Principal Investigator
Can Cenik
Associate ProfessorCan enjoys playing the piano and chess for fun. He likes to listen to music and spend time with his wife who is also a faculty member at UT. Here is more information about her research.
- 2012 - 2018, Stanford University, School of Medicine
Postdoctoral Fellow, Genetics.
Advisor: Dr. Michael P. Snyder - 2008-2011, Harvard Medical School
PhD, Genetics
Thesis advisor: Dr. Frederick P. Roth - 2004-2008, Harvard College
BA, magna cum laude, highest honors, Applied Mathematics.
Thesis Advisor: Dr. John Wakeley
LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/Can-Cenik-021b3451
Postdoctoral Researcher
Shilpa Rao
Research ScientistShilpa is interested in understanding different aspects of translation regulation. Outside the lab she enjoys cooking, biking and travelling.
- 2009 - 2015, Pune University, Pune, Maharashtra, India
PhD Scholar - 2007 - 2009, Hislop College, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
M.S. Biotechnology - 2004 - 2007, Hislop College, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
B.S.
LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/Shilpa-Rao-9040a61a
Vighnesh Ghatpande
Postdoctoral FellowVighnesh is interested in studying the cellular mechanisms of protein translation, particularly in the brain and early development. Outside lab, he enjoys hiking, swimming, and playing board games. He also loves to explore new places and cuisines.
- 2015 - 2022, National Centre for Cell Science, Pune, India PhD
- 2012 - 2014, Pondicherry University, India M.S. Biotechnology
- 2009 - 2012, Fergusson College, Pune, India B.S. Biotechnology
Graduate Student
Logan Persyn
Graduate StudentLogan has a computer science degree from the integrated B.S./M.S. program. He is interested in machine learning and its applications in bioinformatics. His goal is to bridge these two fields of research. In his free time, he enjoys cooking and running.
- 2025, University of Texas at Austin, B.S./M.S. Computer Science
LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/Logan-Persyn-441573191
Dayea Park
Graduate StudentDayea is interested in the subjects of genomics, genetics, and epigenetics. She is working on translational regulatory mechanisms in development and its connection to epigenetics. Outside of research, she has an outgoing personality and loves physical activities including traveling, playing tennis, and swimming.
- 2016, Gachon University, South Korea,
B.S. Biology - 2018, Seoul National University, South Korea,
M.S. Crop Genetics
LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/Dayea-Park-0b7376184
Bingting (Grace) He
Graduate StudentGrace is interested in molecular mechanism research, particularly in non-canonical translational events in human cells. Outside the lab, she enjoys watching movies, going to concerts and playing table tennis.
- 2023, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States,
B.S. Integrative Biology
Researchers
Daniel Nguyen
Research AssistantDaniel is passionate about computational genomics and translation research. In his free time, he enjoys bouldering, cooking, and live music.
- 2025, Texas A&M University, United States, B.S. Molecular & Cell Biology
LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/DanielNguyen02/
Undergraduate Students
Uma Paul
Undergraduate Research AssistantUma is a biomedical engineering major who is interested in utilizing computational biology to study genetics and translation. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, hiking, and reading.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/Uma-Paul-b48a7425b
Aden Le
Undergraduate Research AssistantAden’s passion lies in the realms of computational biology and genomics. Beyond the the lab, he finds fulfillment in giving back to his community through volunteering, spending time with friends, and embracing the challenge of the gym.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/Aden-Le-Bioinformatics
Felix Tian
Undergraduate Research AssistantFelix is a Molecular Biology and Computer Science student passionate about exploring gene regulation and protein translation. He is fascinated by how changes in regulatory elements influence gene expression. Outside the lab, Felix enjoys hiking, road and trail running and traveling, bringing his curiosity and energy to his research.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/FelixTian04