Jiekun (Jackie) Yang Headshot Photo

Jiekun (Jackie) Yang, PhD

Principal Investigator

Department of Genetics and Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ

2024.1 - Present

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Mukta Asnani, PhD

Lab Manager & Research Scientist

  • She is a meticulous and highly skilled molecular biologist with expertise in Oncology, Immunology and Neurological disorders.
  • She is adept at conducting bench experiments, bioassays, drafting scientific papers and mentoring junior colleagues.

2024.1 - Present

Chuhanwen (Silas) Sun

Ph.D. student in Molecular Biosciences (2025-)

  • He is a first-year PhD student in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (MMG) working on computational biology and bioinformatics.
  • He is passionate about applying quantitative and multi-omics approaches to understand complex human diseases.
  • Outside the lab, he enjoys hiking, weightlifting, and filming photography.

2025.5 - Present

Pranav Arra

Undergrad Researcher (B.S. in CS and Genetics, expected May 2027)

2025.2 - Present

Byron Correa

Undergrad Researcher (B.S. in Genetics, expected May 2027)

  • Pre-med undergraduate exploring computational approaches to genome analysis and disease biology.
  • Motivated to bridge research and medicine as a future physician-scientist.
  • Outside of the lab, he values time with family, staying engaged in his community, and is a self-described workaholic.

2026.2 - Present

Vaibhav Vujjini

Undergrad Researcher (Honors College B.S. in Genetics, expected May 2029)

  • First-year undergraduate student majoring in Genetics.
  • Interested in conducting computational biology research on human diseases.
  • In his free time, he enjoys cooking, hanging out with friends, and watching movies.

2026.7 - Present

Mentees From Other Institutions

Lixia Chen Wu: CS Master's Student, Columbia University (2024.10 - Present)

Alumni

Dr. Andrew Ramirez: Andrew was an INSPIRE Postdoctoral Fellow and left the lab to pursue his interests in science policy (2026.1 - 2026.8)

Mikaela Lijo: Mikaela conducted undergraduate research in the lab and completed her Honors Thesis on cancer-associated fibroblasts. She is currently working as a medical scribe and gaining clinical experience in dermatologic surgery (2025.2 - 2026.5)

Dalia Gad: Dalia conducted undergraduate research in the lab and completed her Honors Thesis on NK cells in cancer immunology (2024.9 - 2026.5)

Xinyu Hu: Xinyu was a PhD candidate in the MBS program and earned his master’s degree before leaving the lab to pursue his interests in the gaming industry (2024.2 - 2026.3)

Jose Gonzalez: Jose was a Research Technician and is now a Master's Student at Rutgers (2024.6 - 2026.1)

Jolene Fu: Jolene was an undergraduate researcher and is now a Research Technician at UCSF (2024.3 - 2025.12)

Rahul Tacke: Rahul worked with the lab as an undergraduate at UMass Amherst and continued after transferring to Northeastern University. He contributed to two collaborative projects, including one resulting in a co-authored publication, and is currently completing his undergraduate studies at Northeastern (2024.6 - 2025.10)

Fengwei Zhan: Fengwei was an undergraduate researcher and is now a Ph.D. student in Quantitative Biomedicine at Rutgers (2024.7 - 2025.7)