Professor of Medicine | Harvard Medical School
Senior Physician | Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Member | Harvard University Program in Virology
Associate Member | Broad Institute
Instructor
PhD degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
My PhD study in Dr. Marion Greaser’s lab focused on muscle biology with an emphasis on titin alternative splicing. Titin is the largest single polypeptide in muscle cells and in nature, with a molecular size exceeding 3 million Daltons. Titin is elastic, and a single molecule of titin spans half of the sarcomere length (~1 μm) in a myofibril. The giant size and its specialized structure enable titin to play a mechanical role in maintaining sarcomere structure integrity: it accounts for most of the passive tension of striated muscles to restore the sarcomere to normal length after stretch. Due to alternative splicing, titin undergoes developmental isoform transition from large to small in both cardiac and skeletal muscles. Titin alternative splicing has been intensively studied since the 1990s, but the underlying mechanism previously was unknown. My work identified RBM20 as the splicing repressor that controls titin alternative splicing. This was the first mechanistic description of Rbm20 and also the first regarding the mechanism of titin alternative splicing.
Outside interests: Shijun used to play basketball and soccer with friends, but now spends most of his leisure time playing with his two children at the playground.
Postdoctoral Fellow
PhD in Virology, Imperial College London, London, UK
My thesis research focused on genetic analysis of Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen leader protein (EBNA-LP) and its role in B cell transformation.
Outside interests: Movies, travelling, abstract painting using acrylics
Postdoctoral Fellow
PhD in Cellular and Molecular Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
My thesis research focused on transcription factors that regulate EBV lytic reactivation in epithelial cells.
Outside interests: When not exercising, biking, or exploring Boston, Nick’s usual habitat is a coffee shop. He is a big fan of the podcast This Week in Virology.
Postdoctoral Fellow
PhD from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego.
My thesis research investigated the role of the disordered N-terminus in regulating CLK1, a splicing regulating kinase.
Outside interests: Travel, hiking
Postdoctoral Fellow
PhD from Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
My thesis research investigated the mechanism of regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome and lipid metabolism in Hepatitis C virus. Specifically, understanding the role of post-translational modification of NLRP3 inflammasome activation as well role of NLRP3 inflammasome in regulating the lipid metabolism in HCV infected cells.
Outside interests: Movies, TV shows, reading and travelling
Postdoctoral Fellow
MS-PhD in Biology from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune.
My thesis research unveiled the biochemical and structural properties of SauUSI, a major barrier to horizontal gene transfer in S.aureus.
Outside interests: Distance running, honing my culinary skills.
Postdoctoral Fellows
| 2017-2019 | Ángel L. Álvarez, PhD Position in lab: Postdoctoral Fellow Current position: Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Oveido (Spain) |
| 2013-2014 | Sanam Pournaki, MD Position in lab: Postdoctoral Fellow Current position: Internal Medicine Physician, UConn Health, Hartford, CT |
| 2012-2018 | Franceline Juillard, PhD Position in lab: Postdoctoral Fellow Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow in laboratory of Patrick Lomonte, University of Lyon, France |
| 2012-2018 | Min Tan, PhD Position in lab: Postdoctoral Fellow Current position: Senior Scientist, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals |
| 2011-2012 | Kambez Benam, PhD Position in lab: Postdoctoral Fellow Current position: Assistant Professor, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado |
| 2010-2014 | Qiming Sun, PhD Position in lab: Postdoctoral Fellow Current position: Professor, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou City, China |
| 2008-2013 | Chantal Beauchemin, PhD Position in lab: Postdoctoral Fellow Current position: Senior Scientist, Takeda, Somerville, MA |
| 2007-2011 | Horng-Shen Chen, PhD Position in lab: Postdoctoral Fellow Current position: Senior Manager, Translational Research Center, TTY Biopharm Company Limited, Taipei City, Taiwan |
| 2002-2008 | Viswanathan Srinivasan, PhD Position in lab: Postdoctoral Fellow Current position: Director, Assay Development, Hologic, San Diego, CA |
| 1998-2001 | Takashi Komatsu, PhD Position in lab: Postdoctoral Fellow Current position: Clinical Virology Reviewer, US Food and Drug Administration, Washington, D.C. |
| 1998-2000 | Li Ni, PhD Position in lab: Postdoctoral Fellow |
| 1997-2003 | Murli Narayan, PhD Position in lab: Postdoctoral Fellow Current position: Operational Excellence Manager, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Norwood, MA |
| 1997-2003 | Mary E. Ballestas, PhD Position in lab: Postdoctoral Fellow Current position: Assistant Professor, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama |
| 1997-1998 | Hong Li, MD Position in lab: Postdoctoral Fellow Current position: Director, Obstetrics and Gynecology Research; First Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou Medical College, Suzhou, China |
| 1997-1998 | Linghua Wang, MD Position in lab: Postdoctoral Fellow Current position: Internal medicine physician, Boston, MA |
| 1997 | Andrew Ullmann, MD Position in lab: Postdoctoral Fellow Current position: Professor and Chief, Infectious Diseases, Julius-Maximilians-University, Germany |
Research Technicians
| 2002-2004 | Katherine Newcomb-Slain, DO Position in lab: Research Technician, later Master’s student Current position: Assistant Professor, Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship director, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine |
| 1996-1997 | Erin Williams, MD Position in lab: Research Technician Current position: Physician |
| 1996 | Josephine Harada, PhD, MBA Position in lab: Research Technician Current position: Associate Director of Alliances, Illumina, Inc., San Diego, CA |
Students
| 2020, 2021 | Gabriel Romero Position in lab: Harvard Medical School Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP) summer student Current position: Undergraduate, University of Puerto Rico, Cayey, Puerto Rico |
| 2017 | Nikita Narayan Position in lab: High school summer student Current position: Undergraduate student, Northeastern University |
| 2013-2014 | Utthara Nayar, PhD Position in lab: Graduate student of Ethel Cesarman at Cornell who finished PhD thesis research in Kaye laboratory Current position: Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University |
| 2013 | Joshua M. Jones, PhD Position in lab: Harvard Medical School Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP) summer student Current position: Postdoctoral fellow, Boston University |
| 2012 | Joseph L. Timpona, PhD Position in lab: Rotation graduate student Current Position: Scientist II, Molecular Virology, Stealth NewCo, Boston, MA |
| 2012 | Gabrielle Ransford, MD Position in lab: Undergraduate student Current position: Emergency Medicine physician, Eastern Virginia Medical School |
| 2012 | Tyshia Gwin-Wellman, PhD Position in lab: Rotation graduate student Current Position: Lecturer, Johns Hopkins Advanced Academic Programs |
| 2012, 2013 | Andrew Yee Position in lab: High school summer student, high school internship student Current Position: Medical Scribe, Scribe America |
| 2011 | Michka Sharpe, PhD Position in lab: Harvard Medical School Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP) summer student Current position: Associate at Flagship Pioneering, Cambridge, MA |
| 2010 | Sara Conwell, PhD Position in lab: Rotation graduate student Current position: Associate Director, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, Boston, MA |
| 2010 | Raul Caso, MD Position in lab: Harvard Medical School Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP) summer student Current position: Surgical resident, Georgetown University Hospital |
| 2009 | Philip Cox, PhD Position in lab: Harvard Medical School Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP) summer student Current position: Associate Professor, Dept. of Biology and Chemistry, AZUSA Pacific University, Azusa, CA |
| 2009 | Chia-Cheng Li, DDS Position in lab: Exchange graduate student, Institute of Oral Biology, Yang-Ming University, Taiwan Current position: Senior Clinical Scientist, Curis, Boston, MA |
| 2009-2011 | Rosa Yoon, PhD Position in lab: Graduate student Current position: New Products Lead, Takeda, Boston, MA |
| 2008 | Elina Shrestha, PhD Position in lab: Harvard Medical School Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP) summer student Current position: Senior Scientist, Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals, NY, NY |
| 2008 | Marciela DeGrace, PhD Position in lab: Rotation graduate student Current position: Program Officer, NIAID, NIH |
| 2007, 2008 | Sarah Chen Position in lab: High school summer student Current position: School Psychologist, El Segundo Unified School District, Los Angeles, CA |
| 2006, 2007 | Elizabeth Chen, PhD, MPH Position in lab: High school summer student Current position: Assistant Professor, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health |
| 2006, 2007 | Alan Yee, DDS Position in lab: High school summer student Current position: Orthodontics resident Roseman University of Health Sciences, Las Vegas, NV |
| 2006-2011 | Aline Habison, PhD Position in lab: Graduate student Current position: MVZ Stein and Colleagues, Cologne, Germany |
| 2005-2006 | Jill E. Nagashima-Chan Position in lab: Student, technician Current position: Accountant, Kirkland, WA |
| 2004-2013 | Erika DeLeon Vazquez, PhD Position in lab: Graduate student, postdoctoral fellow Current position: Quality Assurance Specialist, Amgen, Juncos, Puerto Rico |
| 2005 | Lindsey Silva, PhD Position in lab: Rotation graduate student Current position: Director, Microbiology Global QC Technology, Genentech |
| 2005 | Leigh-Ann Cruz Position in lab: Harvard Medical School Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP) summer student Current position: High school science teacher, Indianapolis Classical Schools |
| 2004 | Orlando Zepeda, MD Position in lab: Harvard Medical School Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP) summer student Current position: Internal Medicine physician, San Francisco Mission Bay Medical Offices |
| 2003 | Te-Ana Harris, MD Position in lab: Project Success high school summer student Current position: Chief Resident, Lewisgale Regional Health System, Stoughton, MA |
| 2003, 2007 | Mia Kazanjian, MD Position in lab: High school, undergraduate summer student Current position: Radiologist, Norwalk Radiology Consultants, Stamford, CT |
| 2003 | Jessica K. Lee, MD Position in lab: High school summer student Current position: Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Maryland Medical System |
| 2002-2006 | Brenna Kelly-Clarke, PhD Position in lab: Graduate student Current position: Senior Director, Applied Virology, Seattle, WA |
| 2001-2005 | Andrew Barbera, PhD Position in lab: Graduate student Current position: Senior Director, Scientific Strategy at E Squared Communications |
| 1996-7 | Susannah Barbee, PhD Position in lab: Undergraduate student Current position: Director, Immuno-Oncology Research at Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc, San Francisco, CA |