Updated 04/05/2024
Ming-Feng Tsai, PhD
Principal Investigator
Ming-Feng was a medical student at National Yang-Ming University in Taiwan but decided to drop out to pursue a research career. He worked with TC Hwang as a PhD student before receiving postdoctoral training with Chris Miller at Brandeis University/HHMI. He launched his lab in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Colorado in January 2019, and later moved to the University of Virginia in October 2024.
Chen-Wei Tsai, MD
Research Assistant Professor
After completing her MD training, Chen-Wei was attracted to research and moved to MIT to conduct stem-cell research. She joined our lab in 2019, and has since developed new methods to record electrical activities of the uniporter. She is now studying pathophysiological roles of the mitochondrial calcium transport system.
Tsung-Yun "Tom" Liu
PhD student
Tom graduated from the National Cheng-Kung University in Taiwan, with a master's degree in Molecular Medicine. He is a winner of the Young Investigator Award in the American Society for Pharmacology. He is now working on mitochondrial calcium transport proteins. We are all very impressed about how good Tom can cook!
I-Chi Lee
Lab Specialist
I-Chi has a master's degree in Life Sciences from the National Taiwan University. Before joining our lab, she had experience on patent analysis in the industry. She is now working on mitochondrial calcium uptake mechanisms. I-Chi enjoys cooking and playing badminton in her free time.
Yung-Chi Tu
PhD Student
Yung-Chi received her master's degree in Marine Biology from the National Taiwan University. She joined our lab to gain experience in molecular medicine, and have conducted excellent studies on mitochondrial channels. Yung-Chi is a good singer and always very energetic — A very positive presence for people around her.
Yu-Lun (Allen) Huang
PhD Student
Allen completed his master degree in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the National Taiwan University. He is a super hiker and excellent badminton player. Allen likes nature, and would explore in the woods at night to collect reptiles and snakes. He works on using FRET to analyze channel conformational dynamics.
Yu-Chen (Evelyn) Chang
Lab Specialist
Evelyn is another alumnus from the Master's program in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the National Taiwan University. She has been a member of Girl Scouts since young age. Evelyn joined our lab in Jan 2024, and is now studying the mechanisms of mitochondrial calcium efflux.
Po-Hsuan (Paul) Lai
Lab Specialist
Paul was initially educated as a pharmacist, but later switched to a research career beginning with master's training in the Department of Pharmacology at the National Taiwan University. An enthusiast of pharmacokinetics and rock climbing. Paul is now studying mechanisms of drug action on various channels and transporters.
Hsiu-Man Shih
Lab Specialist
Hsiu-Man earned her undergraduate and Master's degrees in Animal Science and Technology from National Taiwan University. After a short period of time working in the industry, she returned to academia to join our team, where she is focused on studying the pharmacological modulation of mitochondrial calcium transporters. Outside the lab, Hsiu-Man enjoys riding motorcycles and is the proud owner of a Yamaha motorbike!
Hao-Cheng (Eric) Weng
Lab Specialist
Hao-Cheng holds a B.S. in Biochemical Sciences and an M.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, both from National Taiwan University. After gaining five years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, he returned to academia to pursue PhD training with our lab. His research focuses on the identification, design, and optimization of small-molecule compounds targeting mitochondrial calcium transport proteins.
Alumni
Anna Van Keuren
Professional Research Assistant
(2019-2021)
Currently: PhD student.
Hannah Shushunov
Professional Research Assistant
(2021-2023)
Currently: Technician.
Fan-Yi Chao
Professional Research Assistant
(2022-2023)
Currently: PhD student.