Members
From Zhang Laboratory
 Zhang lab photo, 2025 @ Columbia University Irving Medical Center |
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Chaolin Zhang   Professor, Department of Systems Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Motor Neuron Center Chaolin is a Professor with joint appointments in Department of Systems Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, and Motor Neuron Center at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Before he joined Columbia, he performed PhD studies at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in computational biology and then Postdoc work on computational and molecular biology at Rockefeller University. Before that he obtained bachelor's degree studying Automation at Tsinghua University (Beijing). As an engineer-converted biologist, he has a deep interest in understanding gene regulatory logics. From the beginning of his academic endeavor, he decided to tackle the RNA code, i.e., how specific protein-RNA interactions determine the gene output in health and disease conditions, which remains the focus of the lab. Chaolin is a winner of Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00, 2011) and Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA/R35, 2022) from NIH, and Scientific Innovations Award from the Brain Research Foundation (2023).
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Current Lab Members
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Shah Alam (06/2023-), Postdoc Email: sa4354 (at) cumc (dot) columbia (dot) edu
Shah joined Zhang's lab in June 2023 as a postdoctoral research scientist. Prior to joining Columbia, he gained experience working as a postdoc at the LIMES Institute, University of Bonn, Germany, for over a year. He also completed his PhD at the same institute. During his PhD, he unraveled the signaling of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) in primary neurons, microglia, and astrocytes of a neurodegenerative disease mouse model called neural-cell specific S1P-lyase (SGPL1) deficient mice. He earned his master's degree in molecular biotechnology from the University of Bonn and his bachelor's degree in biotechnology from VIT University, India. Shah's current research plans involve delving into the regulatory mechanisms and lineage-specific alternatively splicing events and their functional impacts on brain development and developmental disorders. Moreover, he is also interested in developing experimental systems that will strategically map and compare RBP binding sites and RBP-dependent splicing regulation in neurons. Beyond his academic pursuits, he is particularly passionate about cricket, running, and hiking.
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Shane Chu (01/2024-), Postdoc Email: sc5502 (at) cumc (dot) columbia (dot) edu
Shane Chu earned his PhD in computer science from Washington University in St. Louis, working with Gary Stormo. His PhD work focused on developing interpretable representation learning methods for addressing challenges in protein-DNA/RNA interactions. Outside of his academic pursuits, he finds relaxation and enjoyment in playing tennis and visiting the Peridance Center in NYC.
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Wangyang Dai (10/2023-), Graduate Student (in rotation) Email: wd2383 (at) columbia (dot) edu
During her undergraduate studies, Wangyang studied how alternative splicing correlates with neuronal properties across different cell types. She then pursued her MA at Columbia, where she joined Zhanglab and began using crosslinking-induced mutation signatures (CIMS) to study protein-RNA interactions. Now, as a first-year graduate student in Systems Biology, she is building on this foundation, using CLIP-derived methods to detangle the specificity of protein-RNA interactions. Beyond the lab, she enjoys New York's musicals and museums, and always loves a good cup of coffee.
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Shuying He (1/2026-), Postdoc Email: sh4864 (at) cumc (dot) columbia (dot) edu
Shuying joined the Zhang Lab as a postdoctoral fellow in January 2026. She earned her B.S. in Biotechnology from Sun Yat-sen University in 2018, and then completed her Sc.M. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Johns Hopkins University in 2020 and 2025. During her doctoral training with Dr. Michael Matunis, she studied novel functions of the posttranslational modifier SUMO2 in regulating histone pre-mRNA processing and U7 snRNP complex assembly. In the Zhang Lab, her research focuses on designing programmable RNA-binding proteins. In her free time, Shuying enjoys cooking, staying active, and getting lost in science fiction.
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Brian Joseph (11/2021-), Postdoc (joint with Hynek Witchterle lab) Email: bj2468 (at) cumc (dot) columbia (dot) edu
Brian joined the Zhang and Wichterle labs as a postdoctoral fellow in November 2021 after a brief research experience in Kevin Eggan’s motor neuron lab at Harvard. He completed his PhD with Eric Lai at the Sloan Kettering Institute in NYC focusing on the biology of cotranscriptional RNA processing mechanisms. He plans to explore RNA metabolism in neurons and hopes to identify novel vulnerabilities that can be the basis for therapeutic intervention. Brian is currently an ALS scholar in therapeutics. A native Pakistani, Brian is obsessed with cricket and biryani. He is also an avid runner who still believes the PRs are yet to come.
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Paola Rinchetti (05/2022-), Postdoc Email: pr2485 (at) cumc (dot) columbia (dot) edu
Paola's research career started in 2014 in Prof. Stefania Corti's lab at University of Milan. During her studies in Italy, she maximized her knowledge in the field of cellular biology and in particular in the use of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and 2D models to study neurodegenerative diseases such as SMA and ALS and the development of potential treatments. During her PhD, she mainly focused on the generation of new 3D models to investigate the pathological mechanism underlying SMA and ALS. During this time, she was also involved in exchange programs with the laboratory of Prof. Prezdborsky and Prof. Lotti at Columbia University where she was able to deepen her knowledge in the field of in vivo models. In the Zhang lab, she is working on RNA-based medicine for neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Email: xw2006 (at) columbia (dot) edu
Before coming to work at Columbia, Xiaojian earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Beijing Medical University and the Ohio State University, respectively. At CUIMC, she worked as supporting staff and lab manager in several labs. She joined the Zhang lab in 2016, and has been providing support on both molecular biology experiments and mouse work, as well as daily lab operations. In her free time, Xiaojian enjoys cooking, watching baseball games, and spending time with her family.
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Email: yw4291 (at) columbia (dot) edu
Prior to joining Zhang lab, Ye obtained her PhD training on computational and synthetic biology in Tsinghua university. During her PhD, she proposed an AI-based generative framework for the de novo design of promoter elements in Escherichia coli, which showed a high success rate based on experimental validation in vivo. For her postdoc research, she plans to focus on inverse design of synthetic exons/introns to understand splicing regulation and their function in brain and developmental disorders, with an ultimate goal to facilitate the development of RNA-based precision genetic medicine. Outside the lab, Ye is passionate about yoga, running, and cooking.
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Jimin Yoon (03/2025-), Postdoc (joint with Shan Zha lab)
Jimin joined the Zhang and Zha labs as a postdoctoral research scientist in March 2025. She completed her Ph.D. with Dr Yoosik Kim at KAIST, where she investigated the role of mitochondrial double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) in immune regulation and autoimmune disease. Prior to joining Columbia, she spent six months at the University of Florida as a visiting research scientist, to work directly with pediatric patient samples. She plans to explore RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) that regulate alternative splicing and the molecular mechanisms driving these processes. She is also interested in expanding her work to programmable RNA targeting within specific cellular compartments, with the ultimate goal of applying these technologies to neurodegenerative diseases. Jimin is an avid conversationalist, and outside the lab, enjoys exploring art museums and discovering the best coffee spots in the neighborhood.
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Tim Yeh (09/2022-), Postdoc
Tim received his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Columbia University (2022). Throughout his scientific career, he has been interested in understanding how the brain works and developing treatment. His graduate research focused on auditory processing in the brain and sensorimotor interaction. As a postdoc in the Zhang lab, Tim hopes to investigate the roles of RNA splicing in normal brain functions and neurological diseases using novel research methods such as gene editing tools and sequencing technologies. When he is not doing science, he likes to play tennis and ping pong. He is also a foodie who enjoys eating pizza!
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Kelly Young (03/2026-), Undergrad Email: kelly.young (at) columbia (dot) edu
Kelly joined the Zhang lab at Columbia University Irving Medical Center as a short-term visiting research scientist in March 2026. Currently a sophomore at Columbia College majoring in Biology and minoring in Chemistry, she is participating in the university's SURF Program to continue her research in the lab through the summer of 2026. Her academic interests lie at the intersection of molecular biology and clinical research, with the long-term goal of applying these foundational sciences to a career in oral surgery. Outside of the lab, Kelly is a classically trained violinist and a dancer. She also enjoys baking and crafting intricate polymer clay charms.
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Tianji Yu (07/2024-), Graduate Student
Tianji is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Systems Biology Department. Before he came to Columbia, he earned a Bachelor's degree from UNC Chapel Hill. At UNC, his research focused on cell cycle regulation in endothelial cells and AU-rich elements RNA binding proteins. During his undergraduate research, he practiced both experimental and computational techniques. Now he is excited to conduct new research here at Columbia University. In Zhang's lab, he is working on RNA base editing for his rotation project. Besides research, he likes soccer and food. He is also fascinated with karting race.
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Alumni
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Name/Position in the Lab |
Position When Exiting |
Current Position
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Graduate Students / Postdocs |
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Ruchika (07/2023-11/2025), Postdoc Email: fr2563 (at) columbia (dot) edu
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Daniel Moakley (06/2018-12/2024), Graduate Student Email: dfm2129 (at) cumc (dot) columbia (dot) edu
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Postdoc, UCSD |
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Email:sm4073 (at) cumc (dot) columbia (dot) edu
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Senior Research Scientist, NYU Langone Health |
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Email: yr2330 (at) cumc (dot) columbia (dot) edu
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Scientific Analyst, Morrison Foerster | |
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Email: gn2267 (at) cumc (dot) columbia (dot) edu
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Senior Scientist, Sanofi |
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Email: mmc2259 (at) cumc (dot) columbia (dot) edu
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Assistant Professor, UCSD |
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Email: hf2304 (at) columbia (dot) edu
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Associate Professor, Fudan University |
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Email: sb4045 (at) columbia (dot) edu
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Bioinformatics Manager, Regeneron |
Seinior Manager Computational Genomics, Regeneron |
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Email: du2145 (at) columbia (dot) edu
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Blavatnik Fellow in Life Science Entrepreneurship, Yale University |
Associate, Flagship Pioneering |
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Email: bp2563 (at) cumc (dot) columbia (dot) edu
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Medical Writer, Chrysalis Medical Communications |
Medical Writing Senior Manager, Amgen |
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Ph.D. student, Integrative Program, Columbia University
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Bioinformatics Scientist, Stoke Therapeutics. |
Principal Scientist, Bioinformatics, Fosun Pharma USA Inc. |
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Ph.D. student (joint with Wichterle lab), Department of Pathobiology & Molecular Medicine, Columbia University |
Postdoc, Alice Ting Lab, Stanford University |
CEO, Aperture Therapeutics |
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Scientist, Amgen |
CSO, Leverna Therapeutics |
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Yong Zhang (04/2013-11/2014), Postdoc
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Postdoc, Xuemei Chen lab, UC Riverside |
Research Scientist, USDA |
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Visiting Ph.D. student, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory / Applied Maths and Statistics, Stony Brook University |
Bioinformatics Scientist, BioMicro Center, MIT |
Associate Director, Bioinformatics at Accent Therapeutics, Inc. |
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Other Alumni |
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Matthew Yuan (06/2023-12/2025), Visiting High School Student (remote) |
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Email: yj2909 (at) cumc (dot) columbia (dot) edu
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Email: ca3176 (at) columbia (dot) edu
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Lea Radomsky (09/2024-02/2025), Technician Email: lr3280 (at) columbia (dot) edu |
Research Associate, Stealth Biotech |
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Jessica Estrada (11/2022-12/2024), Technician Email: je2673 (at) cumc (dot) columbia (dot) edu
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Research Associate, Yarrow |
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Tianxin (Cynthia) Wang (09/2024-12/2024), Graduate Student (in Rotation) Email: tw3056 (at) columbia (dot) edu
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Qiyang Wu (01/2023-12/2023), Master Student Email:qw2388 (at) columbia (dot) edu
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Email: fp2409 (at) cumc (dot) columbia (dot) edu
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Email: amn2201 (at) cumc (dot) columbia (dot) edu
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Madeline (Maddie) Scanlon (06/2023-09/2023), Visiting High School Student
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Vivian Coraci (07/2023-09/2023), Visiting High School Student
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Yuchen Xu (02/2022-05/2023), Master Student
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Research Technician, Abbas Rizvi Lab, University of Wisconsin-Medison |
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Lily Wang (07/2020-09/2020), Undergraduate Research Assistant Undergraduate student, Mathematics/Statistics, Columbia University
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Meghna Gopalan (06/2022-08/2022), Undergrad Summer Research Assistant Email: mg4166 (at) barnard (dot) edu
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Lydia Wu (10/2021-06/2022), Undergrad Research Assistant
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Undergraduate student, Department of Engineering, Columbia University
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Medical School, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine |
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Undergraduate student, Department of Computer Science, Columbia University
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Graduate Student, UC Berkeley |
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Email: yq2139 (at) columbia (dot) edu
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Research Scientist, NYU Lagone Health |
Model Risk Management, Barclays |
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Helene Lovett (06/2017-08/2017), Undergraduate Research Assistant Undergraduate student, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard University
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Undergraduate student, Barnard College
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Graduate Student, University of Chicago |
Equity Research Associate, Piper Sandler |
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Jonah Lee (05/2015-01/2017), Volunteer Undergraduate student, Columbia College |
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Andrew Arditi (Volunteer, 09/2016-12/2016) |
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Jingxian You (Volunteer, 07/2016-09/2016) |
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MA in Biotechnology, Columbia University Volunteer |
Co-Founder, EleGo Education | |
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Technician |
MD program, UCSF |
Resident Physician, UCSF |
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Joy Pai ( 09/2013-05/2016)
Undergraduate Research Assistant |
Bioinformatics specialist, Michel Russenzweig lab, Rockefeller University |
Graduate Student, Stanford University |
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Kernyu Park (07/2015-10/2015) Undergraduate Research Assistant |
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