Chien Lab – 2019 (sorry – an old/outdated picture, but 2020 was just a series of zoom pics!)

Principal Investigator

Peter Chien, Ph.D.

Current Lab Members

Postdoctoral Scholars

Tommy Tashjian (PhD from Northeastern University, 2018) is uncovering the challenges and mysteries of the DnaX clamp loader and DNA damage.

Graduate Students

Graduate training and education is a crucial aspect of our laboratory culture. Here are our current students:

Samar Mahmoud (MCB graduate student) is studying the Lon protease and interplays with other cellular proteases.

Nathan Kuhlman( MCB graduate student) is studying the adaptor hierarchy of the ClpXP protease.

Justyne Ogdahl (MCB graduate student) is studying how regulators affect the Lon protease.

Berent Aldikacti (MCB graduate student) is studying how systems wide fitness profiling informs on protein homeostasis.

Undergraduate Students

Many of us gained our passion for science through undergraduate experiences, we are thrilled to host these students:

Patrick Cann (BMB)

Phoebe Kim (BMB)

Others

Laura I Francis (senior adviser) – provides needed guidance, insight, and general sanity

Previous Lab Members

The lab has had the privilege of hosting many scientists from all paths, cultures and career stages.

Dylan Doxsey (BMB, class of 2020) is working as a technician at UMass Med.

Benjamin Barros (BMB, class of 2020) is working as a technician at MIT.

Kethney Massenat (BMB, class of 2020) is working as a technician at MGH.

Rilee Zeinert (MCB graduate student, graduated 2020) is now a postdoc with Gigi Storz at NIH.

Nina Conzelmann (visiting MS student from Germany) was characterizing the Lon protease.

James Spencer (BMB, Class of 2019) is a lab manager for the Bernhardt lab at Harvard Medical School.

Liam Fitzgerald (BMB, Class of 2019) is working at Sanofi.

Elizabeth Bond (BMB, Class of 2019) is a graduate student at UCSF in the Tetrad program.

Jeff Gao (BMB, Class 2019) is working as a technician at MGH.

Robert Vass (Doctoral Student, MCB) is working at Onyx Therapeutics.

Jing Liu (MCB-PhD) is living in San Francisco.

Madeline Sutherland (lab assistant) is now a doctoral student at MIT

Jake Nascembeni (BS-BMB 2017) is working at Abbvie

Kamal Joshi (MCB-PhD 2017) is working at Genentech as a postdoc.

Lisa Hernandez Alicea (Doctoral Student, MCB)

Joanne Lau (Micro-PhD 2016) is working as a postdoc at Caltech.

Nathan Colon undergraduate (Spring 2010)/technican (Summer 2010), graduated 2010, BMB. – MD program – Drexler University

Laura I Francis, Ph.D. (postdoc 2010-2011) is now an instructor with the Biology Department here at UMass.

Keith Rood (Masters Student, BMB) has graduated – current position: Sasisekharan Lab at Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research (MIT).

Kieth Ballard (MCB) was a rotation student in the lab – Spring 2010.

Sid Avani (MCB) was a rotation student in the lab – Fall 2011.

Claudine Mapa (graduated 2012, BMB major) currently a PhD graduate student at UMass Worcester.

Patrick Stoddard (graduated 2012, BMB major) currently a PhD graduate student at Harvard MCB.

Martin Susskind (graduated 2012, BMB major) currently on the West Coast.

Amber Cantin  (MS 2012, BS 2012, BMB) currently working at Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge.

Paula Muchlnickel (Masters Diploma Student, Ruhr University, Germany); 2012-2013 is currently a PhD student at the Max Planck Dortmund.

Nousheen Hamid Bhat, Ph.D. was developing new methodologies for discovery of novel ClpXP substrates.

Gagandeep Singh (class of 2013, BMB major) is currently an MD student at Brown.

Alexander Duval (class of 2013, BMB major) worked on characterization of novel PAS domains in Caulobacter.

Brian Shin  (class of 2013, Biology major) is a technician in the Burton lab at Harvard MCB.

Ying Zhang (class of 2013, BMB major) is currently working as a technician in Boston.

Daniel Dicorpo (class of 2013, BMB major) is currently a PhD student at Brown.

Justin Li (class of 2014, BMB major) worked on determining how DnaA is degraded.

Saskia Heybrouck (visiting student, Ruhr University, Germany; 2014) is finishing her diploma in Germany

Vincent Borowy (class of 2015, BMB major) worked on ClpC unfoldases in chloroplasts.