Current and Past People

Tudorita (Doina) Tumbar 2004- now

2004-present

Tudorita (Doina) Tumbar is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, where she started her research program in October 2004. She received a BS/MS (Diploma) in Biochemistry from University of Bucharest, Romania in 1993. She then moved to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1994 and received her Ph.D. in Cell Biology in January 2000. She won a Life Science Research Foundation Post-doctoral Fellowship in 2001 while at University of Chicago, and completed her post-doctoral studies at Rockefeller University in New York City with Dr. Elaine Fuchs.   She was promoted to Full Professor in MBG at Cornell University in July 2017. She is interested in what makes a stem cell a stem cell at the molecular level. In particular, how is the stem cell genome maintained in a multipotent state and remodeled to acquire specific fates in development and tissue homeostasis. She taught a 3-credit course on Stem Cells and Regeneration (BIOMG 4450) for 16 years and is now co-teaching in BIOMG1350 Intro Cell and Dev Bio.

 

Gopal Chovatiya (Postdoc) 2018- gc537@cornell.edu Gopal has performed his graduate study at the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer, Navi-Mumbai, India. During his PhD (August 2012-May 2018), he worked on elucidating the  involvement of growth factors and developmental signalling in hair follicle stem cells regulation in the laboratory of Dr. Sanjeev Waghmare. He is currently exploring projects on vasculature remodeling during hair cycle and on developing new methods to examine nascent transcription in tissue stem cells in vivo, in the mouse living tissue.		Yineng Xu (Postdoc) 2024- yx438@cornell.edu Yineng has earned her Ph.D. in the field of Genetics, Genomics, and Development from Cornell University. She acquired her foundational knowledge with a B.S. degree in Biology from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. She is interested in unraveling the intricacies of cell fate determination. Outside the lab, Yineng enjoys baking, playingfetch with dogs, and video games.
Chris K. Bai (PhD Candidate), 2020- kb744@cornell.edu Chris is a graduate student in the field of Genetics, Genomics & Development. He obtained his B.S. degree in Biology, as well as a double major in applied mathematics, from Peking University, China. His primary interest lies in elucidating the mechanisms regulating cell fate utilizing a combination of genetic, genomic and cell biology approaches. In Tumbar lab, he focuses on H3K9me3 and strives to understand its role in skin stem cell regulation. In his spare time, he likes baking, strolling, TikTok and computer games.		Yu-Ching Liao (PhD Candidate) 2023- yl2897@cornell.edu Yu-Ching is a graduate student in the Genetics, Genomics, and Development program. Before coming to Cornell, she completed both her bachelor’s and master’s studies at National Taiwan University, where she worked on investigating the role of Wnt signaling in the neuronal developmental process of Drosophila sensory neurons for her master’s. Now, her major focus is to explore the intersection of transposons and stem cell homeostasis as well as differentiation. Outside of the lab, she enjoys trying new things, such as new games, outdoor activities, or new recipes!
Shuran Wang (PhD Candidate) 2023- sw2249@cornell.edu Shuran is a graduate student in the field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology (BMCM). She earned her B.S. degree in Biology from ShanghaiTech University, China. Her primary area of interest lies in exploring the mechanisms of cell fate determination. Currently, in the Tumbar lab, she is conducting research to understand the establishment and maintenance of stem cell heterogeneity in the epidermis. Beyond her academic pursuits, Shuran enjoys engaging in various activities such as trail running, skiing, painting, and visiting museums.		Cailin McMahon (PhD Candidate) 2024-  cm996@cornell.edu   Cailin is a graduate student in the Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology. She obtained a B.S. in Genetics, Cell Biology and Development from the University of Minnesota in 2020, where she studied the developmental program underlying limb bud outgrowth in mouse embryos. Her current research interests include understanding how the behavior of stem cells is regulated by signals and cell types in their environment. Outside of the lab, Cailin enjoys swimming, hiking, reading, and learning new skills, most recently including knitting and crocheting!
Jonathan Li(Undergraduate) 2022 – jml564@cornell.edu Jonathan is majoring in Human Biology, Health, and Society and minoring in Education. He works with Gopal Chovatiya, a Postdoc in the lab, on investigating vasculature remodeling during the hair cycle. After graduating, he plans to attend medical school. In his free time, he enjoys dance, baking cakes, and writing chemistry questions.		Sean Huang (Undergraduate) 2022 – yh797@cornell.edu Sean is majoring in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Computational Biology and minoring in Computer Science. He works with Gopal Chovatiya, a post-doc in the lab, to investigate nascent transcription in mice hair follicle stem cells. After graduation, he plans to take a gap year or two before attending graduate school to continue research. He enjoys day trips with friends, going to the beach and teaching.
Sarah Kong (Undergraduate) 2023 – sak336@cornell.edu Sarah is majoring in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Genes, Genomics, and Development. She works with Seona Lee, a PhD candidate in the lab, to investigate the maintenance and organization of stem cell heterogeneity in the epidermis. After graduation, she plans on attending graduate school to continue research. Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading, drawing, and visiting new places.		Emily Pollack (Undergraduate) 2021 –ejp83@cornell.edu Emily is majoring in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Molecular and Cell Biology and minoring in Biometry & Statistics. She works with Chris Bai, a PhD student in the lab, on the interaction of Bmp signaling with histone methylations in hair follicle stem cells. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school to pursue a career in research. In her free time, she enjoys dance, singing, and spending time with friends.

 

 

Tumbar Lab Alumni

2023

Nina Li PhD student (2018-2023) kl893@cornell.edu Follow-up position: McKenzie Consulting	Seona Lee PhD student (2018-2023) sal289@cornell.eduFollow-up position: Life Science Specialist at Axiom Healthcare Strategies
Sripad Sureshbabu Undergraduate (2022-2023) ss2949@cornell.edu Follow-up position:

 

 

Postdoctorate Fellows

Sangeeta Ghuwalewala
2017-2022
Follow-up Position: Senior Scientist, Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA
sangeetaghuwalewala@gmail.com

Prachi Jain
2012-2018
Follow-up Position: Scientist, NantKwest Inc, MA
prachijain06@gmail.com

Aiko Sada
2011-2016
Follow-up Position: Assistant Professor, Tsukuba University, Japan (2016-2019); Kumamoto University, Japan (2019-)
aisada@kumamoto-u.ac.jp

Fernando Meizosa Loza
Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow, 2014
Follow-up Position: Teacher at La Salle Bonanova in Barcelona, Spain
f_meizoso@hotmail.com

Karen M. Osorio
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2009-2010
Follow-up Position: Senior Scientist at Proctor and Gamble, USA
osorio.km@pg.com

Sanjeev Waghmare
2005-2007
Follow-up Position: Principal Investigator at ACTREC, in Mumbai, India
sanjeev.waghmare@gmail.com

 

Graduate Students (PhD)

 

Sangjo Kang
May 2014- December 2019
Follow-up Position: Mount Sinai Hospital, post-doctoral training in Neuroscience with Prof. Hongyan Zou starting January 2020.
sk2555@cornell.edu

Alex Wang
May 2011-December 2016
alex.bing.wang@gmail.com
Follow-up position: Post-doctoral fellow in Dr. Bruce Spielgelmen’s laboratory at Harvard Medical School, Department of Cell Biology

Jayhun Lee
2007-2014
Follow-up Position: Postdoctoral Fellow at Michigan University  (PI: Phil Newmark)
jhlee@illinois.edu

Song Eun Lee
2006-2013
Follow-up Position: Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University (PI: Tony Wyss-Coray)
songlee@stanford.edu

Ying V. Zhang
2006-2011
Follow-up Position: Senior Scientist at Cellular Dynamics International
yingvzhang@gmail.com

Cornelia Scheitz
2008-2013
Follow-up Position: VP of Science at Transcriptic
cornelia.scheitz@gmail.com

Karen M. Osorio
Graduate Student, 2005-2009
Follow-up Position: Postdoctoral Fellow (1 year in Tumbar lab) and then Senior Scientist at Proctor and Gamble, USA
osorio.km@pg.com

Graduate Students (Master)

Tara Hall 2017-2019

teh84@cornell.edu

Follow-up position: Quality Assurance Manager, Industry Company in PA

 

Undergraduate Students

Daniel Ko
2019-2022
Follow-up Position: Associate at EY-Parthenon
dyk27@cornell.edu

Kevin Jiang
2018-2021
Follow-up Position: Graduate students at Yale University
kj232@cornell.edu

JJ Pace
2018-2021
Follow-up Position: ?
jwp269@cornell.edu

Sanweda Mahagabin
2020-2021
Follow-up Position: ?
sm2386@cornell.edu

Joydeep Baidya
2017-2020
Follow-up Position: Weill Institute
tbd

Peter VandeVort
2018-2019
Follow-up Position: ?
tbd

Mary Nattakom

2014-2017

Follow up position: Michigan University, Medical School
mtn36@cornell.edu

 

Eva Leung
2013-2016

Follow-up position: Columbia University Graduate School
eva@solarapp.com 

Sherry Wang
2013-2016
Follow-up position: Activity Assistant
Community Programs for East Brunswick Public Schools.
sherryyy.wang3@gmail.com

Catherine He
2012-2015
Follow-up Position: Clinical Research Assistant at Columbia University
chh79@cornell.edu

Laura Wu
2012-2014
Follow-up Position: Research Associate at University of Texas Medical Branch
Lqw4@cornell.edu

Keegan Colletier
2011-2014
Follow-up Position: Master’s student in Medical Sciences at New York Medical College
kjc88@cornell.edu

Fadi Jacob
2011-2014
Follow-up Position: MD/PhD candidate at Johns Hopkins University
fjacob2@jhmi.edu

Meng Zhang
2010-2013
Follow-up Position: MD candidate at Albert Einstein College of Medicine
mengz2006@gmail.com

Shu Yang Lu
2008-2011
Follow-up Position: Resident Physician at Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard)
shuyanglu@gamil.com

Janice Cheong
2008-2011
Follow-up Position: Resident Physician at University of Rochester Medical Center
janice_cheong@urmc.rochester.edu

Charlene Hoi
2007-2010
Follow-up Position: PhD Candidate at University of Chicago (PI: Ilaria Rebay)
charlenehoi@uchicago.edu

Nikita Ciapurin
2008-2009
Follow-up Position: MD/MHS Student at Duke University
nikita.chapurin@duke.edu

Caroline M. Piskun
2005-2008
Follow-up Position: Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Wisconsin-Madison (PI: Timothy Stein)
piskun@wisc.edu

Technicians

Karin Cecilia Lilja
2009-2011
Follow-up Position: PhD Candidate at NYU Sackler Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences (PI: Brian Dynlacht)
karin.c.lilja@gmail.com

David J. McDermitt
Lab Manager, 2005-2011
Follow-up Position: Technician at Cornell University

djm13@cornell.edu