Updated 04/18/2026
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.
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!
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.
Po-Hsuan (Paul) Lai
PhD Student
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.
Julia Chen
Lab Specialist
Julia joined our lab in 2025 after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley with dual degrees in Molecular & Cellular Biology and Data Science. She is currently investigating the mechanism and pathological roles of the mitochondrial Na+/Ca2+ exchanger. Julia’s long-term goal is to pursue a career as a surgeon.
Pei-Jie Lin
Lab Specialist
Pei-Jie received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Life Sciences from National Taiwan University. She enjoys learning languages, and we were all impressed that she joined a Jiu Jitsu club during college and learned shoulder throw. Her project focuses on the mechanism by which the mitochondrial Na+/Ca2+ exchanger TMEM65 regulates innate immunity.
Inseop Chun, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate
Inseop earned his bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the UC Riverside, and completed his Ph.D. at Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea, where he focused on the molecular mechanisms of transcription factors. In our lab, he is currently investigating how mitochondria regulate cell-death pathways.
Matthew Peart
PhD Student
Matt graduated from the College of William & Mary with a major in biology and earned his master’s degree rom Virginia Commonwealth University before joining our lab through the UVA BIMS program. He is a marathon runner, and has qualified for the Boston Marathon! He currently studies mitochondrial membrane biophysics in our lab.
Alumni
Anna Van Keuren
Professional Research Assistant (2019-2021)
Next position: PhD student at CU Anschutz
Hannah Shushunov
Professional Research Assistant (2021-2023)
Next position: Master's student at U. Michigan
Fan-Yi Chao
Professional Research Assistant (2022-2023)
Next position: PhD student at CU Anschutz
Chen-Wei Tsai
Research Assistant Professor (2019-2025)
Next position: Senior Scientist
in the biotech industry
Yu-Chen Chang
Lab Specialist (2024-2025)
Next position: Clinical Research Associate
I-Chi Lee
Senior Lab Specialist (2022-2025)
Next position: Scientist in the biotech industry
Hao-Cheng Weng
Lab Specialist (2025-2025)
Next position: PhD Student at National Taiwan University