Team
Meet the Team
Xin Zhou, Ph.D.
xin_zhou1 at dfci.harvard.edu
Xin is an Assistant Professor of Biological Chemistry & Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School and Cancer Biology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and a recipient of the Damon-Runyon Dale F. Frey Award for Breakthrough Scientists. Xin trained with Dr. Michael Lin as a Ph.D. student at Stanford University and Dr. James Wells as a postdoctoral fellow at UCSF. As an enthusiastic protein and cell engineer, Xin loves to brainstorm building new molecules with boundless possibilities.
Outside of laboratory, Xin enjoys listening to a lazy folk/rock playlist while reading and writing. She dreams of starting a rock band with her lab and her daughter Julia one day.
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Dingpeng (Peng) Zhang
Postdoctoral Fellow, Dingpeng_zhang@dfci.harvard.edu
Peng received his Ph.D. in Prof. Chuan-Fa Liu’s lab from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, where he engineered asparaginyl ligases for protein bio-orthogonal ligations. Here, Peng is exploring new pharmacological ways to modulate protein levels and functions. Peng enjoys trying new things such as riding a horse!
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Jhoely Duque-Jimenez
Research Technician/Lab Manager, Jhoely_duque-jimenez@dfci.harvard.edu
Jhoely graduated in May 2022 from Boston University and studied Biochemistry & Molecular Biology with a minor in Public Health on the pre-medical track. She is passionate about health equity, cancer research, and is excited to work in the Zhou lab researching ways to improve cancer therapies through protein engineering. She also enjoys playing soccer!
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Itay Algov
Postdoctoral Fellow, itay_algov@dfci.harvard.edu
Itay did his Ph.D. in Prof. Lital Alfonta’s lab at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. During his Ph.D. Itay was studying enzyme electron transfer processes using synthetic biology tools. In the Zhou lab, Itay will build sensors and switches for a better understanding of the tumor microenvironment. In his free time, Itay likes to listen to music and climb walls. Itay will join us in July 2022!
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Kaitlin Rhee
Graduate Student, kaitlini_rhee@dfci.harvard.edu
Kaitlin comes from UC Berkeley with a chemical biology BS and a data science minor. She joined the Harvard chemical biology Ph.D. program in 2022. In the Zhou Lab, she is excited to design proteins that interact with and respond to the tumor microenvironment, acting as research tools and therapeutics. Outside of research, Kaitlin enjoys knitting, baking, music, and natural scenery!
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Zhixing Ma
Graduate Student, zhixing_ma@dfci.harvard.edu
Zhixing comes from Peking University with a BS in Medicine. He joined the PhD program in Biological and Biomedical Science of Harvard in 2022. Here, he is working on developing tools to rewire cell signaling networks. Outside the lab, Zhixing enjoys playing tennis, running and traveling!
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Lars Hellweg
Incoming Postdoctoral Fellow
Lars is pursuing his Ph.D. in the lab of Professor Kai Johnsson at the Max-Planck-Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg, Germany. He is working on the development of chemogenetic biosensors for intracellular metabolites. In his free time, he likes to play football and craft things (wood work etc). He will be joining the lab at the end of 2024/beginning of 2025!
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Aoxing Cheng
Postdoctoral Fellow
Aoxing received his Ph.D. in Prof. Zhenye Yang’s lab at the University of Science and Technology of China. During his Ph.D. and first round of postdoctoral training, Aoxing focused on cancer metabolism and cell cycle regulation. In the Zhou lab, Aoxing will develop protein degraders and metabolite sensors to better understand and treat metabolic diseases. Outside the lab, Aoxing enjoys cooking and traveling! Aoxing will be joining the lab in January 2024.
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Donnette Madrey
Executive Support, donnette_madrey@dfci.harvard.edu
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Julia Xu
Julia is the current youngest member of the Zhou lab. One of her favorite books to read after dinner is “General Relativity for Babies”. She is looking forward to meeting new friends in Boston!