Iwijn De Vlaminck
Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering

vlaminck@cornell.edu

CV

Iwijn grew up in Belgium. He joined the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University as an assistant professor in 2015. His research focuses on the development of precision medicine technologies for the monitoring of infectious diseases and immune mediated complications. Outside of work, Iwijn loves running, biking and spending time with his two kids, Benjamin and Emma.

Joan Sesing Lenz
Research Scientist
jsl26@cornell.edu

Joan has worked on numerous projects at multiple research institutions over the expanse of her career. Her specific interests include development of assays and application of protocols to cell free DNA and RNA for genomic based technologies.

Lena Takayasu
Research Associate
lt425@cornell.edu

Lena grew up in Japan, and finished PhD in the University of Tokyo. Now her interest is in applying spatial imaging techniques to understand the interactions and dynamics of microbiomes. In her free time, she plays the piano, violin, and also biwa, a Japanese traditional instrument.

Emma Belcher
Research Technician
eb783@cornell.edu

Emma grew up locally in central New York. She received a B.S. in Forensic Science and spent the first part of her career in an environmental and food micro testing lab. She is excited to transition into the field of Biomedical Engineering. In her free time, Emma enjoys caring for houseplants, thrifting and antique shopping, and reading.

Peter Schweitzer
Research Scientist
pas48@cornell.edu

Peter grew up in Southern Illinois and received his undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. After being the director of the Cornell Genomics shared scientific resource facility for 20 years, Peter retired and joined the De Vlaminck lab, part-time, to apply his experience with genomics to new, cutting-edge technologies. Outside the lab, he enjoys bicycling, curling, and walking his dogs.

Claire Birkenheuer
Postdoctoral Fellow
chb226@cornell.edu

Claire grew up in Colorado and completed her PhD at Colorado State University, where she studied virus-host interactions during viral-induced tumor development. Currently, she is interested in transcriptional regulation during viral infection and how this contributes to the development of critical viral-induced pathologies. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her daughter and her cat, reading, and hiking.

Shaowen Jiang
Computational Biology, 2022
sj657@cornell.edu

Shaowen grew up in Guangzhou, China and finished his Master’s in Bioinformatics from New York University and worked at the NYU School of Medicine as a bioinformatics analyst on cancer-related research. Currently, he is interested in using or developing computational tools on spatial and single-cell transcriptomics to study the disease-related research. Outside the lab, he likes traveling to historical places for city sightseeing and museums; hiking to nearby trails; enjoying “WuTiao Ren” music.

Daniel Eweis-LaBolle
Biochemistry Molecular & Cell Biology, 2022
de256@cornell.edu

Daniel grew up in Davis California and earned his B.S in Animal Biology and Genetics in 2020 from the University of California Davis. He is interested in developing new technologies to advance minimally-invasive diagnostics for infectious and immune related diseases. Outside of the lab, Daniel loves adventuring in nature, cooking, and playing the trumpet with any band that will take him.

Annie Gardella
Biochemistry Molecular & Cell Biology, 2022
aeg267@cornell.edu

Anne (Annie) grew up just outside of Boston, MA and earned her B.S. in Biochemistry from UMass Amherst in 2020. Before coming to Cornell, she worked in early drug discovery at a biotech company in MA. Currently, she is interested in cell-free RNA sequencing and analysis to develop noninvasive liquid biopsies for ME/CFS. Outside of the lab, she loves hiking Ithaca's falls, cycling, and cooking.

Chase Holdener
Computational Biology, 2023
ch2228@cornell.edu

Chase grew up in Gambier, Ohio and did his undergraduate studies at Grinnell College in Biology and Computer Science. He is interested in applying and developing computational tools to find gene expression patterns in spatial data. Currently, he is applying spatial transcriptomics technologies to study infection spread and how host cells respond to infections. Outside of research, Chase likes printmaking, hiking, and spending time with friends.

Andreas Stephanou
Genetics Genomics & Development, 2023
as3562@cornell.edu

Andreas is from Nicosia, Cyprus and did his bachelors degree at the Ohio State University in Molecular Genetics. He is interested in applying spatial and single cell technologies to study various diseases. In his free time, he enjoys playing the drums, producing music, and spending time with his friends.

Glory F. Agun
Genetics Genomics & Development, 2023
gfa32@cornell.edu

Glory grew up in Northern Nigeria, and got a dual bachelor’s degree in Molecular Bioscience from Duke University, Durham and Duke Kunshan University, Jiangsu. She is interested in the use of cell-free nucleic acids as biomarkers for non-invasive diagnosis. She is currently working to understand cell-free nucleic acid stability and the impact on feature detection. Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading, volunteering and listening to music.

Jana Freedman
Biophysics, 2024
jf896@cornell.edu

Jahanara (Jana) grew up in southern Maine and completed her bachelors degree in Physics at Wellesley College. She is interested in developing new methods to collect and assess transcriptomic data. Outside the lab, she enjoys cooking, painting, and spending time with friends.

Jooyoung Park
Biomedical & Biological Sciences, 2024
jp2626@cornell.edu

Jooyoung is from Seoul, Korea, and got her M.S in Biomedical Sciences from Korea University. She is interested in developing a methods for Spatial transcriptomics and answering biological questions through it. Outside her lab, she enjoys cooking, grocery shopping, and spending time with her friends.

Eunice Park
Genetics Genomics & Development, 2024
yp462@cornell.edu

Young Seo (Eunice) is from Seoul, South Korea, and received her Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences at Seoul National University. She is interested in applying high resolution spatial transcriptomics to various tissues and addressing challenges specific to analyzing high-resolution datasets. Outside the lab, she likes to spend her time listening to music, pen sketching, and taking walks while looking at the stars.