People

Principal Investigator

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Lab Manager

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Postdoctoral Associates

I obtained my B.S. in Chemistry from Xiamen University in 2018. During my graduate studies at Washington University in St. Louis, I conducted research in the field of natural product biosynthesis, under the mentorship of Professor Wencewicz. Upon successfully completing my Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2023, I joined the Khosla lab, where my research is focused on unraveling the molecular basis of celiac disease. Outside the lab, I find joy in traveling, hiking, playing the piano, and reading.

I completed my Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology at National Yang-Ming University in Taiwan. I joined the Khosla Lab in 2021, working on the celiac project using the small molecule probe of the TG2 active site to study the PK/PD in mice. Outside of lab, I enjoy running, hiking, and exploring Natural Parks.

As an undergrad, I played Division I college soccer at Presbyterian college, where I obtained a dual degree in biochemistry and computational biology. I conducted my Ph.D. under the guidance of Professor Chruszcz, starting at the University of South Carolina and finishing at Michigan State University. I am applying my expertise on protein chemistry and structural biology to start a new line of research in the lab related to Alzheimer’s disease. Outside the lab, I like playing sports, travelling, and trying new restaurants.

I finished my undergraduate study in general chemistry at Shandong Normal University in 2014. Later, I continued to my master’s studies in organic chemistry at Lanzhou University. In 2018,  I moved to Baylor University conducting research under the mentorship of Professor John L. Wood. During my graduate studies, I mainly focused on the total syntheses of natural products. In 2024, I joined the Khosla lab and Cui lab as a joint postdoc. Outside the lab, I like cooking, playing basketball, and watching movies.

I received dual B.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering and Biochemical Engineering at the University of California, Davis. I completed my Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley under the guidance of Wenjun Zhang. My expertise lies in natural product biosynthesis and mechanistic enzymology, but my main focus in the Khosla lab is to study and identify the biological role of NOCAP with regards to nocardiosis. Outside of the laboratory, I enjoy hiking, traveling, and being a foodie.

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Graduate Students

I completed my undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at the National Technical University of Athens in Greece in 2018. I joined the Khosla lab in 2019, working on understanding how gluten peptides are processed and presented on MHC-II in the context of celiac disease. Outside of the lab I enjoy scuba diving, collecting plants, baking and traveling as much as I can!

I’m Harrison, a 5th year in the MD/PhD program at Stanford and a 3rd year in the Khosla lab. I ended up on the west coast after graduating from Harvard in 2017 where I did research in the Jacobsen lab on developing new NMR methods to measure kinetic isotope effects. In the Khosla lab, I synthesize novel small molecule inhibitors and probes of transglutaminase 2 to study its role in celiac disease pathogenesis. Outside of the lab, I love cooking, climbing, and trying new restaurants.

Hi! I was born and raised in LA, and stayed closed to home when I did my undergrad at UCLA. While at UCLA, I was lucky to work in Yi Tang’s lab in the chemical engineering department. I work on the PKS side of the Khosla lab, both on fundamental understanding of PKSs and also work on some interesting natural products. I’m an avid Lakers and Kpop fan, and I also like board games and superhero movies.

I’m a 3rd year PhD student in the biochemistry department. My studies focus on the protein-protein interactions that regulate the endocytosis of peptide bound Transglutaminase 2 in the presence of Alpha-2 Macroglobulin and its receptor, LRP1. I’m from Lomé, Togo and was raised in Atlanta, GA. I was an Atlanta Posse Scholar, and graduated from Brandeis University in 2020. Outside of the lab, I enjoy designing logos, exploring restaurants, and completing DIY projects.

Hi! I graduated from the University of Chicago in 2021 with a B.S. in chemistry. As an undergraduate, I studied palladium/norbornene cooperative catalysis in the Dong lab. As a graduate student in the Khosla lab, I now study the metabolism of acetyl-L-carnitine, an interesting precursor to acetyl-CoA. Outside of lab, I like to drink hot chocolate, run, and I’m learning how to be a better cook!

I graduated with a BS in Chemistry and a biochemistry concentration from Haverford College. I worked in the Whalen lab, screening marine bacterial natural products for effluent pump inhibitory activity. In the Khosla lab, I work on the NOCAP synthase PKS cluster, decoding its fully decorated product as well as understanding its role in nocardiosis pathogenesis. Outside of lab, I love cooking, hanging out with friends, going on long walks/hikes and dancing!

Hey y’all! I graduated from Caltech with a B.S. in Chemistry and minor in Biology. At Caltech, I studied nuclear pore complex proteins in the Hoelz lab. In the Khosla lab, I am interested in understanding the dynamics of assembly-line polyketide synthases. I was raised in Seattle, so I love a good cup of coffee, but for some reason I don’t own a rain coat. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, skiing and traveling!

I graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.S. in Chemical Biology and minor in Bioengineering. I did research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory where I developed chemical methods to recycle waste biopolymers. In the Khosla Lab, I work on natural products. My main goals are to elucidate the structure of a novel antibiotic and derivatize natural products into more potent antibiotics. When I’m not in lab you’ll find me playing volleyball, at a concert, cooking, or baking!

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Undergraduate Researchers

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Former Postdocs and Graduate Students

Name	Pre or Post Doc	Start Year	End Year	Current Position
Cogan, Dillon	Post	2019	2023	Professor, University of Southern California
Mashayekh, Siavash	Post	2021	2023
Hsu, Jake	Pre	2017	2022	Scientist, Genentech
Privalsky, Tom	Pre	2015	2022	Postdoc, Northeastern University in Lewis Lab
Guzman, Katarina	Pre	2018	2022	Lecturer, Stanford Chemical Engineering Department
Weng, Nielson	Pre	2013	2022	Resident in Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Nivina, Aleks	Post	2017	2022	Scientist, Codexis
Melkonian, Arek	Pre	2013	2021	Resident in Clinical Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Keinle, Maryline (Dong)	Post	2020	2021	Manager, project & research operations, Clear Creek Bio
Stunkard, Lee	Post	2020	2021	Senior Scientist, Cogent Biosciences Inc.
Yuet, Kai	Post	2016	2020	Scientist I at Synthorx – A Sanofi Company
Gupta, Amita	Pre	2015	2020	Life Sciences Specialist, LEK Consulting
Zhuang, Ruize (Ray)	Pre	2015	2020	Scientist, Abbvie (CA)
Palanski, Brad	Pre	2012	2019	Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Erazo, Kevin	Pre	2016	2019	Grad Student, Snyder lab, Stanford
Li, Xiuyuan	Pre	2013	2019	Postdoc, Harvard University
Sankar,Karthik	Pre	2014	2019	Postdoc, MIT; Faculty at Purdue University
Liu, Qi	Post	2017	2019	Scientist, Abbvie
Yi, Michael	Pre	2012	2018	Senior Scientist, Syncopation Life Sciences
El Gamal, Abrahim	Post	2017	2018	Scientist, Abalone Bio in Emeryville
Ostrowski, Matt	Pre	2012	2017	Postdoc, University of Michigan
Liu, Yu-Chen	Post	2015	2017	Senior Scientist at Exelixis
Plugis, Nick	Pre	2012	2016	Principal, Flagship Pioneer
Xiao, Xirui	Pre	2012	2016	Jefferies & Co
Kuo, James	Pre	2012	2016	Infectious Disease Group, Genentech
Robbins, Thomas	Pre	2012	2016	IB Chemistry and Chemistry Teacher at Northfield High School in Denver Colorado
Deans, Richard	Pre	2013	2016	Manager, Finance and Accounting at Aravive, Inc., Morrisville, NC
Hilmer, Andrew	Post	2014	2016	Sr. Manager, Strategic Alliances, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Okesli, Ayse	Post	2014	2016	Scientist I, Biology, Gilead
Yeung, Jessica (Li)	Pre	2014	2016	Manager, Intel Corporation
Goswami, Anwesha	Post	2015	2016	Postdoc, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
Dunn, Briana	Pre	2009	2015	Associate Director of Corporate Development, Curie Therapeutics
Lowry, Brian	Pre	2010	2015	Senior Scientist II, Engineering, Abbvie
Zaleta, Kathia	Post	2013	2015	ThermoFisher
Kloeck, Cornelius	Pre	2008	2014	McKinsey, Munich
May, Aaron Elijah	Post	2010	2014	Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University
Watts, Katharine (Barncastle)	Post	2011	2014	Cal Poly
Edwards, Andrea	Post	2012	2014	Senior Scientist, Inscripta, Inc.
O’Brien, Robert	Post	2012	2014	Research Scientist, Impossible Foods
DiRaimondo, Tommy	Pre	2008	2013	Director of Research, Janux Therapeutics
Jin, Xi	Pre	2007	2012	independent investor, co-founder of a small asset mgmt. company
Holmes, Tracy	Pre	2005	2012	Business Development Manager, Meridian Bioscience
Harvey, Colin	Pre	2006	2012	Head of Biology and Chemistry, Hexagon Bio
Fitzgerald, Jay	Pre	2007	2012	Chief Scientist, Bioenergy Technologies Office, Dept. of Energy
Charkoudian, Louise	Post	2008	2012	Professor, Haverford College
Yu, Xingye	Pre	2008	2012	Solazyme
Wang, Fong Tian	Pre	2007	2012	Research Scientist, Molecular Engineering Laboratory, Singapore
Kapur, Shiven	Pre	2006	2011	Senior Research Scientist, Eli Lilly and Company
Dafik, Laila	Post	2008	2011	Project Management CMC, Regulatory Affairs, at BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc
Li, Weiwei	Post	2011	2011	Patent Agent
Liu, Tiangang	Post	2008	2010	Professor, Wuhan University
Szu, Ping-Hui (Grace)	Post	2008	2010	Senior Scientist, CS-Bay Therapeutics, Inc
Lee, Younjoo	Post	2009	2010	Korean Patent Office
Yuzawa, Satoshi	Post	2009	2010	Project Assistant Professor Institute for Advanced Biosciences Keio University
Moron Flores, Belen	Post	2007	2010	Postdoc, Oxford University
Bethune, Michael	Pre	2004	2009	Director of Discovery Research, Syncopation Life Sciences
Ehren, Jennifer	Pre	2004	2009	Lecturer, University of Notre Dame
Pinkas, Dan	Pre	2004	2009	Professor, Loyola University Andalucia, Spain
Ridley, Christian	Post	2004	2009	Gingko Bioworks
Vora, Harmit	Pre	2004	2009	Executive Director, BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc.
Das, Abhirup	Pre	2005	2009	Associate Director, Research at Tranquis Therapeutics
Forteschi, Mauro	Pre	2008	2008	Graduate student, University of Sassari
Tang, Yinyan	Pre	2002	2008	University of California, San Francisco
Chen, Yu-Chieh (Alice)	Pre	2003	2008	Accelerator Corporation
Lee, Ho Young	Pre	2003	2008	Genentech
Lu, Xuefeng	Post	2006	2008	Qingdao Institute for Bioprocessing and Bioenergy
Siegel, Matthew	Pre	2002	2007	Ardelyx
Schnarr, Nathan	Post	2004	2007	Faculty, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Alekseyev, Viktor	Pre	2001	2006	Staff Scientist, Genencor, Inc.
Lee, Taek Soon	Pre	2001	2006	Lawrence Berkeley Labs
Rude, Mathew	Pre	2001	2006	Amunix
Watts, Eray	Pre	2001	2006	Insitro
Xia, Jiang	Pre	2002	2006	Chinese University of Hong Kong
Gass, Jonathan	Pre	2003	2006	Merck
Mobashery, Niloufar	Post	2003	2006	Global Strategy Lead, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Kim, Chu-Young	Post	2001	2005	Faculty, Univ. of Texas at El Paso
Choi, Kihang	Post	2003	2005	Faculty, Korea University
Tse, Martha Lovato	Post	2003	2005	Director, Group Head Technical Product Management, Pipeline, Genentech
Kumar, Pawan	Pre	1999	2004	VP Technical Operations, Federation Bio
Boddy, Christopher	Post	2001	2004	Faculty, University of Ottawa
Watanabe, Kenji	Post	2001	2004	Professor, University of Shizuoka
Koppisch, Andrew	Post	2002	2004	Faculty, North Arizona University
Tang, Yi	Post	2004	2004	Faculty, University of California, Los Angeles
Piper, Justin	Pre	1999	2004	Cardinal
Shan, Lu	Pre	1999	2004	Denali Therapeutics
Hartung, Ingo	Post	2003	2004	Merck
Li, Qing	Pre	1998	2003
Liou, Grace	Pre	1998	2003	Staff Scientist, NIH
Tsai, Sheryl	Post	1999	2003	Faculty, University of California, Irvine
Wang, Clay	Post	2001	2003	Faculty, University of Southern California
Hans, Marcus	Post	2000	2003	DSM
Kobayashi, Seiji	Post	2000	2003	Faculty, Kitasato University
Hotta, Kinya	Post	2001	2003	Business Manager at Genetech Biotechnology, Pte. Ltd. Singapore
Pfeifer, Blaine	Pre	1997	2002	Faculty, University of Buffalo
Wu, Nicholas	Pre	1998	2002	Clearbridge Investors
Hausch, Felix	Post	2000	2002	Professor, Technical University Darmstadt
Parrot-Smietana, Isabelle	Post	2000	2001	Faculty, University of Montpellier, France
Marti, Thomas	Post	1999	2001	Senior Consultant, EVU Partners AG
Schuetz, Rolf	Post	2000	2001	Staff Scientist, Pentapharm Inc.
Meadows, Eric	Post	1999	2001	VP Scientific Development, Ciox Health
Lau, Janice	Pre	1995	2000	VP Strain Development, Corbion
Tsuji, Stuart	Pre	1995	2000	University of Hawai Cancer Center
Salomon, Arthur	Pre	1996	2000	Brown University
Dreier, Juerg	Post	1997	2000	Basilea
Hu, Zhihao (Karl)	Post	1997	2000	CFO, Aton, Inc., RWC, CA
Pohl, Nicola	Post	1997	2000	Faculty, Indiana University
Chiu, Hsien Tai	Post	1998	2000	Faculty, National Chiao Tung Unviersity
Lombo, Felipe	Post	1998	2000	Faculty, University of Oviedo
Admiraal, Suzanne	Post	1999	2000	Senior Research Lab Specialist, University of Michigan Medical School
Gokhale, Rajesh	Post	1996	1999	Professor, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research
Hunziker, Daniel	Post	1997	1999	Sr. Principal Scientist, F. Hoffmann-La Roche
Fujie, Akihiko	Post	1998	1999	Astellas
Burson, Kim	Pre	1996	1998	Denali Therapeutics
Shigeta, Ron	Post	1997	1998	Co-Founder at Biomatica, Founding Partner – Berkeley BioLabs
Zawada, Robert	Pre	1994	1998	Director of Assay Development and Service Projects Manager at BioAssay Systems
Carreras, Christopher	Post	1995	1997	Prolynx
Jacobsen, John	Post	1995	1997	Chief Scientific Officer, DICE Therapeutics
Kao, Camilla	Pre	1992	1997
Pieper, Rembert	Post	1993	1997	Sr. Principal Scientist, Janssen Pharmaceuticals
Kramer, Peter	Pre	1994	1996	Lead Director, Manufacturing Science and Technology at Hospira
McDaniel, Robert	Pre	1992	1995	Program Lead, R&D, Grail, Menlo Park, CA
Fu, Hong	Post	1993	1995	Sr. Scientist at Kosan Biosciences
Bedford, David	Post	1993	1994	Freelance Writer