Professor of Medicine | Harvard Medical School
Senior Physician | Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Member | Harvard University Program in Virology
Associate Member | Broad Institute
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.
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.
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
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
PhD in Life Sciences from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India.
My thesis investigated the regulation of splicing factors upon genotoxic stress and their chromatin mediated phase separation.
Outside interests: Hikes and walks around the city. On the hunt for best pizza and Chai, reading (mostly food labels and philosophy).
Outside interests: traveling, museums, poppies, coffee and wine (separately), and watercolor/acrylic painting.
2017-2023
Agniezska Szymula, PhD
Position in the lab : Postdoctoral Fellow
Current position : Team Leader in Translational Medicine, Ryvu Therapeutics (Poland)
2016-2022
Bing Liu, PhD
Position in the lab : Postdoctoral Fellow
Current position : Scientist, ABclonal/Yurogen Biosystems (Boston, US)
2017-2019
Ángel L. Álvarez, PhD
Position in the lab: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current position: Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Oveido (Spain)
2012-2018
Franceline Juillard, PhD
Position in the lab: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current position: Assistant professor, SupBiotech (Lyon, France)
2012-2018
Min Tan, PhD
Position in the lab: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current position: Senior Scientist, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (Boston, US)
2013-2014
Sanam Pournaki, MD
Position in the lab: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current position: Internal Medicine Physician, UConn Health (Hartford, US)
2010-2014
Qiming Sun, PhD
Position in the lab: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current position: Professor, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (Hangzhou, China)
2008-2013
Chantal Beauchemin, PhD
Position in the lab: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current position: Principal Scientist, Takeda (Somerville, US)
2011-2012
Kambez Benam, PhD
Position in the lab: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current position: Assistant Professor, University of Colorado (Aurora, US)
2007-2011
Horng-Shen Chen, PhD
Position in the lab: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current position: Senior Manager, Translational Research Center, TTY Biopharm Company Limited (Taipei, Taiwan)
2002-2008
Viswanathan Srinivasan, PhD
Position in the lab: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current position: Director, Assay Development, Hologic (San Diego, US)
1997-2003
Murli Narayan, PhD
Position in the lab: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current position: Operational Excellence Manager, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, (Norwood, US)
1997-2003
Mary E. Ballestas, PhD
Position in the lab: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current position: Assistant Professor, University of Alabama (Birmingham, US)
1998-2001
Takashi Komatsu, PhD
Position in the lab: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current position: Clinical Virology Reviewer, US Food and Drug Administration, (Washington D.C, US)
1998-2000
Li Ni, PhD
Position in the lab: Postdoctoral Fellow
1997-1998
Hong Li, MD
Position in the 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 the lab: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current position: Internal medicine physician (Burlington, US)
1997
Andrew Ullmann, MD
Position in the lab: Postdoctoral Fellow
Current position: Professor and Chief, Infectious Diseases, Julius-Maximilians-University (Germany)
1996
Josephine Harada, PhD, MBA
Position in the lab: Research Technician
Current position: Associate Director of Alliances, Illumina, Inc. (San Diego, US)
1996-1997
Katherine Newcomb-Slain, DO
Position in the lab: Research Technician, later Master’s student
Current position: Assistant Professor, Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship director, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (US)
2002-2004
Erin Williams, MD
Position in the lab: Research Technician
Current position: Physician (US)
2024
Filipa Prata-Silva
Position in the lab: Fullbright graduate exchange student
Current position: Graduate student, Catholic University of Portugal (Lisboa, Portugal)
2023, 2024
Ethan Walsh
Position in the lab: Summer student
Current position: Undergraduate, Columbia University (NY, US)
2023
Connor Eastman
Position in the lab: Rotation student
Current position: Graduate student in Corbett lab, Harvard Virology graduate program (Boston, US)
2023
Catarina Neves-Costa
Position in the lab: Fullbright graduate exchange student
Current position: Graduate student, Catholic University of Portugal (Lisboa, Portugal)
2022
Paola Rivera-Garcia
Position in the lab: Harvard Medical School Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP) summer student
Current position: Graduate student, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (US)
2022
Amerria Causey
Position in the lab: Rotation student
Current position: Graduate student in DeCaprio lab, Harvard Virology graduate program (Boston, US)
2020, 2021
Gabriel Romero
Position in the lab: Harvard Medical School Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP) summer student
Current position: NSF-GRF Graduate student in Rouskin lab (Boston, US)
2017
Nikita Narayan
Position in the lab: High school summer student
Current position: Undergraduate student, Northeastern University (US)
2013-2014
Utthara Nayar, PhD
Position in lab: Graduate student of Ethel Cesarman at Cornell, completed her thesis research in Kaye lab
Current position: Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University (US)
2004-2013
Erika DeLeon Vazquez, PhD
Position in the lab: Graduate student, postdoctoral fellow
Current position: Quality Assurance Specialist, Amgen (Juncos, Puerto Rico)
2013
Joshua M. Jones, PhD
Position in the lab: Harvard Medical School Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP) summer student
Current position: Postdoctoral fellow, Boston University (US)
2012, 2013
Andrew Yee
Position in the lab: High school summer student, high school internship student
Current Position: Medical Scribe, Scribe America(US)
2012
Gabrielle Ransford, MD
Position in the lab: Undergraduate student
Current position: Emergency Medicine physician, Eastern Virginia Medical School (US)
2012
Joseph L. Timpona, PhD
Position in the lab: Rotation graduate student
Current Position: Scientist II, Molecular Virology, Stealth NewCo (Boston, US)
2012
Tyshia Gwin-Wellman, PhD
Position in the lab: Rotation graduate student
Current Position: Lecturer, Johns Hopkins Advanced Academic Programs (US)
2006-2011
Aline Habison, PhD
Position in the lab: Graduate student
Current position: MVZ Stein and Colleagues (Cologne, Germany)
2009-2011
Rosa Yoon, PhD
Position in the lab: Graduate student
Current position: New Products Lead, Takeda (Boston, US)
2011
Michka Sharpe, PhD
Position in the lab: Harvard Medical School Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP) summer student
Current position: Associate at Flagship Pioneering (Cambridge, US)
2010
Raul Caso, MD
Position in the lab: Harvard Medical School Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP) summer student
Current position: Surgical resident, Georgetown University Hospital (US)
2010
Sara Conwell, PhD
Position in the lab: Rotation graduate student
Current position: Associate Director, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical (Boston, US)
2009
Chia-Cheng Li, DDS
Position in the lab: Exchange graduate student, Institute of Oral Biology, Yang-Ming University (Taiwan)
Current position: Senior Clinical Scientist, Curis (Boston, US)
2009
Philip Cox, PhD
Position in the 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, US)
2008
Elina Shrestha, PhD
Position in the lab: Harvard Medical School Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP) summer student
Current position: Senior Scientist, Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals (NY, US)
2007, 2008
Sarah Chen
Position in the lab: High school summer student
Current position: School Psychologist, El Segundo Unified School District, (Los Angeles, US)
2008
Marciela DeGrace, PhD
Position in the lab: Rotation graduate student
Current position: Program Officer, NIAID, NIH (US)
2006, 2007
Elizabeth Chen, PhD, MPH
Position in the lab: High school summer student
Current position: Assistant Professor, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health (US)
2006, 2007
Alan Yee, DDS
Position in the lab: High school summer student
Current position: Orthodontics resident Roseman University of Health Sciences (Las Vegas, US)
2005-2006
Jill E. Nagashima-Chan
Position in the lab: Student, technician
Current position: Accountant (Kirkland, US)
2002-2006
Brenna Kelly-Clarke, PhD
Position in the lab: Graduate student
Current position: Senior Director, Applied Virology (Seattle, US)
2001-2005
Andrew Barbera, PhD
Position in the lab: Graduate student
Current position: Senior Director, Scientific Strategy at E Squared Communications
2005
Lindsey Silva, PhD
Position in the lab: Rotation graduate student
Current position: Director, Microbiology Global QC Technology, Genentech (US)
2004
Orlando Zepeda, MD
Position in the lab: Harvard Medical School Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP) summer student
Current position: Internal Medicine physician, San Francisco Mission Bay Medical Offices (US)
2003
Te-Ana Harris, MD
Position in the lab: Project Success high school summer student
Current position: Chief Resident, Lewisgale Regional Health System (Stoughton, US)
2003
Jessica K. Lee, MD
Position in the lab: High school summer student
Current position: Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Maryland Medical System (US)
1996-1997
Susannah Barbee, PhD
Position in the lab: Undergraduate student
Current position: Director, Immuno-Oncology Research at Five Prime Therapeutics Inc. (San Francisco, US)