Meet The Team
Marcos Morgan
Principal Investigator
Marcos graduated from the University of Buenos Aires in 2005. For his PhD he moved to Italy, to work in the laboratory of Dr Andres F. Muro. His findings on the mechanisms of mRNA regulation mediated by 3’UTRs resulted in two first and co-corresponding author publications. For his postdoctoral studies, he had a joint appointment between the laboratory of Prof. Donal O’Carroll at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Italy and the research group of Dr Anton Enright at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) in the United Kingdom. During this time, Marcos worked on the physiological relevance of RNA modifications in mammals. He developed some of the first animal models for terminal nucleotidyl transferases (TENTs), a family of enzymes that modify RNA post-transcriptionally, and showed the importance of RNA modifications during germline development. During the final years of his postdoc, he moved, with the O’Carroll lab, to the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine in Edinburgh.
Yin Li
Special Volunteer
Yin received a B.S. degree from Shenyang Pharmacy University, China, and a Ph.D. degree from The University of Tokyo, Japan. She moved to the United States in 1993 for her post‐doctoral training at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla. She then joined Columbia University Medical Center as a research scientist and a lab manager. In 2004, Yin joined NIEHS as a biologist to study estrogen receptors (ERs)/estrogen related receptors (ERRs) and actions of an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) using both in vitro and in vivo models. Recently, Yin’s research projects investigated ER-mediated transcriptome alteration and DNA methylation reprogramming in the male mouse reproductive tissues following early DES exposure. Yin has published many first-authored and co-authored research articles in the fields of nuclear receptor, cancer research, and environmental research science.
Alicia Ru-Pin Chi
POSTDOC
Ru-pin Alicia Chi is an exceptionally skilled researcher with expertise in biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology techniques, and animal work. She earned her Ph.D. in Medical Biochemistry from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, where she investigated a novel small molecule inhibitor of nuclear import as an anti-cancer approach. Dr. Chi has received multiple awards for her presentations and publications and is a member of several scientific societies, including the American Society of Andrology and the Society for the Study of Reproduction. Before joining the lab, she wad a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH, in Dr. Francesco Demayo's lab, leading projects investigating the role of Wnk1 and EZH2 in uterine morphology and pregnancy using genetic mouse models. Dr. Chi is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, English, and has basic competence in Afrikaans.
Marine Baptissart
POSTDOC
Marine received her Ph.D. from Clermont Auvergne University, France, in 2014. As a graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. David H. Volle, she investigated the impact of bile acids (BA) on spermatogenesis. In particular, she characterized how the BA-mediated activation of the Tgr5 receptor in the testis affects male fertility. After receiving her Ph.D., Marine joined the laboratory of Michael A. Cowley at North Carolina State University. During her postdoc, she continued investigating the effect of environmental factors, particularly diet, upon liver physiology and its systemic impact. Her investigations ranged from behavioral studies to the molecular characterization of metabolic dysregulation. Marine’s work has been critical to clarify the molecular links between liver metabolic dysfunctions and reduced male fertility.
Ankit Gupta
POSTDOC
During his Ph.D. training at CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Ankit worked on the characterization of factors involved in P. falciparum's mitochondrial and apicoplast ribosome assembly. He identified which members of the YihA family of GTPases contribute to the biogenesis of each type of ribosome. Ankit also contributed to our understanding of P falciparum's mitochondrial RNA transcription. He showed that the factor PfKsgA1 interacts with the mitochondrial RNA polymerase to promote transcription initiation. His work on the YihA family was published in "Molecular & Biochemical Parasitology", a highly regarded journal in the field of parasitology.
Choijamts (Choi) Munkhzul
POSTDOC
Choi recently graduated from Soonchunhyang University under the mentorship of Prof. Mihye Lee in the Republic of Korea. During his Ph.D., Dr. Munkhzul investigated microRNA pathways that regulate adipose tissue differentiation and explored age-related changes in microRNA expression. He published both projects as a first author and contributed to two additional manuscripts. Choi has honed his skills in molecular biology and cell culture techniques and has developed proficiency in bioinformatics for data interpretation.
Dongwon Lee
POSTbacc
Dongwon Lee, a recent Duke University graduate, is a valued member of our laboratory team at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). From a successful summer internship in our lab, to his current postbaccalaureate fellowship, Dongwon has continually demonstrated a profound commitment to biomedical research. His versatile experiences range from bioinformatics to cellular biology, obtained from various research programs. Dongwon brings an impressive academic background, a remarkable aptitude for research, and a deep commitment to serve marginalized communities. His unique blend of skills and perspectives significantly enriches our research endeavors.
We have open positions at all levels. Please, get in touch if you are interested in joining the lab!
Dr. Awesome
