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!

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!

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!

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!

Postdoctoral Fellow, aoxing_cheng@dfci.harvard.edu

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.

Graduate Student, lawrence_shue@dfci.harvard.edu

Larry graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and a minor in bioengineering. He completed his senior thesis studying the retinoic acid signaling pathway in tumor-associated dendritic cells. He joined the biological and biomedical sciences (BBS) PhD program at Harvard in 2023. He is excited to learn more about protein engineering in the context of cancer therapeutics. Outside of research, Larry enjoys knitting/crocheting, baking, and playing tennis!

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!

Executive Support, donnette_madrey@dfci.harvard.edu

Donnette received her B.S. in Communications at Suffolk University.

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!