Profiles

Neuroscientist Dan O’Connor’s research focuses on understanding what happens in our brain to perceive touch – a sense plays a crucial role in how we interpret our surroundings, move around and even our perception of pain. His lab has recently made a new discovery on how our brains process touch.

Xingde Li is a professor of biomedical engineering at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His lab focuses on novel endomicroscopy technologies in the hopes of someday diminishing our dependency on biopsies..

Siobhán Cooke is an assistant professor of functional anatomy and evolution. Her research focuses on the evolution and eventual extinction of the native mammals of the Caribbean region. She also teaches human anatomy to medical students. 

Haig Kazazian is a professor of pediatrics and molecular biology and genetics. His current research uses next generation DNA sequencing to investigate the role of LINE-1 (L1) genes in human diseases, such as cancer.

Ben Larman is an assistant professor in the Department of Pathology, in the Division of Immunology. He spoke with Fundamentals about a new technique for analyzing the RNA content of human tissues.

Jody Tversky is an assistant professor and former Clinical Director of the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Here he discusses what scotch tape and drones have to do with allergy testing.

Jiajia Zhang was a trained oncologist in China when she read news about former Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Johns Hopkins and the launch of the Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. She decided to focus the rest of her career on research, and she was accepted into a master of public health program in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 

Kathleen Gabrielson is an associate professor in the Department of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology. She investigates the side effects of medications, and the impact of stress on the body.

Piotr Walczak is an associate professor of radiology and radiological science. He develops noninvasive imaging techniques to monitor stem cell therapies for neurological disorders, particularly those that affect the protective myelin sheath around nerves. 

Albert Lau is an assistant professor of biophysics and biophysical chemistry. He studies the actions and interactions of molecules in atomic detail, focusing on signaling proteins in the brain.

David Valle is director of the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine. He works to discover the genetic causes of disease and is part of the Johns Hopkins inHealth steering committee.

Carol Greider, a self-proclaimed rogue scientist and ASAPbio activist, talks about the initiative to change scientific publishing to better promote the free flow of ideas.

Jordan Green is an associate professor of biomedical engineering. He designs sophisticated molecules with specialized tasks, such as delivering therapeutics to help the body heal.

Kristina Nielsen is an assistant professor of neuroscience with the Zanvyl Krieger/Mind Brain Institute. She studies how nerve cells are organized in the brain’s visual areas to enable object recognition. 

Sergi Regot is an assistant professor of molecular biology and genetics. He designs ways to study protein activity in real time, in living cells, one at a time.