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Overview of program
The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Govt. of India, Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF), and WINStep Forward partner to support the prestigious Khorana Program for Scholars, named in honor of Dr. Har Gobind Khorana. Khorana won the Nobel Prize in 1968 for his work at the interface of Chemistry and Biology while a member of the University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty.
The program is aimed at providing Indian undergraduate and post-graduate students with opportunities of pursuing higher education and research-based careers.
Previous St. Jude Faculty Mentors
As part of the Khorana Program, Scholars are required to email faculty members to request internships. Below is a list of St. Jude Faculty who have previously mentored Khorana Scholars. View the complete list of St. Jude Research Labs.
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Aseem Z. Ansari
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Chair, Chemical Biology & Therapeutics
R. J. Ulrich Endowed Chair
Affiliations
Department of Chemical Biology and TherapeuticsEmail
aseem.ansari@stjude.orgAseem Z. Ansari
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Chair, Chemical Biology & Therapeutics
R. J. Ulrich Endowed Chair
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Synthetic gene regulators (SynGRs) as precision-tailored therapeutics for personalized medicine
- Artificial transcription factors (ATFs) to regulate cell fate programs and enable regenerative medicine
- Specificity and Energy landscapes for SynGR/ATF design, genome annotation, and precision medicine
- Chemical-Genetic dissection of RNA polymerase II transcription cycle
Biography
Dr. Aseem Ansari is guiding St. Jude forward as a leader in the field of transcription-targeted therapeutics. His distinguished research achievements are complemented by a passion for collaboration and innovative training; he has founded several successful STEM training programs and created new forums for scientific exchange within, and beyond, the St. Jude community. From his graduate work at the interface of chemistry and biology at Northwestern to his postdoctoral training in gene regulation at Harvard and MIT, to his lauded faculty role at the University of Wisconsin Madison, Dr. Ansari continues to broaden the boundaries of discovery in his role as Chair of the Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics.
Contact Information
Aseem Z. Ansari
Chemical Biology & Therapeutics
MS 1000, Room E9050A
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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M. Madan Babu, PhD, FRSC, FMedSci, FRS
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Chief Data Scientist and Senior Vice President for Data Science
Director, Center of Excellence for Data Driven Discovery
George J. Pedersen Endowed Chair in Biological Data Sciences
Affiliations
Department of Structural Biology St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Comprehensive Cancer Center Cancer Biology ProgramEmail
madan.babu@stjude.orgM. Madan Babu, PhD, FRSC, FMedSci, FRS
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Chief Data Scientist and Senior Vice President for Data Science
Director, Center of Excellence for Data Driven Discovery
George J. Pedersen Endowed Chair in Biological Data Sciences
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Using data science and computational methods to study biological systems across scales, from atomic structures to population-level genetics
- Investigating GPCR signaling, intrinsically disordered proteins, gene regulation, protein degradation, and homeostasis
- Developing tools for biological data science, systems biology, network biology, and structural bioinformatics
- Applying findings to understand disease-causing mutations and advance biotechnology, drug discovery, and personalized medicine
Contact Information
M. Madan Babu, PhD, FRSC, FMedSci, FRS
Structural Biology
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Chi-Lun Chang, PhD
Assistant Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Department of Cell and Molecular BiologyEmail
chi-lun.chang@stjude.orgChi-Lun Chang, PhD
Assistant Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Spatial-temporal regulation of energy homeostasis at lipid droplet-organelle contact sites
- Dynamic organization of ER-Golgi secretory compartments
- Alteration of inter-organelle communication in neurological diseases
Contact Information
Chi-Lun Chang, PhD
Cell & Molecular Biology
MS 340, Room M4426
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Tommaso Cupido, PhD
Assistant Member, St. Jude Faculty
Tommaso Cupido, PhD
Assistant Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Mechanism and regulation of protein machines
- Chemical Probe Discovery
- Cancer biology
Contact Information
Tommaso Cupido, PhD
Chemical Biology & Therapeutics
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Hai T Dao, PhD
Assistant Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics Comprehensive Cancer Center Cancer Biology ProgramEmail
hai.dao@stjude.orgHai T Dao, PhD
Assistant Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Design of chemical probes to study epigenetic regulations
- Chromatin structure and function
- Protein engineering
- Cancer biology
Contact Information
Hai T Dao, PhD
Chemical Biology & Therapeutics
MS 1000, Room E9056
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Yongqiang Feng, PhD
Associate Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Department of Immunology Comprehensive Cancer Center St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical SciencesEmail
yong.feng@stjude.orgYongqiang Feng, PhD
Associate Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Epigenetic and transcriptional control of regulatory T cell lineage specification and function
- Mechanisms governing regulatory T cell stability and plasticity
- Development of new tools and analytical platforms to investigate T cell tolerance
Contact Information
Yongqiang Feng, PhD
Immunology
MS 351, Room E7064
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Mario Halic, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Department of Structural Biology St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Comprehensive Cancer Center Cancer Biology ProgramEmail
mario.halic@stjude.orgMario Halic, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Regulation of genome expression
- Recognition and silencing of foreign genetic elements
- Chromatin modifications that lead to silencing (cryo-EM)
- Changes in chromatin structure induced by chromatin modifiers (cryo-EM)
Contact Information
Mario Halic, PhD
Structural Biology
MS 311, Room M6418
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Vice-Chair, Immunology Department
Director, Center of Excellence for Innate Immunity and Inflammation
Rose Marie Thomas Endowed Chair
Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Vice-Chair, Immunology Department
Director, Center of Excellence for Innate Immunity and Inflammation
Rose Marie Thomas Endowed Chair
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Innate immunity
- Inflammasomes and inflammatory cell death, PANoptosis
- Inflammatory and infectious diseases and cancer
- Cytokine signaling
Contact Information
Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti, PhD
Immunology
MS 351, Room M5426
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Mondira Kundu, MD, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology Comprehensive Cancer Center Hematological Malignancies Program St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical SciencesEmail
mondira.kundu@stjude.orgMondira Kundu, MD, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Molecular mechanisms contributing to disease pathogenesis
- Development of diagnostic tools and therapies
- Role of somatic mtDNA mutations in the development of cancer and cancer sequelae
- Contribution of trafficking and autophagy defects in the pathogenesis of neuromuscular disorders
Contact Information
Mondira Kundu, MD, PhD
Cell & Molecular Biology
MS 343, Room D4026C
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Richard E. Lee, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Endowed Chair in Medicinal Chemistry
Adjunct Professor, University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Affiliations
Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics Comprehensive Cancer Center St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Cancer Biology ProgramEmail
Richard.Lee@stjude.orgRichard E. Lee, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Endowed Chair in Medicinal Chemistry
Adjunct Professor, University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Design, synthesis, and development of novel antibiotic and chemotherapeutic agents
- Modulation of Coenzyme A levels for the treatment of rare diseases and cancer
- Development of innovative therapeutic approaches to tackle drug-resistant infections
Contact Information
Richard E. Lee, PhD
Chemical Biology & Therapeutics
MS 1000, Room E9053
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Jamy C. Peng, PhD
Associate Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Department of Developmental Neurobiology Comprehensive Cancer Center St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Developmental Biology and Solid Tumor Program Email
jamy.peng@stjude.orgJamy C. Peng, PhD
Associate Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Proteins and RNAs in epigenetic programming of stem cell functions
- Epigenetic mechanisms influencing gene expression changes
- Epigenetic regulation of stem cell functions
Contact Information
Jamy C. Peng, PhD
Developmental Neurobiology
MS 323, Room D2038F
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Lindsay Schwarz, PhD
Associate Member, St. Jude Faculty
Lindsay Schwarz, PhD
Associate Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Mechanisms regulating diverse functions of neuromodulatory circuits
- Activity patterns of neuromodulatory neurons in vivo during arousal-related behaviors
- Molecular diversity of locus coeruleus neurons
- How changes in neuromodulatory circuits promote psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders
Contact Information
Lindsay Schwarz, PhD
Developmental Neurobiology
MS 323, Room D2025F
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
Contact information
CBT Internships
cbtinternships@stjude.org