Our Scientists

Uttiya Basu, PhD

Hi, I am Uttiya. I am from Kolkata, India. I did my PhD at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, working on mechanisms that determine formation of ribosome subunits and translation initiation. I did my post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School (Boston) working on mechanisms of genetic diversity in immune cells. In my free time, I like to play soccer with my son, go running with my dog, have a good time with my family and lab.

e-mail: ub2121@cumc.columbia.edu

Kishore Gollapalli, PhD

I am Kishore Gollapalli. I was born and brought up in Visakhapatnam, India. I graduated from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), where I studied proteomic alterations in human gliomas. Then I joined as postdoctoral research scientist in the Department of Neurology at Columbia University Medical Center to study Spinal Muscular Atrophy disease pathobiology in SMA mouse models. Currently, I am working as a postdoctoral research scientist in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at the CUMC, to study the significance of RNA exosome mutations in neurodegenerative diseases and role of long non-coding RNAs in the adaptive immune system development. Hanging out with friends, traveling to new places, watching, and playing Cricket are my hobbies.

e-mail: kg2820@cumc.columbia.edu

Aditya Y Sarode, PhD

Hello their people...!! Glad to connect with you all..! I am Aditya Yashwant Sarode born in Bangalore and brought up in Pune, India. I completed bachelors in biotechnology and masters in Virology from NIV, Pune. I then went on to pursue Ph.D. from NCCS, Pune in the field of Receptor biology pertaining to CD40L-CD40 receptor. I investigated the role of crucial amino acid residues, present on CD40L and reported to show mutations in HIGMS syndrome. This study helped me to understand the pleiotropy (multiple functions) of the receptor-ligand interaction where the functions ascribed to a reside can show specific and collective functions as a whole within a ligand. Here, at the Basu lab, I am investigating the role of noncoding RNA in cancer and understand the mechanism involved in the genomic instability with emphasis on ncRNA.  And when I am not in the lab exploring, I am happy to spend time in the food lab – the Kitchen and experiment with traditional cuisines. Travelling gives me a high and exploring different terrains help me unwind. I love to play Volleyball and Cricket. Currently learning to play drums and have a deep interest in geopolitics, world economy, and technology advancements across the world.

e-mail: ays2134@cumc.columbia.edu

Zixin Ni, PhD

Hello there, I am Zixin Ni born in Lanzhou, China. I completed my bachelors in veterinary medicine and Ph.D in microbiology. I was interested in how influenza virus enters into host cells then discovered the crucial endocytic receptor, mGluR2, of influenza virus. My previous study demonstrated that the binding and internalization of influenza virus infection are two processes mediated by different receptors. mGluR2 acts as an endocytic receptor to initiate the clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) of influenza virus. KCa1.1 facilitates the CME of influenza virus by regulating F-actin polymerization. Furthermore, mGluR2-KCa1.1 axis is conserved among H3N2, H5N6, H7N9, and H9N2 viruses in vitro and in vivo. Here, at the Basu lab, I’m focused on understanding how mobile genetic elements drive the nervous system and immune system development. During my spare time, I like to swim, work out, or search for the great restaurants in New York.

e-mail: zn2213@cumc.columbia.edu

Wanwei Zhang, PhD

I'm obsessed with various types of high-throughput sequencing data like HiC, HTGTS, Nanopore, RNAseq, ChIPseq, ATACseq etc. My work in the lab is to collaborate with bench-work colleagues to analyze multi-omics data in B cell development. I have a Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

e-mail: wz2370@cumc.columbia.edu

Gerson Rothschild, PhD

Gerson has been a long-standing member of the Basu laboratory. When not immersed in his work at the bench he enjoys listening to classical music, particularly Bach and Handel.

e-mail: ger2@cumc.columbia.edu

Kristen Froehlich, BS

Jerson Estrella, BS

Hi there! My name is Jerson and I'm a graduate student in the Basu Lab. I grew up in southern California and attended the University of California, Irvine where I received my B.S. in Microbiology and Immunology while investigating the desynchronization of Drosophila neural network due to weekend light shifts. For my graduate training, I'm working on characterizing the role of RNA modifications in B cell development. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, trying out different cuisine, grabbing boba with friends, and exploring what NYC has to offer!

e-mail: jde2146@columbia.edu

Max C. Lauring, BS

Hello, my name is Max! I grew up in New Jersey and graduated with a B.S. from Yale University, where I researched mechanisms of primary cilia formation and vesicular transport. Currently, I am an MD/PhD candidate at Columbia. In the Basu Lab, I am interested in studying noncoding RNA surveillance in antibody diversification. Outside of lab, I like to construct crossword puzzles for the New York Times, crush noobs in chess, play cello, and try out new recipes.

e-mail: mcl2214@cumc.columbia.edu

Eric Whisenant, BS

Hi Everyone! My name is Eric! I grew up in west Tennessee and then graduated from Harvard University where I studied how changes in RNA metabolism affect microtubule dynamics in ALS. In the Basu Lab I'm studying how the exosome affects chromatin organization and V(D)J recombination. In my free time I like to explore the city with friends, swim, and read philosophy and fantasy novels.

e-mail: dew2149@columbia.edu

Former Postdoctoral Research Scientists:

Jonathan Bizzaro, PhD., Institute of Molecular Genetics of Montpellier, Montpellier, France. 2009-2014.

Mukesh Jha, PhD., National Centre for Cell Science, Pune, India. 2012-2017. Currently a Researcher at NIH/NIAID.

Carolina R. Batista, PhD., University of Limoges, Limoges, Fr. 2015-2020. Currently a Scientist 3 at Genentech, San Francisco.
Brice Laffleur, Ph.D., University of Limoges, Limoges, Fr. 2015-2020. Currently a Senior Researcher, University of Nannes, France.

Junghyun Lim, Ph.D.,  Kyung Hee University, Seoul. 2012-2020. Currently an Assistant Professor, Jeonbuk National University, South Korea.

Jianbo Sun, Ph.D., China Agricultural University, Beijing 2011-2016. Currently a Professor at Sun YatSen University, China.

Guoxin Liang, Ph.D., Kyoto University, Kyoto 2013-2015. Currently a Professor at China Medical College, Sunyang, China.

Pankaj Giri, Ph.D., National University of Singapore 2015-2019; Currently an Assistant Professor at South Asian University, Delhi, India.                                                                                   

Jiguang Wang, Ph.D. (shared with Rabadan lab). 2012-2016; Currently an Assistant Professor, University of Hong Kong.

Former Graduate Students:

Justine Soltys, M.A. (2022-2023): Program in Biotechnology, Columbia University. Currently a Research Assistant at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Lekha Nair, Ph.D. (2016-2021): Program in Microbiology, Immunology and Infection, Columbia University. Currently a medical writer at Vaniam Group.

Celia Keim, Ph.D. (2009-12); Program of Pathobiology and Cell Biology, Columbia University. Awarded the Richard Parker Graduate Student award, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University, upon graduation. Currently employed as Associate Director, Eisai US.

Evangelos Pefanis, Ph.D. (2009-2014); Program in Microbiology, Immunology and Infection, Columbia University.  Awarded a fellowship by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY.; Awarded the Richard Parker Graduate Student award, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University, upon graduation; Awarded Columbia University Dean’s award for Scientific Excellence in Research 2015, upon graduation. Currently a Senior Staff Scientist in Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, New York.

David Kazadi (2011-2015); Medical Scientist Training Program, Columbia University. Awarded a fellowship to cover his graduate and medical school studies by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Currently a Medical Resident at University of Minnesota Medical Center.

Biao Yang, M.D. Sichuan University (2017-2018); Successfully defended a Ph.D. Currently practicing as a Hepatocellular Surgeon at Sichuan University, China.

Former Undergraduate Students:

Viviana Dolores Evans: Currently an Associate Researcher at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Laurelle M Lee Young: Currently a Graduate Student at New York University.

Former Technicians:

Lijing Wu, MSc. (2019-2024). Currently a Masters Student at New York Medical College.

Jaime Chao (2012-2014).  Currently a Graduate Student in Immunology, University of Chicago.

Veronika Grinstein (2009-11): Worked at Pfizer, Inc.

Former Assistant Professors:

Rebecca Leeman-Neill, MD, PhD., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Currently an Associate Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine.