Yale University
Appointed in 1966
Structure of the coat protein of the f2 phage of E. coli
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1971
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1971
Amino acid sequence of myeloma immunoglobulins
California Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1978
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California Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1978
Genetic dissection of the neuromuscular junction
Stanford University
Appointed in 2018
Investigating cell type and brain circuit evolution in the cerebellum
Brain circuits and the neuronal cell types that form them are not static over evolutionary time. Rather, they cause and reflect the changing repertoire of animal behavior. How circuits and cell types change from their ancestral state to support novel behaviors during evolution, therefore, gives us important clues as to their current function. In my project, I will investigate the interaction between the cerebellum and the rest of the brain from this evolutionary angle by studying the progressive expansion and elaboration of the deep cerebellar nuclei, the output pathway of the cerebellum. I will profile transcriptional and protectional cell types of the DCN across species to probe changes in the DCN over deep evolutionary time. I will then integrate this dataset with developmental trajectories of the identified cell types in mouse, to provide mechanistic insight into how brain regions specialize on the level of single cells and circuit wiring to support new functions over the course of evolution.
Harvard University
Appointed in 1997
Structure and function of the RecQ helilcase
Yale University
Appointed in 1972
Role of adenyl cyclase in the excitation of vertebrate photoreceptors
Harvard University Medical School
Appointed in 1993
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Harvard University Medical School
Appointed in 1993
Interaction of cyclophilin, CsA and calcineurin
Universite de Geneve, Switzerland
Appointed in 1963
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Universite de Geneve, Switzerland
Appointed in 1963
Ultrastructural behavior of chromosomes
University of Pennsylvania
Appointed in 2006
Investigating dynamin as a model for functionality important low-affinity PH domain/phosphoinositide interactions
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Appointed in 1963
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Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Appointed in 1963
Biosynthesis of bacterial lipopolysaccharides
MRC Center, University Medical School, England
Appointed in 1981
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MRC Center, University Medical School, England
Appointed in 1981
Development of genetic mosaic analysis in C. elegans
Harvard University
Appointed in 1991
Growth factor-regulated effectors of pattern formation
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
Appointed in 2012
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Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
Appointed in 2012
Mechanics of contractile ring constriction
Harvard University Medical School
Appointed in 2001
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Harvard University Medical School
Appointed in 2001
University of California, Berkeley
Appointed in 1999
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University of California, Berkeley
Appointed in 1999
Thermophilic reductase dynamics and nuclear tunneling
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Appointed in 1987
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Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Appointed in 1987
B cell differentiation
Boston Children's Hospital
Appointed in 2003
Signaling pathway by L type Ca2+ channel
Johns Hopkins University
Appointed in 2007
The role for nuclear GAPDH in the regulation of p300/p53 activation
Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Appointed in 2008
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Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Appointed in 2008
Study of relationship between metabolism and protein homeostasis in neurodegenerative diseases, with Andrew Dillin
In the lab of Andrew Dillin, I study the mechanism of proteotoxicity in age-onset neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer¬ís and Huntington¬ís. To better understand how protein homeostasis plays a role in these diseases, I use animal model systems ¬ó such as c. elegans and mice ¬ó that express toxic proteins including the amyloid beta peptide (Alzheimer’s) or poly-glutamate protein (Huntington’s).
I was born in Seoul, Korea. My desire to become a  good scientist outweighed anxiety over separating from my family, so I moved to the U.S, obtaining my PhD in biochemistry at the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center. There, I studied the mechanism of cell death and apoptosis, in particularly in various cancer cells. For my postdoc career, I wanted to try new systems to learn more of biology and use my biochemistry expertise. I chose a genetics lab where I can work with live animals and develop a better understanding of pathology in animal model systems, rather than just in groups of cells. I am hopeful that my basic science findings can turn into therapeutic tools. Outside of work, I play piano and paint, and enjoy walking my little dog on the beautiful San Diego beach.
MRC Center, University Medical School, England
Appointed in 1978
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MRC Center, University Medical School, England
Appointed in 1978
Cell determination during organogenesis in C elegans
University of California, San Francisco
Appointed in 1991
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University of California, San Francisco
Appointed in 1991
Isolation and characterization of a C elegans mutation
MRC Center, University Medical School, England /
Purdue University
Appointed in 1968
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MRC Center, University Medical School, England / Purdue University
Appointed in 1968
Proteins of the sheath of bacteriophage T4 and the capsid structure of animal viruses
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1982
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1982
Deletion mapping of adenovirus 5 region E1B
University of California, Berkeley /
Brandeis University
Appointed in 1961
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University of California, Berkeley / Brandeis University
Appointed in 1961
Organic chemistry models for enzyme reactions
University of California, San Francisco
Appointed in 1987
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University of California, San Francisco
Appointed in 1987
Characterization and purification of int-1 and proteins expressed from baculovirus vectors
University of California, San Francisco
Appointed in 2010
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University of California, San Francisco
Appointed in 2010
Functional assembly of a cardiac reflex circuit
Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Appointed in 1971
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Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Appointed in 1971
Serum factor requirements of differentiated mammalian cells cultured in vitro
Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
Appointed in 1962
Investigations concerning cell growth, survival and destruction in a transplantation situation
Stanford University
Appointed in 1996
Regulation of NF-ATc nuclear translocation
Sidney Farber Cancer Center
Appointed in 1975
Regulation of cell growth
Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Appointed in 1990
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Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Appointed in 1990
Transcriptional repression by the c-erbA product
Stanford University
Appointed in 1984
DNA protein interactions
Columbia University
Appointed in 2003
University of Chicago
Appointed in 1976
Regulation of synthesis of herpesvirus gene products
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Appointed in 1998
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Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Appointed in 1998
Analysis of Mga, a novel member of the Max network
University of California, Berkeley
Appointed in 1986
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University of California, Berkeley
Appointed in 1986
Characterization and localization of the SEC7 protein
University of California, San Francisco
Appointed in 1985
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University of California, San Francisco
Appointed in 1985
Recombination and DNA replication in phage T4
Yale University
Appointed in 2019
Dissecting the molecular mechanisms that trigger zygotic genome activation
Purdue University
Appointed in 1992
Virus receptor interactions on a molecular level
Whitehead Institute /
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1994
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Whitehead Institute / Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1994
A loss of caveolae/caveolin in transformed cells
University of California, San Francisco
Appointed in 2009
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University of California, San Francisco
Appointed in 2009
Investigation of the role of chromatin dynamics in programming gene expression noise
I am studying genetic determinants of non-genetic variability, or ¬noise,¬î in gene expression using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
I started college fully intending to become a physician. However, an excellent first-year interdisciplinary course exposed me to the excitement of research science, and demonstrated the power/utility of using tools from one discipline to study problems in another. I pursued a degree in physics, with the intention of applying the quantitative tools and techniques that I had learned to study biology.
My graduate studies were supervised by both Pam Silver, a molecular and cellular biologist, and Fritz Roth, a statistician and computational biologist. Their joint tutelage allowed me not only to learn fundamental molecular biology and genomics, but also how to analyze data I generated in high-throughput and computational studies. My post-doctoral research on noise in gene expression provides another opportunity to apply mathematical and computational techniques to high-throughput datasets that I am collecting myself. I hope that these studies will provide new insight into problems as fundamental.
Rockefeller University
Appointed in 1992
Expression, purification and x-ray study of src kinase
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1984
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1984
RNA splicing in eukaryotic cell free systems
Stanford University
Appointed in 1971
Enzymatic characterization of E coli mutants
Johns Hopkins University
Appointed in 1988
Effects of DNA bending stress on DNA structure and function
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Appointed in 1990
Mouse Notch
University of California, Berkeley
Appointed in 1991
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University of California, Berkeley
Appointed in 1991
Mutations affecting axon outgrowth in the developing nervous system of D melanogaster
University of California, San Francisco
Appointed in 2007
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University of California, San Francisco
Appointed in 2007
Taking apart a molecular switch: structure, regulation and specificity of the bifunctional kinase-ribonuclease IRE1
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Appointed in 2002
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Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Appointed in 2002
Nuclear reorganization during erythrocyte development
Harvard University
Appointed in 1978
Lambda intergrase
Massachusetts General Hospital
Appointed in 2021
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Massachusetts General Hospital
Appointed in 2021
Uncovering the molecular mechanisms of mitochondrial heteroplasmy dynamics
Description: Mitochondria are present in nearly all human cells where they play key roles in energy metabolism, biosynthesis, signaling, and cell death. Mitochondrial homeostasis depends on the proper maintenance and expression of the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA). Germline mtDNA mutations can lead to severe, maternally inherited disorders with limited treatment possibilities. Moreover, somatic mtDNA mutations accumulate in neurodegeneration, cancer and aging. mtDNA is a high copy number genome and a mixture of wild-type and mutant mtDNA molecules can co-exist within one cell resulting in “heteroplasmy”. Heteroplasmy dynamics are governed by a complex mix of random drift and selection, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. The aim of my post-doctoral research is to uncover the molecular mechanisms that govern mtDNA heteroplasmy. Mechanistic studies of heteroplasmy dynamics will shed the light on the mitochondrial contribution to human health and disease and possibly inspire novel therapeutic approaches to mtDNA disease.