Anna is from Fair Lawn, NJ. She majors in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology at Emory. As a Pre-med student, she has a passion for medicine, and she likes to play tennis. Along with her study, she joined Challah for Hunger, Women in STEM, and ChEmory at Emory University. Anna joined the Liang lab to work on the insect and mammalian cell culture.

Undergraduate Student: September 2017 – July 2021

Athena is from Frederick, MD. She majors in Chemistry at Emory. She is passionate about chemistry and mentoring. Athena’s interest in analytical chemistry compels her to pursue chemistry research. She is drawn to the Liang Lab by the ground-breaking technology, cryo-EM. Athena joined the Liang lab to work on protein biochemistry and expand her knowledge of biochemistry.

Undergraduate Student: January 2019 – July 2021

My name is Paul D’Cunha and I am a Junior at Emory University. I am from Lubbock, Texas but I have lived in several places ranging from Montana to New York. I am currently majoring in Chemistry (B.S.) and Mathematics (B.A.). Previously, I worked in an inorganic chemistry lab here at Emory under the mentorship of Dr. Hill in the department of chemistry studying new synthetic methods for adding Zirconium to polyoxometalates.

Undergraduate Student: Sept. 2017 – May 2019

Emma joined the Liang Lab to work on sample preparation of the RSV polymerase in 2017.

Undergraduate Student: May 2017 – Jun. 2017

Maria Dhinojwala is from Akron, Ohio and currently a freshman at Emory University majoring in Biology. In high school, she participated in multiple science fairs and competitions, and was named Semifinalist in the SIEMENS Discovery Competition for a team project completed in the Garcia Center for Polymers at Engineered Interfaces program at Stony Brook University.

Undergraduate Student: Sept. 2018 – May 2019

My name is Mason Domke, and I am currently a freshman at Emory University looking to possibly double major in Biology and Creative Writing. I am from a small town named Cosby in East Tennessee. In high school, I was Class Vice President during my freshman year and class president every following year. The biggest portion of my time, however, was spent volunteering through Key Club, a nationwide service organization that emphasizes student involvement in volunteering and a multitude of humanitarian endeavors. Outside of academics, I was my school’s track and field team captain.

Undergraduate Student: Oct. 2017 – May 2018

Cindy is originally from Beijing, China. She double-majored in Chemistry and AMS (Applied Math and Statistics) at Emory. Cindy joined the Liang lab to work on the cryo-EM data computation analysis by integrating her two main interests’ statistics and chemistry.

Undergraduate Student: Sep. 2020 – Dec. 2020

Gabriela joined the Liang lab in 2019 to work on sample preparations of the RSV polymerase.

High School Student: Jan. 2019 – May 2019

Dario is from Queens, NY. He majors in Biology and Computer Science at Emory. He is also a campus tour guide and communications center team member of undergraduate admissions office. During his junior and senior years of high school, he volunteered as a research assistant in a lab studying the cell cycle control system with fission yeast. Dario joined the Liang lab to work on the computation analysis of the cryo-EM data.

Member since September 2018

My name is Michelle Garrison and I am currently a freshman in Emory’s College of Arts and Sciences. I am originally from Dayton, Ohio, and graduated from Centerville High School as the class valedictorian. During high school, I participated in HOSA, and was a national qualifier in the HOSA Bowl Event.

Undergraduate Student: Mar. 2019 – May 2019

Ju studied Biology and Japanese at Emory. She began her research path in high school, doing DNA analysis of grass shrimp in a local river to create phylogenetic relationships of the species. Ju joined the Liang Lab to work on the RSV NRNA and M2-1 proteins.

Undergraduate Student: Feb. 2017 – May 2018

My name is Shaylan Hill, I grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida, and I am a freshman here at Emory University. I attended Park Vista Community High School in Lake Worth, FL where I was a student in the school’s medical academy. In this academy, I took several medical laboratory classes and became a Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA), and Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT). I plan to double major in Biology and Spanish on the pre-health track at Emory with plans to study abroad as well.

Undergraduate Student: Sept. 2017 – May 2019

Alexa is from Barrington, IL. She majors in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology and minoring in Ethics at Emory. She works as an undergraduate contributor for the Neuroethics Blog hosted by the Center for Ethics. She has conducted research on the integration of mindfulness and neural training in the mainstream workforce with the Institute for Organizational Mindfulness. Alexa joined the Liang lab to work on the sample preparation and protein enzymology.

Member since November 2019

Evan Myers is originally from Eugene, Oregon. He majors in Chemistry at Emory University. Evan previously worked as a COVID-19 vaccinator and is an active member of Emory Emergency Medical Services. He joined the Liang Laboratory to learn more about biochemistry techniques to purify and image proteins via cryo-electron microscopy.

Undergraduate Student: August 2022 – July 2023

Claire is from Houston, TX. She is currently undecided in major, but she is heading towards either Chemistry or Physics. Claire was a High School Aerospace Scholar through NASA, which has helped lead her on the path she is on today. Claire joined the Liang lab to work on the protein preparation and crystallization of the RSV proteins.

Undergraduate Student: February 2019 – July 2021

Priyal Parikh is from Montgomery, New Jersey and is in her last semester at Emory College of Arts and Sciences. She is working towards a Bachelor of Science in Biology and has completed a minor in Economics. Priyal hopes to attend medical school, and currently has an interest in emergency medicine and neurology after serving as an Emergency Medical Technician for the last five years. In addition to working in the Liang Lab, Priyal is involved in multiple service organizations on campus, and has interacted with many members of the Atlanta community as a result.

Undergraduate Student: Sept. 2017 – Apr. 2018

Hi, I am Cate Risener! I am a first year Molecular and Systems Pharmacology graduate student rotating in the Liang lab Feb-April 2019. I graduated from Lipscomb University in 2016, receiving a dual Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Biomolecular Science from Lipscomb University. I was awarded the 2016 Outstanding Graduate Award in Leadership.

Undergraduate Student: Mar. 2019 – Sept. 2019

My name is Sarah Romanelli and I’m a freshman at Emory University studying biology on a pre-med track. I’m from Oceanside, New York and I’m a proud student from Oceanside High School! During my time in high school, I was heavily involved in science research and a proud member of my high school’s college research program. I interned for the past two years at Columbia University’s Center for Cancer Genetics, where I studied the effect of hyperactive NT5C2 genes on relapsed leukemia and nucleoside analogue resistance. For my research, I was awarded “Best In Fair” at the New York State Science and Engineering Fair (NYSSEF) as well as second place in translational medicine at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

Undergraduate Student: Sept. 2017 – May 2019

My name is Angela Salazar, currently a freshman at Emory University College of Arts and Sciences, planning to major in Chemistry and Mathematics. I was born in Manila, Philippines and have lived in several states. I previously attended Augusta Preparatory Day School in Augusta, Georgia. I have been freshman class representative, science club’s PR officer, vice president, and president.

Undergraduate Student: Sept. 2018 – May 2019

Julia is from Overland Park, KS. She studies nursing at the Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. She is a part of Emory’s nursing prestigious honors program and her thesis is analyzing Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and its effect on fatigue. She joined the Liang lab to analyze the structure and function of the RSV polymerase.

Member since September 2018

Morayo and her family is originally from Gabon and Nigeria, but she spent most of her life in GA. She attended Gwinnett School of Math, Science, and Technology. Morayo was a senior at her high school when she joined the Liang Lab to work on the RSV NRNA and M2-1 proteins.

High School Student: Nov. 2017 – Apr. 2018

Claire was the first undergraduate student who joined the Liang Lab in 2017. She helped set up the lab and worked on sample preparation of the RSV polymerase and many other projects from 2017 to 2019.

Undergraduate Student: Feb. 2017 – May 2019

My name is Anshuman Swain, but most people call me Anshu. In Hindi, Anshuman means the sun’s rays. I am from Poughkeepsie, New York, but I was born in India in the state of Orissa. I moved to the US when I was only one, and have studied and grown up here most (well, almost all) of my life. I went to Spackenkill High School, and I’m currently a second year in the college majoring in chemistry and math.

Undergraduate Student: Nov. 2018 – May 2019

Chloe is from Marietta, GA. She majors in Biology and Economics. She is also the Community Outreach Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Chair for Atlanta Pediatric Cancer Outreach Organization on Emory’s campus. In her senior year of High School, she interned in a lab, working towards finding a gene therapy treatment for hemophagocytic lymphohistocytosis (HLH). Chloe joined the Liang lab to work on the protein preparation of the RSV proteins.

Member since September 2019

Qi joined the Liang Lab as a visiting scholar to work on KCC and SARS-CoV-2 proteins between 2019 and 2020.

Visiting Scholar: Aug. 2019 – Jul 2020

My name is Xiaoxu Wang, currently a visiting student at Emory University. I received a Bachelor’s of Food Science and Engineering in 2015 from Shanxi University. I got my Master’s of Food Science in June of 2018 and I am currently a Ph.D candidate in Ocean University of China. During my graduate student period, I got the National Scholarship of Chinaand Excellent Graduate Student of Ocean university of China.

Visiting Graduate Student: Dec. 2018 – Apr. 2019

Lisa is from Columbia, MO. She studies Creative writing at Emory. Lisa graduated with the highest honors from Rock Bridge High School, MO. Outside the lab, she writes for various school publications, tutors reading to local elementary school students, and volunteers as an emergency medical technician. Lisa joined the Liang lab to work on the cell culture and sample preparation of the RSV polymerase complex.

Member since September 2017

Bowei is originally from China, but he moved to Irvine, California, at the age of 14. He studies Chemistry & Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology, and he is a member of Emory Concert Choir. In his High School, he was the president of the international student association, the student acappella group, and the communication club. Bowei joined the Liang lab to work on the sample preparations of the RSV polymerase.

Member since January 2020

Mikail is originally from Alpharetta, GA. He is pursuing his B.S. in Biology from Emory University. He is a member of the Emory fencing club and fenced throughout high school. Previously, he worked with the Civitello Lab at Emory studying disease dynamics and parasite transmission. He is interested in working to improve people’s quality of life through research.

Member since January 2022

Jae is originally from South Korea. He majors in Biology at Emory. He is also a volunteer at Winship Cancer Institute and Emory SHINE organization. In his High School, he participated in the regional Science Olympiad competition, Mu Alpha Theta club (math club), and biotechnology club. Jae joined the Liang lab to work on protein preparation for RSV polymerase and protein biochemistry.

Member since February 2020

Anirudh is originally from Morganville, NJ. He is on the Pre-med track, majoring in Chemistry and Biology. Throughout his High School, he was deeply involved with supporting and participating in his school’s first competitive research club, the ExploraVision Research Organization. He also earned the Excellence in Science Award, a recognition of academic distinction in the fields of Chemistry, Biology, and Physics. Anirudh joined the Liang lab to work on the molecular cloning and protein preparations of multiple projects.

Undergraduate Student: March 2019

Kayla Robinson is originally from Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. She studies Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology and Film and Media and is widely involved on campus in clubs like Be the Match at Emory, the Emory Wheel, and the Emory Undergraduate Medical Review. With interests in health policy and gynecology, she hopes to pursue the JD/MD track. Kayla joined the Liang Lab to learn more about RSV polymerase and neurobiological disease related proteins.

Member since August 2022

Rita is originally from Henan, China. She is a sophomore at Emory University, majoring in Biology and minoring in Quantitative Theory and Method. Being passionate about science, Rita received two patents for inventions in high school. She used to shadow a pharmacist in Luohe Hospital of Chinese Medicine and studied the pharmacology of different herbs. She was also the head of the volunteers in the local Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention after the pandemic hit. Before joining the Liang Lab, Rita worked under Dr. Koutsogiannaki at Harvard University to study preventive medicine and immunoreaction of coronavirus.

Undergraduate Student: January 2022 – November 2023

Jenny is from Lawrenceville, Georgia. She is studying Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology at Emory University. During high school, she tutored at her local library, was captain of her soccer team, and graduated as salutatorian. Her passion for service has led her to become a community advisor for her sorority, mentors high school students in underserved high schools in Atlanta, and volunteers with Emory’s Autism Center. Her previous research regarded the study of mechanistic interaction between MCl-1 and Noxa-B where she became interested in biochemistry and plans to pursue a career in medicine.

Jillian Wu is originally from Taipei, Taiwan. She majors in Biology and is on the pre-BBA track at Emory University. In high school, she was an active member in the debate club and Model United Nations. She has previously volunteered in a hospital and is eager to learn more about research in biochemistry.

Undergraduate Student: August 2022 – July 2023

Tianhao Yang is originally from Nanchang, China. He is still an undergraduate studying Biology Major at Emory University. In his high school, he founded the STEM council and participated in various STEM-related activities. He has conducted independent research on the survival of Brevibacillus brevis under glyphosate exposure. In addition, he studied the behavior of Uca annulipes in a mangrove forest on Tioman island. He has a passion for medical and biological research. Tianhao joined Liang lab to work on projects related to biochemical research.

Undergraduate Student: January 2022 – July 2023