Faculty
Morgan DeSantis, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Molecular and Cellular Developmental Biology
Accepting new students?
No
Karl Desch, MD
Associate Professor
Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Accepting New Students?
Yes
Research Interests:
Human genetic variation, complex genetic traits, high throughput functional screens, thrombosis and hemostasis
Training and Identities:
Implicit Bias Training, Everyday Bias in Healthcare (through OHEI)
Andrzej Dlugosz, MD
Poth Professor of Cutaneous Oncology
Professor, Departments of Dermatology and Cell & Developmental Biology
Mara Duncan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Cell & Developmental Biology
Accepting new students?
Yes
Trainings and Identities:
MORE Mentor Training, Implicit Bias Training, Allyship Training, Bystander Training
Research Interests:
Membrane traffic, Cell polarity, Protein interactions, Yeast, Organoids
Brian Emmer
Assistant Professor
Accepting new students?
Yes
Research interests:
functional genomics, cardiovascular disease, genome editing, deep mutational scanning, acute lung injury
Joshua Emrick, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Biologic and Materials Sciences & Prosthodontics
Accepting New Students?
Yes
Research Interests:
Oral and craniofacial somatosensation
Trainings and Identities
First Generation Students
Xing Fan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Neurosurgery
Research Interests:
cancer stem cells, brain tumors, Notch signaling pathway, drug development, translational research
Eva Feldman, MD, Ph.D.
Neurology
Research Interests
The role of growth factors in the pathogenesis and treatment of neurologic disorders
Diane Fingar, Ph.D.
Cell and Developmental Biology
Research Interests
Regulation of signal transduction by the conserved protein kinase mTOR, the mammalian target of rapamycin
Patrice Fort, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Director of the Vision Research Training Program (NEI-T32) of the UM Kellogg Eye Center
Accepting new students?
Yes
Trainings and Identities
MORE Mentor Training, Implicit Bias Training
Research Interests
Intrinsic retinal neuron survival mechanisms; retinal glial cells implications in pathological and normal retinal functions; crystallin protein functions in the retina; signaling pathways regulation
Renny Franceschi, Ph.D.
Marcus L. Ward Collegiate Professor of Dentistry (Periodontics & Oral Medicine)
Accepting new students?
No
Research Interests
Skeletal development, role of collagen-cell signaling in craniofacial development
Lydia Freddolino, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biological Chemistry
Accepting new students?
Yes
Trainings and Identities
MORE Mentor Training, Implicit Bias Training, Bystander Training
Research Interests
Systems biology, transcription, regulatory networks, microbiology, genome structure
Santhi Ganesh, MD
Professor of Internal Medicine
Professor of Human Genetics
David J. Pinsky Endowed Professorship in Cardiovascular Medicine,
Associate Chief, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Accepting new students?
Yes
Trainings and Identities
Implicit Bias Training
Research Interests:
Genetics, genomics, smooth muscle cells, vascular diseases, translational science
Tobias W. Giessen, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Affiliate Faculty in Biological Chemistry
Accepting new students?
Yes
Research Interests:
Encapsulins, Protein Nanocompartments, cryo-EM, Microbiology, Synthetic Biology
Roman Giger, Ph.D.
Cell and Developmental Biology
Research Interests:
A long standing goal of our research is to understand how neuronal growth and sprouting is regulated in the mammalian nervous system during development, adult neuronal plasticity, and following injury
David Ginsburg, MD
James V. Neel Distinguished University Professor Departments of Internal Medicine, Human Genetics, and Pediatrics
Accepting new students?
Possibly
Research Interests:
Thrombosis, hemostasis, endothelial cells, protein engineering, ER-Golgi trafficking
Thomas Glover, Ph.D.
Human Genetics/Pediatrics
Research Interests:
Molecular cytogenetics and the molecular biology of human disease
Daniel Goldman, Ph.D.
Professor of Neuroscience and Biological Chemistry, Michigan Neuroscience Institute
Accepting new students?
Yes
Training and Identities:
Implicit Bias Training, Anti-Racism Training, Bystander Training, Gender Bias or Discrimination Training
Research Interests:
Stem cells, retina, central nervous system, regeneration
Gary D. Hammer, MD, Ph.D.
Millie Schembechler Professor of Adrenal Cancer
Director of the Endocrine Oncology Program
Professor of Internal Medicine
Accepting new students?
Yes
Training and Identities:
Clinician and scientist (basic, translational and clinical research), academic and industry engagement
Research Interests:
adrenal homeostasis and disease
Kurt Hankenson, DVM, Ph.D.
Henry Ruppenthal Family Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Bioengineering
Associate Chair for Research
Accepting New Students?
Yes
Research Interests:
Bone formation and regeneration; stem and progenitor cells; growth factor signaling; extracellular matrix
Trainings and Identities:
MORE Mentor Training, Implicit Bias Training, Anti-Racism Training, Bystander Training, Gender Bias or Discrimination Training;Clinician-Scientist (Veterinarian)
Phyllis Hanson, MD, Ph.D.
Minor J. Coon Collegiate Professor
Biological Chemistry Chair
Biological Chemistry
Research Interests:
Work in the Hanson lab addresses fundamental questions about how cells regulate the structure and organization of their membranes
Michelle Hastings
Professor of Pharmacology
Research Interests:
Splicing, Translation, Antisense oligonucleotides, therapeutics, neurodegenerative disease, cystic fibrosis
Accepting Students?
Yes
Idse Heemskerk, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology
Accepting new students?
Yes
Training and Identities:
MORE Mentor Training, Operation Opportunity
Research Interests
stem cells, development, quantitative and systems biology
Adam Helms, MD
Assistant Professor
Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Accepting New Students?
Yes
Trainings and Identities:
Implicit Bias Training, Everyday Bias in Healthcare (through OHEI), Gender Bias or Discrimination Training
Research Interests:
Genetic cardiomyopathy, cardiac development, stem cell biology, transcriptional regulation
Thanh Hoang
Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology
Assistant Professor, Cell & Developmental Biology
Accepting New Students?
Yes
Research Interests:
We study the molecular mechanisms regulating gene expression and how changes in gene expression drive cell fates during neurodevelopment and adult neurogenesis in the brain and retina.
Michael Imperiale, Ph.D.
Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Accepting new students?
No
Trainings and Identities:
Implicit Bias Training, Anti-Racism Training, Bystander Training, First Generation-Identified
Research Interests:
Virology, Viral Genetics, Virus-Host Cell Interactions
Ken Inoki, MD, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, and Life Sciences Institute
Accepting new students?
Yes
Trainings and Identities:
Anti-Racism Training, Intercultural Training
Research Interests:
mTOR, cancer, metabolic disorders, diabetes, diabetic kidney disease
Lori Isom, Ph.D.
Maurice H. Seevers Professor and Chair of Pharmacology
Accepting new students?
Yes
Trainings and Identities:
MORE Mentor Training, Implicit Bias Training, Allyship Training, Anti-Racism Training, Change It Up!, Disability Awareness Training, Bystander Training, Gender Bias or Discrimination Training
Research Interests:
We study the mechanisms of pediatric epileptic encephalopathy, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), and cardiac arrhythmia linked to mutations in voltage-gated sodium channel genes.
Junichi Iwata, DDS, PhD
Professor, Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry
Accepting New Students?
Yes
Research Interests:
craniofacial development, genetics, noncoding RNAs, autophagy, mouse models
Ursula Jakob, Ph.D.
Molecular Cellular and Development Biology
Research Interests:
Role of reactive oxygen species in lifespan and host defense / Function of chaperones in stress defense and disease