Andrea Piunti, Ph.D.
PRIMARY INVESTIGATOR
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Andrea is a Polycomb aficionado. Chromatin enthusiast, big fan of cell proliferation experiments, Andrea has been interested for many years in studying how chromatin deregulation promotes and sustains malignant transformation, especially in pediatric and rare cancers. When Andrea is not in the Lab (and also when he is in the Lab…) he likes to perform magic tricks. He is also a decent bartender and a former break dancer.
Adam Handen, M.S.
BIOINFORMATICIAN 2
Adam constantly codes. Whether it be for the Piunti Lab, code collaborations, or just personal pleasure, he is almost always found behind a keyboard. While he is a jack of all trades, Adam’s primary research interests are in next gen sequencing analysis and interactomics.
Chunkai Jin
RESEARCH TECHNICAL ASSISTANT
Chunkai Jin graduated from the University of Michigan and majored in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. He previously researched the gut-brain axis of neuroscience with the animal model of C. elegans. He is extremely curious about epigenetics and cancers and hopes to start a new journey by researching and studying in our lab. He is an unofficial but good Chinese poet and essayist outside the lab. (However, his English vocabulary is poor. So he does badly in English writing.) He loves sketching, Oil Painting, and he is currently practicing digital arts.
Zara Child
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER
Zara is an undergraduate at UChicago studying neuroscience and biology. She’s interested in the molecular mechanisms behind cancer development, especially in children, and is excited to learn more about chromatin biology and epigenetics. She’s also a certified EMT-B and marathon runner. Outside the lab, she enjoys running and volunteering with kids.
Alumni:
Gabriel Lopez
RESEARCH ANALYST
Mary Burke
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER
Emily Kang
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER
Cailey Riggs
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER
Annette E. Mino
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER
Azeb Cyrus
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER
Shannon E. Tsai, Ph.D.
RESEARCH PROFESSIONAL SPECIALIST
