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  • Sergey Ovchinnikov

    Assistant Professor of Biology
    Ovchinnikov Lab
    so3@mit.edu
    617-258-7851
    Short Bio

    Sergey Ovchinnikov uses phylogenetic inference, protein structure prediction/determination, protein design, deep learning, energy-based models, and differentiable programming to tackle evolutionary questions at environmental, organismal, genomic, structural, and molecular scales, with the aim of developing a unified model of protein evolution.

  • Yiyin Erin Chen

    Assistant Professor of Biology; Core Member, Broad Institute
    Chen Lab
    erinchen@yeclab.org
    (617) 714-7072
    Short Bio
    Diverse commensal microbes colonize every surface of our bodies. We study the constant communication between these microbes and our immune system. We focus on our largest organ: the skin. By employing microbial genetics, immunologic approaches, and mouse models, we can dissect (1) the molecular signals used by microbes to educate our immune system and (2) how different microbial communities alter immune responses. Ultimately, we aim to harness these microbe-host interactions to engineer novel vaccines and therapeutics for human disease.

  • Daniel Lew

    Professor of Biology
    Lew Lab
    Biology Dept.
    djlew@mit.edu
    617-258-7360
    Short Bio

    Faculty Bio: Daniel Lew joined the Department of Biology at MIT as a Professor in the Spring of 2023. Professor Lew completed a PhD in Molecular Biology from the Rockefeller University in 1990, and then did postdoctoral work at the Scripps Research Institute where he investigated the cell cycle control in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. His research focuses on the study of cell polarity and the spatial decoding of chemical signals by cells, which are critical for many biological phenomena.

    Research Summary: We study questions in fundamental cell biology, using fungal models and a mix of experimental and computational approaches. Fungi and animals share conserved molecular strategies to perform many core cell functions, so the tractable yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae provides a superb model system to gain in-depth understanding that can be translated into computational models. We also study an emerging non-model fungus, Aureobasidium pullulans, that is an ubiquitous poly-extremophile with unconventional growth modes that raise novel questions in cell biology.

    Some questions of interest:

     

    • How do cells regulate cell polarity to achieve different morphologies?
    • How do cells orient cell polarity in response to extracellular signals?
    • How do cells distribute their contents, particularly in complex geometries?
    • How do fungi growing under stringent turgor pressure expand their cell walls without lysing?
    • How do cell-cell contacts between cell walls communicate mechanical information to the cell?

  • Anthony Sinskey

    (1940-2025) Professor of Microbiology and Health Sciences & Technology
    Professor Anthony Sinskey, biologist, inventor, entrepreneur, and Center for Biomedical Innovation co-founder, dies at 84
    Sinskey Lab
    Short Bio

    Prof. Sinskey has passed away at the age of 84.

    Anthony J. Sinskey, Sc.D., was a Professor of Microbiology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and held positions as Co-Director of the Malaysia-MIT Biotechnology Partnership Program and Faculty Director of the MIT Center for Biomedical Innovation (CBI). He conducted interdisciplinary research in metabolic engineering, focusing on the fundamental physiology, biochemistry, and molecular genetics of important organisms. Dr. Sinskey was well known in the biopharmaceutical industry and was the Scientific Co-founder of several biotechnology companies, including Genzyme Corporation, Natural Pharmaceuticals, Metabolix, Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, and Tepha. Dr. Sinskey has given over 300 presentations at U.S. and International scientific meetings and congresses. He has received 31 issued patents, has made more than 30 invention disclosures, and has published more than 300 scientific papers in leading peer-reviewed journals for biology, metabolic engineering, and biopolymer engineering.

  • Sebastian Lourido

    Associate Professor of Biology; Core Member, Whitehead Institute
    MIT Biology
    lourido@wi.mit.edu
    617-324-4920
    Short Bio

    Our lab is interested in the molecular events that enable apicomplexan parasites to remain widespread and deadly infectious agents. We study many important human pathogens, including Toxoplasma gondii, to model features conserved throughout the phylum. We seek to expand our understanding of eukaryotic diversity and identify specific features that can be targeted to treat parasite infections.

  • Gene-Wei Li

    Associate Professor of Biology
    Gene-Wei Li Lab
    gwli@mit.edu
    617-324-6703
    Short Bio

    Gene-Wei Li investigates how quantitative information regarding precise proteome composition is encoded in and extracted from bacterial genomes. We seek to understand the optimization of bacterial proteomes at both mechanistic and systems levels. Our work combines high-precision assays, genome-wide measurements, and quantitative/biophysical modeling. Ongoing projects focus on the design principles of transcription, translation, and RNA maturation machineries in the face of competing cellular processes.

  • Michael Laub

    Associate Professor of Biology; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
    Laub Lab
    laub@mit.edu
    Short Bio

    Our lab is currently interested in: (1) understanding how toxin-antitoxin systems and other immunity mechanisms help bacteria defend themselves against phage predation and (2) elucidating the molecular basis of protein evolution and the coevolution of interacting proteins. We use a combination of genetics, biochemistry, microscopy, computational analyses, and genome-scale approaches like RNA-seq. Our work is rooted in a desire to develop a deep, fundamental understanding of how bacteria function and evolve, but it also has implications for and applications in areas such as protein engineering and phage therapy.

  • Becky Lamason

    Associate Professor of Biology
    Lamason Lab
    MIT Biology
    rlamason@mit.edu
    617-258-6155
    Short Bio

    In the Lamason lab, we investigate how intracellular bacterial pathogens such as Rickettsia parkeri and Listeria monocytogenes hijack host cell processes to promote infection. We use cellular, molecular, genetic, biochemical, and biophysical approaches to elucidate the mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions in order to reveal key insights into pathogenesis and host cell biology.

  • Alan D. Grossman

    Praecis Professor of Biology
    MIT Biology
    adg@mit.edu
    617-253-1515
    Short Bio

    Professor Alan Grossman is no longer accepting graduate students.

    We use a variety of approaches to investigate several of the fundamental and conserved processes used by bacteria for propagation and growth, adaptation to stresses, and acquisition of new genes and traits via horizontal gene transfer. Our long term goals are to understand many of the molecular mechanisms and regulation underlying basic cellular processes in bacteria. Our organism of choice for these studies is usually the Gram positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. Our current efforts are focused in two important areas of biology: 1) The control of horizontal gene transfer, specifically the lifecycle, function, and control of integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs). These elements are widespread in bacteria and contribute greatly to the spread of antibiotic resistances between organisms. 2) Regulation of the initiation of DNA replication and the connections between replication and gene expression, with particular focus on the conserved replication initiator and transcription factor DnaA. This work is directly related to mechanisms controlling bacterial growth, survival, and stress responses.

  • Cathy Drennan

    Professor of Chemistry and Biology; Investigator and Professor, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; MacVicar Faculty Fellow
    Drennan Lab
    MIT Biology
    cdrennan@mit.edu
    617-253-5622
    Short Bio

    The Drennan Research Laboratory seeks to understand how Nature harnesses and re-directs the reactivity of enzyme metallocenters in order to perform challenging reactions. The Drennan Lab Educational Initiatives focus on the development of resources for undergraduate science teaching and for the training of science educators.