Lab Members

Can Cenik

Principal Investigator

Can 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

Shilpa Rao

Research Scientist

Shilpa 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.

Vighnesh Ghatpande

Postdoctoral Fellow

Vighnesh 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

Dayea Park

Graduate Student

Dayea 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

Yue Liu

Graduate Student

Yue is interested in cancer and computational biology. She used to work on how DNA damage response affects cancer metabolism with targeted CRISPR-screen. With both wet and dry lab experience, she is interested in developing bioinformatics applications that benefit bench work. She loves to go hiking and play the violin when she is not working.

• 2011-2014, Shanghai Jiao Tong University,
  M.S. Bioinformatics
• 2007-2011 Shanghai Ocean University,
  B.S. Biotechnology

Uma Paul

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Uma 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.

Logan Persyn

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Logan is a computer science major in 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.

Aden Le

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Aden’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.

Kangsheng ("Hurley") Qi

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Hurley is a computer science and mathematics student. He is passionate about applying computational methods to the fields of biology and medicine. Hurley is a big fan of Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings. In his free time, he enjoys reading mystery novels and watching professional chess and tennis.