Qiang Liu, at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, to the KeyHunt Lab at MD Anderson. Her current research focuses on investigating novel therapeutic strategies and mechanisms of drug resistance in advanced breast cancer.
Jiwang Lee
Undergraduate Student
Jiwang Lee is a second-year undergraduate student at Rice University majoring in exercise physiology and biochemistry and an undergraduate research intern in the KeyHunt Lab. His previous research involved using small molecule degraders of CDK4/6 to selectively target CDK4/6 inhibitor-resistant breast cancer. His current work focuses on investigating novel therapeutic strategies to overcome triple negative and CDK4/6 inhibitor-resistant breast cancer. In his free time, he enjoys exercising, biking along the Houston bayous and baking.
Nicole Massoumi
Undergraduate Summer Student
Carmen Ulizio
Undergraduate Student (2024¨Cpresent)
Carmen Ulizio is a current undergraduate student at Rice University majoring in biosciences and minoring in medical humanities. She joined the KeyHunt Lab in the spring of 2024 and her current research interests involve studying the role of IL-6 in breast cancer tumor development. She is also interested in cancer prevention, social determinants of health and bioethics. Outside of the lab Carmen enjoys reading, trying new restaurants and spending time with friends.
Grace Kim
Graduate Research Assistant
Grace J. Kim earned her B.S. in Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh in 2023. She is currently a master's student at UTHealth Houston MD Anderson Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in the Immunology program. She became interested in modulating immune cells after studying autoimmunity during her internship at the Helmholtz Diabetes Center in Munich. Her research focus is exploring the effect of target therapies on the tumor immune microenvironment and investigating methods to enhance anti-tumor immunity. In her free time, she enjoys playing the flute, reading and exploring the performance arts scene in Houston with her friends.
Staff & Administrative Support
Kara Lewis, Dr.P.H.
Administrative Director, Experimental Radiation Oncology
Dr. Kara Lewis received her B.S. and M.P.H. degrees at Purdue University before relocating to Houston to earn her Dr.P.H. at Â鶹ӳ» School of Public Health. Dr. Lewis has served in various research administration roles since she started at MD Anderson in 2012. In 2021, Dr. Lewis joined Experimental Radiation Oncology as the Administrative Director for the CPRIT and R25 training programs led by Drs. Keyomarsi and Watowich.
Danielle Rudolph
Senior Administrative Assistant, Experimental Radiation Oncology
Assistant to Dr. Keyomarsi
Email:?DNRudolph@MDAnderson.org
Danielle earned her Bachelor of Arts in telecommunication and film from the University of Alabama. She currently provides essential administrative and coordination support for Experimental Radiation Oncology and Dr. Keyomarsi. In her free time, Danielle enjoys expressing her creativity through fashion and exploring new cultures during her travels.
Mahogany Femi Griffin
Executive Assistant, Breast Surgical Oncology
Executive Assistant to Dr. Hunt
Email: MFGriffin@MDAnderson.org
Mahogany earned her Bachelor of Arts in political science/pre-law with a minor in business from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. After graduation, she decided to focus on her passion for organizing and helping others, finding fulfillment in roles that allow her to connect with people. She enjoys exploring her creative side through selling real estate and decorating homes. In addition, in her free time, Mahogany loves pottery, working out, hammocking, traveling and hanging out with friends.
Collaborators
Assistant Professor of Breast Medical Oncology
The major goal of the Debeb lab is to identify and target the molecular determinants of brain metastasis, and to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the unique pathobiology of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), a very aggressive and clinically distinct form of breast cancer. The lab conducts both basic laboratory investigation and translational breast cancer research with an overarching goal of developing novel and effective therapeutic strategies to improve survival of patients with aggressive breast cancer. Current efforts in the lab include developing mouse models of brain metastasis, identification and targeting of novel drivers of IBC tumorigenesis and brain metastasis, and evaluation of patient serum to identify biomarkers of aggressiveness, brain metastasis and therapy resistance.
Professor of Pathology
Section Chief of Breast Pathology
Director, Educational Operations, Department of Pathology
Alumni
Postdoctoral and Clinical Research Fellows
Francisco Saenz, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2019-2020)
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow in Radiation Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Xian Chen, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2013-2018)
Current Position: Research Scientist at UTHealth Cancer Genomics Cancer Center
Merih Guray Durak, M.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2017-2018)
Current Position: Pathologist
Ege University
Turkey (since 2018)
Dong Yang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2013-2015)
Current Position: Sr. Research Scientist
MD Anderson Cancer Center (since 2017)
Sira Macalou, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2012-2018)
Current Position: Researcher
MD Anderson Cancer Center (since 2012)
Opoku Adjapong, M.D., M.P.H.
Clinical Resident and Fellow (2012-2014)
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Health
Amanda Say, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Fellow (2012-2015)
Current Position: Chemistry Instructor
Minnetonka Public Schools (since 2019)
Ashleigh Francis, M.D.
Clinical Residents and Fellow (2012-2014)
Jason P. Carey, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2011-2018)
Current Position: Clinical Research Scientist, IPTC, MD Anderson Cancer Center (since 2019)
Angela Alexander, Ph.D.
TRIUMPH Postdoctoral Fellow (2011-2017)
Current Position: Coordinator of Clinical Studies
Breast Medical Oncology
MD Anderson Cancer Center (since 2017)
Chun-Hui Su, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2011-2015)
Anna Bieracka, M.D , Ph.D
Postdoctoral Fellow (2008-2010)
Current Position: Assistant Professor
University of Chicago
Elizabeth Mittendorf, M.D., Ph.D.
Clinical Resident and Fellow (2007-2009)
Current Position: Director of Breast Immuno-Oncology Program
Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
Nikki Delk, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2006-2009)
Current Position: Assistant Professor (since 2014)
Â鶹ӳ» at Dallas
Tomoya Yakota, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2005-2008)
Current Position: Senior Staff
Shizuoka Cancer Center
Laura Ann Lambert, M.D.
Clinical Residents and Fellows (2004-2005)
Current Position: Professor
University of Utah
Baohua Sun, M.D., Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2004-2006)
Current Position: Research Scientist
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Timothy Pawlik, M.D.
Clinical Resident and Fellows (2003-2004)
Current Position: Chair
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (since 2016)
Isabelle Bedrosian, M.D
Clinical Resident and Fellows (2002-2003)
Current Position: Professor
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Weihau Zhang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2002-2003)
Ekem Efuet, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2001-2005)
Current Position: Clinical Laboratory Scientist
Christus Santa Rose Hospital (since 2017)
Said Akli, Ph.D.
Clinical Resident and Fellow (2001-2003)
Current Position: Assistant Professor
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Matthew Calliser, M.D.
Clinical Resident and Fellow (2001)
Current Position: Chief Medical Office
Concord Medical Services (since 2019)
Sepideh Mohammadhosseinpour
Postdoctoral Fellow (2023¨C2025)
Graduate and Undergraduate Trainees
Grace DeAlessandro
Undergraduate Summer Student (2024)
Chien Tran-Phuoc
Undergraduate Summer Student (2024)
Mahdia Rahman
Undergraduate Summer Student (2024)
Rebecca Chen
CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate Student (Summer 2016 & 2017)
Current Position: Undergraduate,
Rice University
Selena (Hernandez) Carmona, M.S.
CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate Student (2014)
Current Position: Physician Assistant Program
Baylor College of Medicine (since 2017)
Chloe Friedman, MPH
CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate Student (2015)
Current Position: Database Coordinator
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (since 2017)
Smruthi Vijayaraghavan, Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2013-2017)
Current Position: Scientist
The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (since 2018)
Donald (Chris) Ellis, B.S.
CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate (2013)
Current Position: Account Manager
Agilent Technologies (since 2019)
Robert Lusi, Ph.D
CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate Student (Summer 2013)
Current Position: Graduate Student
University of California, Berkeley (since 2017)
Iman Doostan, M.D., Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2012-2017)
Current Position: Resident Physician
New York Medical College (since 2016)
Jolie Graf Schafer, Ph.D.
CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate Student (Summer 2012)
Current Position: Medical Science Liaison
TEVA Pharmaceuticals
Shayda Alaghemand, MSN
CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate Student (Summer 2012)
Current Position: Nurse
Amanda Hanks, Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2011-2016)
Current Position: Clinical Research Coordinator
University of California, San Francisco (since 2015)
Leila Salehi
CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate Student (Summer 2011)
Natalie Jabbour, Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2019-2015)
Current Position: Clinical Research Associate
DJO Global (since 2008)
Richard A. Meena, M.D.
CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate (2013)
Current Position: Surgery Resident
Emory University School of Medicine (since 2018)
Michelle Bouche
Graduate Research Assistant (2009-2011)
Kimberly Symanski Lucenay, Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2009-2015)
Joseph (Tony) Caruso, Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2009-2014)
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
University of California- San Francisco
MyLing Dong, Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2007-2012)
Current Position: Research Scientist
Bellicum Pharmaceuticals (since 2015)
Angela Nanos Webb, Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2005-2011)
Current Position: Math Instructor
Trinity Classical School of Houston
Johnny Shen, M.S.
Graduate Research Assistant (2006-2008)
Sonia Javan-Moghadam, Ph.D
Graduate Research Assistant (2004-2011)
Resting eternally in peace
Benjamin Mull, MS., Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2003-2010)
Current Position: Associate Director
University of Houston (since 2015)
Hannah Wingate, Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2002-2007)
Current Position: Associate Professor
Department of Biology
Houston Baptist University (since 2008)
Molliane (McGahren) Murray, Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2001-2007)
Current Position: Research Scientist
Cancer Systems Imaging
MD Anderson Cancer Center (since 2017)
Research Staff
Min Jin Ha, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor (2016¨C2024)
Sanaz Ghotbaldini, B.A.
Research Technician, Research Assistant (2019-2021)
Current Position: Medical school bound
Yanlai Lai, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Investigator (2019-2021)
Current Position: Senior Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (UTHSCSA)
Xian Chen, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2013-2018), Bioinformatic Analyst (2019-2020)
Current Position: Research Scientist at UTHealth Cancer Genomics Cancer Center
Cansu Karakas, MD
Visiting Scientist, Instructor (2011-2017)
Current Position: Associate Research Scientist, Department of Pathology
New York University Medical Center (since 2017)
Mehrnoosh Kohansal, B.S.
Research Assistant (2018-2019), CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate (2015)
Current Position: M.S. Program, MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (since 2019)
Yanna Liu, M.S
Research Investigator (2002-2008)
Rachel Kim
Research Assistant I (2023-2025)