Erin Howard, M.A.

OPERATIONS SPECIALIST: Erin received her B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Florida and her M.A. in Museum Education from Tufts University. Before joining the lab, she worked in the Kawahara Lab at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity where she managed digitization of insect collections and other special curatorial projects. In her current role, Erin manages all administrative support and day to day operations of the lab, including project management, onboarding and offboarding of lab members, and scheduling. Outside of work, Erin enjoys watching movies and playing video games.

JIAHAO HUANG, M.S.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Jiahao received his B.S. in Biochemistry in 2016 at Purdue University and M.S. in Bioinformatics in 2018 from Georgetown University. During his Master's internship, he assisted in developing data analysis pipelines for the CPTAC project and studied transcriptome regulation in Cannabis at the ICBI from Georgetown University. Jiahao worked as an associate computational biologist to assist in building up the imaging process & downstream analysis pipeline in the lab from 2019-2022 and is now a graduate student.

CHANAN SESSLER, A.B.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Chanan received his A.B. in Chemistry from Harvard College in 2018. As an undergraduate, he worked in Stephen J. Lippard's group, developing photoactivatable probes for mobile zinc as well as investigating the difluoromethyl group as a hydrogen bond donor. He later worked in Emily P. Balskus' lab, studying protease activity in C. difficile. In the Wang lab, Chanan hopes to develop light and electron microscopy-based techniques for mapping the neuron connectivity of the brain. When he isn't at the lab, he is usually cross country skiing around New England.

YIMING ZHOU, PH.D.

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER: Yiming was born in Changzhou, a beautiful water city in China. He received his B.S. in Biotechnology from Shandong University in China (2013), and Ph.D. in Neuropharmacology from Fudan University in China (2019). During his graduate research in Prof. Lan Ma’s lab, he worked on mapping and decoding the engram circuitry underlying cocaine reward memory and deciphering the role of the medial habenula’s mu-opioid-receptors in the emotional processes. In the Wang lab, Yiming is interested in applying in-situ sequencing to investigate molecular events in the brain during behavioral processes. In his spare time, Yiming likes traveling and animation.

Yichun he, B.ENG

GRADUATE STUDENT: Yichun received her B.Eng. in Electronic Science and Technology from University of Science and Technology of China. She will focus on combining biology, computer science, statistics and mathematics to interpret biological data. In her spare time, Yichun would travel around and enjoy delicious food.

XIN SUI, B.A.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Xin received his B.A. in Chemistry from Tsinghua University in 2020. As an undergraduate, he worked on ubiquitin protein probes, proximity labeling methods, and super-resolution microscopy. He is a graduate student in chemistry at MIT and joined Wang lab in spring 2021. Xin is interested in both developing new in situ sequencing approaches and brain connectomics. In his spare time, he loves photographing, traveling, and swimming. Also, he is a super fan of all kinds of high-tech and electronic gadgets.

JIANTING GUO, B.A.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Jianting received his B.A. in College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering from Peking University. During his undergraduate research, he mainly worked on developing a crosslinking probe for RNA-protein interactions. Now he is a graduate student in Chemistry Department at MIT. His research interests in the Wang lab include in situ sequencing and RNA therapeutics. He loves all kinds of sports such as basketball, hiking, cycling, marathon and table tennis. He’s also a cinephile who always watches movies in his bed.

JIAKUN TIAN, B.A.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Jiakun received his B.S. in Chemistry and Biology from Tsinghua University in 2020. As an undergraduate student, intrigued by the intricate epigenetic network of gene expression regulation, he worked in multiple labs developing and applying chemical tools to explore chromatin structure, histone modifications, RNA modifications, and how they may interplay with each other. Now he is a graduate student at the Department of Chemistry at MIT. In the Wang Lab, Jiakun hopes to develop novel spatial multi-omics technologies and electron microscopy-based methods to study tissue biology. Outside the lab, he enjoys playing music, playing badminton and ping-pong, and traveling.

KAMAL MAHER, B.S.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Kamal graduated with a B.S. in neuroscience at Cornell University. As an undergraduate, Kamal worked in Jesse Goldberg’s lab, researching the neural circuits that allow songbirds to learn their songs. After graduating, Kamal studied molecular features of nociception in C. elegans in Steve Flavell’s lab at MIT. As a graduate student in Computational and Systems Biology at MIT, Kamal joined the Wang lab to explore the intersection between these molecular- and circuit-level mechanisms in the brain

CONNIE WANG, B.S.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Connie received her B.S. in Biochemistry and Applied Mathematics in 2021 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is interested in developing therapeutic tools. In her spare time, Connie enjoys basketball and gym during the week, and inhabiting mountains and oceans with her snowboard and surfboard on weekends.

JENNIFER LO, M.D.-PH.D.

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER: Jennifer received her BA, MD, and PhD from Harvard. As a graduate student in David Fisher’s lab at MGH, she studied determinants of response to melanoma immunotherapy and transcriptional regulation of PD-L1 in the melanocytic lineage. She is currently a resident in the research track of the Harvard Combined Dermatology Residency Training Program. In the Wang lab, she hopes to use in situ sequencing to characterize organization in skin cancers and pre-cancers.

Zefang tang, PH.D.

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER: Zefang received his B.S. in China Agricultural University (2014) and Ph.D. in Peking University (2019). Then he joined IBM Research for 2-year Healthcare study. He has worked on the cancer drug target discovery based on the TCGA and GTEx projects, developed a series of bioinformatics tools, such as GE-mini and GEPIA. Meanwhile, he designed new algorithm and applied machine learning methods to discover the cardiovascular disease progression based on 14.3 million EHR data. As a computational postdoc in the Wang lab, Zefang would focus on the algorithm design and discover the cell spatial distribution based on large-scale spatial transcriptome data.

Ariel Lee, B.S.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Ariel received her B.S. in Physics from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in 2021. During her undergraduate studies, she worked on developing various physical and optical tools for basic biological studies and medical applications. Ariel is currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT and was awarded the NSF GRFP fellowship. Outside the lab, she enjoys traveling, cooking/eating delicious food, and playing tennis.

Mingrui Wu, B.S.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Mingrui graduated from Peking University with double B.S.’s in Chemical Biology and Economics in 2021. As an undergraduate, he worked on membrane voltage imaging and cancer epigenetics. Now he is a graduate student at MIT Chemistry. In the Wang Lab, he hopes to develop experimental and computational methods for in situ sequencing. Outside the lab, Mingrui loves traveling, photography, playing soccer, and watching movies.

Hongyu chen, B.S.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Hongyu received his B.A. in Chemistry from Boston University, where he worked in Prof. John Porco’s lab on total syntheses of dimeric-xanthone natural products and pyrroloiminoquinone alkaloids as anticancer agents. He is now a graduate student at MIT Chemistry. In the Wang lab, Hongyu hopes to utilize synthetic organic chemistry within the context of RNA modification to improve its therapeutic potential. Outside of lab, Hongyu is interested in photography, music, Japanese animates, and outdoor activities.

Shuchen Luo, B.S.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Shuchen received his B.S. in Chemical Biology from Tsinghua University in 2021. He had research experiences in designing small molecule inhibitors and peptides aided by structural and computational approaches. Now he is a graduate student at the Department of Chemistry at MIT. In the Wang Lab, Shuchen hopes to closely combine computational and experimental approaches for integrative multi-omics analyses and RNA therapeutics. Outside the lab, he enjoys various genres of music.

FRANKLIN KOSTAS, B.S.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Franklin received his B.S. in Chemistry from Haverford College in 2018. After graduating, he joined Factor Bioscience to advance their mRNA delivery technology for dermatologic applications. Franklin is a current graduate student in the Chemistry department at MIT. In his spare time, Franklin enjoys backpacking, running, and cooking.

ANISH ROY, PH.D.

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER: Anish received his B.S. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Chicago in 2016 and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford in 2022. During his graduate school research in Professor W.E. Moerner’s lab, he developed novel single-molecule super-resolution microscopy methods to observe unusual mammalian cell environments at resolutions of 10-20 nanometers. In the Wang lab, he is interested in developing new correlative STARmap and super-resolution imaging methods to extract rich nanoscale biological information from cell culture and tissue samples. Outside of the lab, Anish enjoys reading and hiking.

DANGLIANG LIU, M.S.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Dangliang received his B.S. in Pharmaceutical Science in 2020 and M.S. in Chemical Biology in 2022 from Peking University. During his undergraduate and master's research in Prof. Suwei Dong’s lab, he worked on elucidating the functions of protein post-translational modification by utilizing chemical synthesis tools especially focusing on the glycosylation of amyloid beta protein. He is now a graduate student at MIT chemistry. In the Wang lab, Dangliang hopes to explore the chemical space of mRNA and advance its therapeutical potential. Outside the lab, he is interested in music, swimming, and watching movies.

Wendy Xueyi Wang, Ph.D.

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER: Wendy received her B.Sc. from the University of Western Ontario, and Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from the University of Toronto (2022). During her graduate research in Dr. Julie Lefebvre’s lab, she studied how nerve cells wire into functional circuitries during development, through the lens of neuronal morphology, connectivity, and cell-surface receptors. Following her Ph.D., Wendy did a brief stint to work on DNA-based nanotechnologies. In the Wang lab, she is interested in developing spatially-resolved approaches for mapping cell-cell connections. She is funded by the Damon Runyon Foundation. Outside the lab, Wendy enjoys art in various mediums, reading, and exploring her new city.

Seth Furniss, M.S.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Seth earned a master’s degree in chemistry from Keble College, University of Oxford. During his undergraduate research, conducted under the guidance of David Manolopoulos, he focused on investigating quantum mechanical effects in the vibrational polariton spectrum of water. As a graduate student, Seth is interested in leveraging spatial transcriptomics and super-resolution imaging to unravel the complexities of cellular systems.

Yi Han, B.S.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Yi received his B.S. in Chemistry from Peking University. During his undergraduate research in Prof. Peng Zou's lab, and later in Prof. Adam Cohen's lab at Harvard as a research fellow, Yi engineered molecular tools for neuroscience study. He is now a graduate student at MIT Chemistry. At Wang lab, he is interested in expanding the RNA toolkit for brain research. In his spare time, Yi enjoys cycling and combat sports. He is also a fan of metal and classical music.

Jessica Pan, B.S.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Jessica received her B.S. in computer science and engineering from MIT in 2024, and is currently still at MIT as a master’s student. Through her previous work, she has investigated microbial tRNA modifications and contributed to the development of Anvi’o at the Eren Lab at the University of Chicago, then later worked on single-cell lineage reconstruction in the Blainey Lab at the Broad Institute. In her spare time, she loves painting, playing music, and teaching.

Dániel Barabási, Ph.D.

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER: Dániel Barabási is an Eric and Wendy Schmidt Postdoctoral Fellow at the Broad Institute, whose work blends neuroscience, network science, and machine learning. He received his B.Sc. in Physics from the University of Notre Dame in 2017, where he worked on network models of brain connectivity, and was awarded a PhD in Biophysics from Harvard in 2023. Outside of research, Dániel’s hobbies revolve around sci-art and going fast on specialized equipment, from bikes to skis, much to his mother’s dismay.

inori kawauchiya, b.s.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Inori received her B.S. in Computation and Cognition from MIT in 2024, and is currently an M.Eng. student in MIT’s Brain and Cognitive Sciences. In undergrad, she worked on developing therapeutic targets for traumatic brain injury. Outside of lab, she enjoys music, traveling, and art museums.

niklas freund, ph.d.

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER: Niklas is a chemical biologist enthusiastic about method development. Originally from near Cologne, Germany, he studied Chemistry in Münster, completing his Bachelor's in 2016, and Biochemistry in Heidelberg, finishing his Master's in 2018. In 2019, he moved to Cambridge, UK, to pursue a PhD with Phil Holliger at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology. His research focused on biostable nucleic acid chemistries used in FDA-approved drugs, combining nucleotide synthesis, polymerase engineering, and aptamer SELEX. After graduating in 2024, Niklas joined Xiao Wang's lab as a Postdoc to extend the scope of spatial omics methods. Outside of the lab, he is also a passionate jazz saxophonist and composes music for his own band.

thatcher lee, B.A.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Thatcher received her B.A. in Chemistry from Smith College, where she worked in Prof. Maren Buck and Prof. Sarah Moore's labs on protein polymer conjugates (PPCs) and protein drug conjugates (PDCs) for targeted drug delivery. She is now a graduate student in MIT Chemistry. In the Wang lab, Thatcher hopes to expand the design space of mRNA for therapeutic applications. Outside the lab, she enjoys music and reading.

Qianhe zhang, b.s.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Qianhe received her B.S. in Bioengineering from UC Berkeley in 2018. Following graduation, she worked as a research assistant to develop CRISPR gene editing tools in Cong Lab at Stanford. In Wang lab, she is interested in developing functional genomic tools for spatial omics studies.

yanze wang, b.s.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Yanze earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Peking University in 2022. During his undergraduate studies, he gained two years of industry experience (2020–2022) at the intersection of machine learning, computational chemistry and drug design. Currently, he is a graduate student in the lab, focusing on the development of computational tools for RNA design.

PEIZhe ren, b.s.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Peizhe was born in Beijing, China. He received his B.S. in College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering from Peking University. During his undergraduate research in Prof. Xing Chen lab, he focused on profiling glycoproteomics of microglia and LNP delivery. As a research assistant in Prof. Chuan He Lab at UChicago, he worked in developing multiple tools to study RNA modifications and their biological functions. Peizhe is now a graduate student in Chemistry Department at MIT. In the Wang Lab, he hopes to optimize the mRNA therapeutics strategy and use spatial multiomics tools to explore nervous system. Outside the lab, Peizhe loves ultimate frisbee, photography, and playing poker.

Alumni

MICHAELA CHAPTER Administration Assistant 2019-2021 — **MICHAELA CHAPTER** Administrative Assistant 2019-2021

YAMAN THAPA Undergraduate Student Summer 2021 — **YAMAN THAPA** Undergraduate student summer 2021. Now PhD student at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

ZHENGKAI HUANG Undergraduate Student 2019-2020 — **ZHENGKAI HUANG** Undergraduate student 2019-2020. Now PhD student at Harvard University

EMMA BOU HANNA Undergraduate Student Summer 2021 — **EMMA BOU HANNA** Undergraduate Student Summer 2021

ALBERT LIU Undergraduate Student 2019-2021 — **ALBERT LIU** Undergraduate student 2019-2021. Now PhD student at University of Pennsylvania

**ALEXANDRA GNIESKI** Administrative Assistant 2021-2022