Lab Group

Dr. Aimin Liu, Principal Investigator

Johnson Foundation Professor of Chemical Enzymology

Dr. Inchul Shin, Senior Research Associate & Lab Manager

Inchul earned BS/MS/PhD degrees from Seoul National University. He investigates how enzymes within the heme-dependent aromatic oxygenase (HDAO) superfamily achieve diverse catalytic transformations and distinct product outcomes despite sharing a similar structural fold, focusing on the structural and mechanistic determinants of their functional plasticity.

Angelica Graciano is a graduate student in the Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Chemical Biology (BBCB) program. Her research focuses on the characterization and mechanistic investigation of copper- and heme-dependent enzymes relevant to protein-derived cofactor biogenesis and natural product biosynthesis. She earned her B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Dr. Ran Duan (PhD’26 – UTSA) is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. His research centers on employing non‑canonical amino acids to investigate protein‑derived cofactors, with an emphasis on their biogenesis and precise functional roles.

Dr. Cassadee Stagliano (PhD’26 – UTSA) is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on discovering novel functions of the Heme-dependent aromatic oxygenase (HDAO) superfamily

Dr. Shankhadeep Saha (PhD – IIT Guwahati) is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He earned his Ph.D. in Bioinorganic Chemistry. His research focuses on mechanistic studies of the heme-dependent aromatic oxygenase (HDAO) superfamily and discoveries in natural product biosynthesis.

Tingke (Tiko) Huang is a Master of Biotechnology Engineering student at the University of Pennsylvania. He earned his B.S. in Biochemistry from Rutgers University. His research interests include enzymology, chemical biology, and the biomedical applications of biochemical research.

Yinjie Huang is a master's student in Biotechnology at the University of Pennsylvania. He studied Biochemistry at Rutgers University, where he worked on a protein expression and purification project and gained experience with enzyme activity assays. His research interests include protein biochemistry, enzymology, and their potential applications in cancer therapy.

Jialu (Cherry) Shi is a master’s student in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Medical and Molecular Biology from MCPHS University. She is interested in combining molecular biology and biochemistry to understand biological mechanisms and their roles in disease.

TBN

Postdoc @ Penn (with us)

Postdoc @ Penn (with us)

Scientist, AstraZenera

Postdoc @ UTHSCSA/UTSA

Deputy Chief of the Applied Diagnostics Branch, Diagnostic Systems Division, Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, The U.S. Army (USAMRIID)

Assistant Professor of Chemistry (since 9/2021), University of Georgia (UGA)

Business Owner and former Director of Operations, Eurofins PSS

Associate Professor of Biochemistry & Biophysics and Chemistry, Co-Director, Penn Center for Genome Integrity, University of Pennsylvania

Jiafeng (Jeff) Geng (PhD'14, JD)

IP Strategist & Sr. Managing Director of Intellectual Property and Research Programs at Emory University

Director at Incyte, DMPK

R&D Scientist, Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Research Associate, Emory University

Research Associate, Xavier University of Louisiana