Lab Members
Hee Won Yang, PhD (Principal Investigator)
- Lab Director; Assistant Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology
Sungsoo Kim, PhD
- Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Dr. Sungsoo Kim is a postdoctoral research scientist in the laboratory of Dr. Hee Won Yang at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Dr. Kim received his PhD from the KAIST. During his PhD, he had investigated the development of optogenetic tools which can modulate diverse cellular signaling, especially intracellular Ca2+ signaling in vivo mice brain. As a postdoctoral research scientist, he employs optogenetic tools and multi-omic analysis to understand how melanoma cells develop drug resistance.
Suyeon Kim, PhD
- Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Dr. Suyeon Kim is a postdoctoral research scientist specializing in cancer biology at the Yang Lab at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She received her PhD from Korea University College of Medicine, where she investigated the resistance mechanisms of tumor cells to immunotherapy. In her current role, Dr. Kim leverages cutting-edge single-cell technologies and live-cell sensors to elucidate the complex molecular mechanisms driving resistance to pan-RAS inhibitors in KRAS-mutant non-small cell lung cancer models. Her work aims to uncover novel therapeutic strategies that could lead to the development of more effective treatments for lung cancer patients.
Jessica Armand
- PhD Student
Jessica is a graduate of Binghamton University with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. Following graduation, she conducted two years of postgraduate research at the University of Rochester Medical Center where she investigated pharmacological and stem cell therapeutics for acute spinal cord injury. Jessica joins the Yang lab in April 2021 as a PhD candidate in the Integrated Program in Cellular, Molecular and Biomedical Sciences. As a graduate researcher, she studies mechanisms of drug resistance and new therapeutic strategies in breast cancer models.
Kibum Kim, PhD
- Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Kibum joined the lab in April 2023 as postdoctoral research scientist. He received his Ph.D. degree from Chung-Ang University. During his Ph.D., he investigated the expression and function of recombinant immunotherapeutic proteins like colorectal cancer vaccine candidates and breast cancer antibodies through transient and transgenic plant expression systems. His research project aims to identify the role of epigenetic regulations in KRAS-mutant non-small lung cancer using CRISPR library focusing epigenetic regulations. He loves building the fine scale models in his free time.
Eugene Son
- Postbaccalaureate Researcher
Eugene is an alumnus of New York University, where he earned a degree in Biology. During his undergraduate studies, he conducted research on the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium responsible for Lyme disease, in New York forests, with the aim of evaluating the risk of human exposure to Lyme disease. Currently, as a postbaccalaureate researcher, he is exploring the fundamentals of cell-cycle progression and investigating new therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment.
Cynthia (Cyndy) Jin
- Undergraduate Student
Cindy is an undergraduate student majoring in biochemistry and concentrating in CS at Columbia College. She has had experience with analytical chemistry and industry R&D, and is interested in translational research. As an undergraduate research assistant at the Yang lab, she is currently learning wet lab techniques and exploring the effects of CDK4/6 inhibitors in breast cancer cells under Sungsoo and Eugene.
Anusha Shanabag
- Graduate Student
Anusha is a graduate student in the Master’s Biotechnology Program at Columbia University. She is a graduate of Rutgers University with a Bachelor’s in Genetics. During her undergraduate studies, she studied the genetic mechanisms of the fish-to-tetrapod transition in evolution using computational genomics and functional knockout assays. Under Jessica Armand, she is studying the mechanisms of drug resistance in breast cancer to develop new therapeutics using computational genomics.
Former Lab Members
Caitlin O’Neil (2021-2023)
Mimi Zhang (2021-2023)
- Current Position: PhD student at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Kaitlin Abrantes (2020-2021)
- Current Position: PhD student at Weill Cornell Medicine