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Eszter Posfai, Ph.D.
Assistant professor eposfai@princeton.edu Eszter received her M.S. degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics from the University of Szeged in Hungary and her Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Basel in Switzerland. Intrigued by the earliest events of mammalian development, during her Ph.D. she studied the role of epigenetic mechanisms in the germ line and how they impact the development of the next generation. For her postdoctoral work she joined the lab of Dr. Janet Rossant at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada and explored how the earliest cell fate decision is made in the mouse embryo. She also co-developed a new CRISPR/Cas9-based editing method to generate genetic tools to query these processes at a single cell resolution. Her current research at Princeton University focuses on understanding the dynamics of molecular and cellular events underlying early embryonic development. |
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Bradley Joyce, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Research Specialist bwjoyce@princeton.edu Bradley received a Ph.D. in Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics from Oxford at the Laboratory of Prof. Shankar Srinivas studying the molecular mechanisms of AVE cell migration. Brad then moved to the US to undertake a postdoctoral research position with Dr Danelle Devenport to study planar cell polarity in the skin and the control of hair follicle morphogenesis. Bradley has a broad interest in genetic technologies and is currently working to adapt type-I CRISPR systems for use in genome editing in mammalian systems. Bradley also manages the production of new mouse models for the Posfai lab and other labs at the university and is able to consult on project design as well as undertake mouse model creation. New collaborations are always welcome, so be sure to reach out to him for some expert guidance. In his spare time Brad enjoys spending time outdoors, DIY around the home and coaching judo at the Princeton YMCA. |
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Rebecca Kim-Yip, Ph.D. Postdoctoral fellow (joint with the Toettcher lab) rpkim@princeton.edu Rebecca received her PhD from the University of California, San Francisco. She is broadly interested in how isogenic populations of cells acquire heterogeneous patterns of fate during development and the signaling pathways that control this process. In collaboration with the Toettcher Lab, Rebecca is using optogenetics to probe the signaling dynamics during cell fate acquisition in the early mouse embryo. Outside of the lab she enjoys discussions about model organisms, knitting and playing her violin. |
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Chun-Chih (Charles) Tseng, Ph.D. Postdoctoral fellow chunchih@princeton.edu Charles received his B.S. degree in Entomology from the National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan. During his undergraduate years, he joined the lab of Dr. David P.C. Lin to study early embryonic development. He then joined the lab of Dr. Cheng-Ming Chuong at the University of Southern California to further study animal development in a more complicated tissue system, embryonic feather morphogenesis, and earned his M.S. degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Intrigued by the sophisticated morphogenetic processes, he joined the lab of Dr. Amy S. Lee at the University of Southern California to investigate erratic development in a model of tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer and received his Ph.D. degree in Genetic, Molecular, and Cellular Biology. Inspired by the conservation and plasticity of molecular signaling and cell behavior and the eager to get a step closer to the Origin of Life, he is exploring the determinants of totipotency. Outside the lab, he is a hobby photographer and loves to visit natural wonders. |
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Abraham Kohrman, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral fellow akohrman@princeton.edu Abraham has a B.A. in Biology from Grinnell College. He earned a Ph.D. in Genetics from Stony Brook University, in the laboratory of Dr. David Q. Matus, where he studied the interplay between cell cycle and differentiation in C. elegans larval development. His particular areas of expertise are in optical microscopy and image analysis. In the Posfai Lab he is studying the role of cell cycle in early cell type specification decisions. When not doing science he is a photographer and enjoys traveling. |
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Madeleine Chalifoux
Graduate student, Chemical and Biological Engineering (joint with the Shvartsman lab) mmc7@princeton.edu Maddy received her undergraduate degrees in chemical engineering and French from the University of Illinois. In the Posfai lab, she is interested in using computational tools to understand and map the biomechanical and chemical mechanisms that drive cell fate decisions during the very earliest stages of mammalian embryogenesis. Outside of the lab, she is a lover of traveling and anything outdoors. If given the opportunity, she would love to visit every country in the world, and her superpower would be to speak every language. In her free time she likes to run, cook, and learn new things. |
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Ezra Levy
Graduate student, Molecular Biology (joint with the Shvartsman lab) ezral@princeton.edu Ezra holds a B.S. in Biochemistry from Northeastern University, where his research focused on proteomics method development. At Princeton, he plans to study how small systems of cells, such as the germline cyst and pre-implantation embryo, coordinate cell fates using sub-cellular structures. Beyond the lab, he is trying to grow his own vegetables. |
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Alana Bernys
Graduate student, Molecular Biology abernys@princeton.edu Alana received her undergraduate degree in molecular biology at Dartmouth College, where she researched sister chromatid cohesion in Drosophila oocytes. In the Posfai Lab, she is interested in studying embryonic growth and the zygotic aspects of the MZT. When not in lab, she can be found doing lots of yoga, trying to keep plants alive, and catching up with her bookclub. |
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Zsombor Gal Undergraduate, Molecular Biology zgal@princeton.edu Zsombor is a Molecular Biology concentrator and Neuroscience certificate student in the Class of 2022. He grew up in Lexington, Kentucky and attended Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. In his free time, he enjoys hiking and watching Kentucky basketball. He is also training to become an EMT at the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad. During high school, he studied the role of protein misfolding in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. In the Posfai lab, he will be studying the first cell fate decision responsible for lineage segregation in the mammalian embryo. His interests include pleiotropy and regulation of signaling pathways in mammalian development, and is particularly fascinated by the implications of embryonic development in pediatric medicine. Zsombor would like to become a physician-scientist and is considering MD/PhD programs. |
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Yonit Krebs Undergraduate, Molecular Biology ykrebs@princeton.edu Yonit is a molecular biology concentrator in the class of 2024. She hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the Posfai lab, she is currently working on visualizing transcription in live embryos through the MS2-MCP system in mice. In her free time, Yonit enjoys listening to podcasts, hiking, and hammocking. |
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Aaron Cohen
Undergraduate, Molecular Biology aaronhc@princeton.edu Aaron is a molecular biology concentrator and a certificate student in French and Global Health in the class of 2023. He grew up in Mequon, WI and attended Homestead High School. Aaron took a leave of absence from Princeton during the 2020-2021 school year, during which he joined the lab of Dr. Raymond Penn in the Center for Translational Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. At Jefferson, he studied the role of the cellular cytoskeleton in mediating contraction of airway smooth muscle cells in asthma. In the Posfai Lab, he is interested in studying how cell cycle dynamics regulate pluripotent stem cell differentiation. Outside of the lab, Aaron sings in Princeton’s Playhouse Choir, is the outreach chair of Chabad at Princeton, and is a Residential College Advisor (RCA) in Forbes College. He is interested in attending medical school after graduation. |
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Faculty Assistant
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Alumni
Rohan Gupta Undergraduate, Molecular Biology 2021
Alison Kickuth visiting Master's student 2019