lab memberslab alumni page
Klaus Hahn, Ph.D.
Thurman Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology
khahn[at]med.unc.edu
Betsy Clarke, M.Ed.
Administrative Assistant & Webmaster
bclarke[at]med.unc.edu
Betsy has been our admin, webmaster and graphics artist extraordinaire since 2007.
Marie Rougie
Lab Manager & Imaging Guru
rougie[at]email.unc.edu
Marie manages our microscope facilities, helps us implement new microscope technology and carries out research developing new model systems. She received her Master's degree in Pharmacology from the University of Strasbourg in France in 2007 and has been with the Hahn lab since 2010.
Preeti Arunapuram
Undergraduate Researcher
parunapu[at]email.unc.edu
Pei-Hsuan Chu
Graduate Student
phchu[at]med.unc.edu
Because of their similar structure and regulation, it is difficult to dissect the distinct functions of different Src kinase family members. To determine the distinct roles of SFK in proliferation and metastasis, Pei-Hsuan is designing Src family kinase analogs controlled by light and small molecules. Pei-Hsuan joined the Hahn Lab in 2008 after obtaining her Master’s degree in Biological Sciences and Technology from National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan in 2004.
Michael Chua, Ph.D.
Research Associate Professor
microscopy[at]med.unc.edu
Michael is Director of the Hooker Microscopy Facility at UNC and works with us on implementing new microscope technology. He is currently working together with the Gratton lab on novel approaches for rapid fluorescence lifetime imaging and biosensor image analysis.
Graduate Student
dagliyan[at]med.unc.edu
Onur is combining computational and experimental approaches to develop new protein caging methods and high throughput production of biosensors that report endogenous protein activity. He joined the Hahn and Dokholyan labs after obtaining his Master’s Degree in Chemical and Biological Engineering from Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey in 2011.
Elena Fenu
Laboratory Technician
fenu[at]email.unc.edu
Michael Guarino
Undergraduate Researcher
mguarino[at]email.unc.edu
Andrey Krokhotin
Postdoctoral Fellow
krohotin[at]email.unc.edu
Andrey is a postdoc bridging the Hahn and Dokholyan labs. He earned his PhD from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in 2008, then worked in high energy physics research at the Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics in Moscow. He was a member of the CMS experimental collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in CERN (Geneva, Switzerland). In 2010 he shifted his scientific focus to biological physics, working in the group of Prof. Antti Niemi (Uppsala University), to develop a novel theoretical approach to tackle the problem of protein folding. His current research is concentrated on protein design and modeling RNA.
Li Li, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
li7[at]email.unc.edul
Li is studying cell polarization and haptotaxis regulated by trafficking of GTPases. She obtained her PhD from Purdue University in 2008 studying with Ji-Xin Cheng, and joined the Hahn laboratory in 2011.
Postdoctoral Fellow
cmacnev[at]email.unc.edu
Chris is exploring methods to study protein activity in cells and animals using biosensors based on small molecules. This technology has the potential to reveal pathway dynamics in humans and genetically intractable cells. Prior to joining our lab, Chris received his PhD in Organic Chemistry from Emory University in 2008, studying stereoselective synthesis of quaternary centers bearing azetines and their β-amino acid derivatives with Dennis Liotta.
Research Assistant Professor
dmarston[at]unc.edu
Rho GTPases are regulated by RhoGEFs (Rho guanine-nucleotide exchange factors), RhoGAPs (Rho GTPase activating proteins) and GDI (Guanine dissociation inhibitors). Together with John Snodek, Dan is designing and applying new fluorescent biosensors to analyze these signaling networks. He received his Ph.D. from University College London in 2004, studying Eph receptor regulation of the cytoskeleton with Kate Nobes. This was follwed by a postdoctoral fellowship with Bob Goldstein at UNC Chapel Hill, where he studied cell movements during C.elegans gastrulation. Dan joined the Hahn and Sondek labs in 2008.
Brian Mehl, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
mehl[at]email.unc.edu
Brian is developing a lifetime imaging microscope in collaboration with Enrico Gratton’s laboratory, incorporating novel hardware and analysis methods for multiplexed imaging of GTPase activities in cell protrusions. He is also using lifetime analysis to optimize biosensor designs. Brian obtained his PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of North Carolina in 2011 working with Dr. John Papanikolas and joined the Hahn laboratory in 2012.
Postdoctoral Fellow
eoshaugh[at]email.unc.edu
Ellen is focusing on lymphocyte arrest, stabilization and migration. She is using biosensors and light-mediated control of integrins to obtain data for use in a quantitative computational model of Rap1-mediated integrin activation she is developing together with Tim Elston. Prior to joining our lab, Ellen received her PhD in Biomedical Engineering with Jim Collins and Casim Sarkar at Boston University and the University of Pennsylvania in 2010, examining ultrasensitivity in MAPK pathways.
Postdoctoral Fellow
sslatter[at]email.unc.edu
Scott is studying crosstalk between Rho family pathways by developing means to simultaneously activate and visualize multiple proteins within the same living cell. Before joining the Hahn lab, he received his Ph.D. in Cell Biology from Baylor College of Medicine in 2010, where he studied the role of Aurora C. Kinase in mitosis under Drs. Bill Brinkley and Mike Mancini.
Denis TsygankovResearch Assistant Professor
dtsygank[at]med.unc.edu
Dr. Tsygankov is working on projects bridging the Hahn and Elston laboratories, developing image processing approaches to extract quantitative information from biosensor and other imaging techniques.
Research Assistant Professor
hwang25[at]med.unc.edu
Hui is exploring different approaches to control protein activity with light, aiming for broadly applicable methods that can be applied to diverse proteins and peptides. He received his PhD in Biophysics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 2008, working with Gerard Marriott using fluorescence spectroscopy to study conformational dynamics of troponin and tropomyosin.
Postdoctoral Fellow
jasonyi[at]unc.edu
Jason's research focuses on understanding modes of communication between
Rho GTPase pathways during cell migration and morphogenesis. Currently,
he is developing molecular methods to visualize common signaling nodes
downstream of Rho family proteins. Jason completed his graduate work at
Duke University where he received his Ph.D. in 2010 under the guidance of
Michael Ehlers in the Department of Neurobiology.
Hahn Lab atop Max Patch, North Carolina.