ChenGroup

Minji received her Bachelor in Food Science and Nutrition at Pusan National University in Korea. She is a joint-student between the Chen lab and the Moore lab in the Department of Food Science. She joined the Chen lab in September 2018. Her research focuses on using  nanopores to detect and subtype foodborne pathogens. When she has free time, she cooks Korean food especially Tteokbokki. 

Josh completed his bachelor’s in microbiology from Michigan State University in 2015, where he worked on alternative RNA editing in Trypanosoma brucei with Dr. Donna Koslowsky and now Dr. Laura Kirby. After graduation he was employed at Pfizer’s Bioprocess Development Group (BDG) in Kalamazoo, Michigan for three years where he worked on a team focused on altering the regio- and stereo-selectivity of a bacterial hydroxylase in order to facilitate ‘greener’ production of steroid APIs. His current research applies protein engineering tools to biological nanopores, predominantly Outer Membrane Protein G (OmpG), to facilitate biosensor development and/or introduce novel functionality. He plans on returning to the industrial sector following his dissertation defense, where he will ideally continue to focus on protein engineering to generate novel function and/or products. Outside of research he enjoys watching movies (he has seen hundreds, can talk for hours…), trying to cook/bake new dishes, playing board games (favorites are Betrayal at the House on the Hill, Unearth, and Above and Below) and reading.  

Katie received her Bachelors of Science in Microbiology from the University of Oklahoma in 2015. After graduation she worked as a laboratory technician in an academic medical research lab studying aberrant DNA methylation in Friedreich's ataxia, a neurodegenerative disease. She entered the UMass MCB program in 2019 and joined the Chen group where she currently works on the ClyA nanopore tweezer technique. Katie enjoys running, gardening, spending time with her cat, DIY home renovation projects and cooking spicy food in her spare time.

Crystal received a Bachelors in Physics from the University of Texas at El Paso. In Chen lab her
research focuses on using nanopores to study the interactions between the reading head and
ssDNA passing through the pore. In my free time I enjoy hiking, binge watching tv shows, and exploring new cities. 

Jackie completed her B.S. in Biochemistry at Lafayette College in 2021, where she studied the contribution of atmospheric aerosols to global climate change. She joined the Chen Group in 2022 and her work focuses on using the nanopore tweezer technique to research protein conformational dynamics and various protein interactions. Outside of lab, she enjoys spending time with friends, playing with her dog, and trying out new baking recipes. 

Lily is a Chemistry PhD student and has recently joined the Chen group! Welcome. 

Moly is a Chemistry PhD student and has recently joined the Chen group! Welcome. 

David received his B.S. in Biochemistry from Florida State University, where he worked briefly on producing nanobodies to selectively purify microsporidian proteasomes from hosts. He joined the Chen lab in January 2023 as a joint PhD student with Jianhan Chen. When not in lab, he enjoys playing competitive Magic: the Gathering, cooking, and repairing vintage mechanical watches.