Current Lab members
Yuwei Jiang, Ph.D
Principle Investigator
Dr. Jiang is originally from China and received her B.S degree in Biological Sciences from Fudan University, China. She was awarded her Ph.D degree in Molecular and Human Genetics from Baylor College of Medicine where she focused on organ development, disease modeling and gene regulations. She then moved to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Developmental Biology and the Division of Endocrinology.
Dr. Jiang started at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) as an assistant professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics in August 2018. Her current research focuses on the roles of adipose stem cells in adipose tissue development, expansion, and aging. Outside of the lab, Dr. Jiang enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, biking and going for short runs. In addition, she likes to spend her free time baking and listening to a wide array of podcasts.
Dr. Jooman Park, Ph.D
Research Scholar
Jooman received his B.S in the Department of Life Science from Yonsei University, South Korea, and earned M.S. and Ph.D. in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Yonsei University, College of Medicine, South Korea. Previous his studies focused on the mechanisms regulating transcriptional factors by post-translational modification and its functional relevance to Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
At the Jiang lab, he will investigate the mechanism of extending beige adipocyte longevity, and its role in adipose tissue dysfunction, such as obesity, T2DM, and lipodystrophy. In free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing basketball and soccer, traveling something new place.
Dr. Shaolei Xiong, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Fellow
Shaolei received a B.S. with honors in ecology from Sun Yat-sen University and M.S. on genomics from Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Science in China. Then he moved to the US and he studied cavefish evolutionary genetics at Stowers Institute for Biomedical Research with Dr. Nicolas Rohner.
As a postdoc in Jiang lab, Shaolei is investigating the crosstalk between adipose tissue and the immune system. Moreover, he is also interested in the regulation of mitochondrial in adipose tissues. In addition, his hobbies include fishing, playing volleyball, and watching movies.
Ruoci Hu
Ph.D Student
Ruoci is a PhD student in the Jiang lab. She received her B.S in Pharmacy from Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, China, and then got her M.S. degree in College of Pharmacy from Seoul National University, South Korea. Previously she focused on anti-inflammatory effects of natural products and uncovering the underlying mechanisms.
In the Jiang lab, her current research focuses on beige adipocyte formation under physiological and pathological conditions such as aging and obesity.
Yanyu Qian
Ph.D Student
Yanyu is a PhD student in the Jiang lab. She received her B.S. in Bioengineering from Southwest Jiaotong University, China, and then got her M.S. degree in Bioengineering from the University of Illinois Chicago.
In the Jiang lab, her current research focuses on the crosstalk between progenitor cells and niche cells within adipose tissues and their metabolic roles in aging and obesity.
Yanyu loves rabbits. She is a super fan of Winnie the Pooh and Linabell from Disney.
Former Lab members
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Zuoxiao (Cedric) Shi
Ph.D Student
Dr. Ruifan Wu, Ph.D
Research Scholar
Dr. Yexian Yuan, Ph.D
Research Scholar
Asma El-Sabbagh
Undergraduate Student
Sana Syed
Undergraduate Student
Jaden Wang
Undergraduate Student
Lifeng Liu, Ph.D
Research Specialist
Sunhye (Sonia) Shin, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Brandon Lukas
Master's Student
Aneriben (Aneri) Patel
Undergraduate Student
Michael Jose Lukas
Undergraduate Student
Maryam Abdul Majid, Ph.D
Research Specialist
The Jiang Lab welcomes strong candidates to apply to the lab as postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, undergraduate students or professional scientists.
Individuals with experience/interest in stem cell, organ development and aging, obesity and diabetes, bioinformatics or mouse genetics are especially encouraged to apply.