Peng Jin, PhD
Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Human Genetics
Chair, Department of Human Genetics
Director, Emory Stephen T. Warren National Fragile X Research Center
Dr. Peng Jin received his doctorate degree in Molecular and Developmental Biology from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital/University of Cincinnati, and postdoctoral training at Emory University. At Emory, Dr. Jin is interested in the roles of noncoding RNAs and epigenetic modulation in neural development and brain disorders. Dr. Jin is the recipient of Beckman Young Investigator Award, Basil O’Connor Scholar Research Award, Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow in Neuroscience, and NARSAD Independent Investigator Award.
Instructors
My research interests include non-coding RNA, chemical biology, and epigenetic pathogenesis of neurological disorders.
Yujing Li, PhD
I am interested in the following topics: neurodevelopment related with neural cell migration during early development; neural function specifying excitatory and inhibitory synaptic balance related with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and the role of Fmr1 in fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) and Fragile X syndrome (FXS).
Yunhee Kang, PhD
Ronghua Li, MD, PhD
I obtained my Ph.D. from the Australian National University where I studied the effect of an RNA modification, 5-methylcytosine, on mRNA metabolism. In the Jin lab, I am interested in understanding the role of RNA modifications in neurodegenerative diseases such as Fragile X syndrome and Alzheimer’s.
Andrew Shafik, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
I received my Ph.D. from Auburn University in 2018. My doctoral research focused on the identification of loci controlling heat tolerance and ESC disease resistance in catfish using GWAS and transcriptomic analyses. I joined Jin lab in September of 2018. My research interest is studying the role of DNA modifications in CNS development and neurodegenerative diseases by using multi-omics data.
Yulin Jin, PhD
I obtained my Ph.D. from Ocean University of China where I focused on molecular basis of sexual differentiation in scallop. I joined Jin lab in January of 2020. My current research interest is the molecular pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases caused by expansion of tandem repeats.
Ruojiao Li, PhD
I received my Ph.D. in Genetics & Genomics from Baylor College of Medicine in 2020. My thesis work focused on Fragile X-associated primary ovarian insufficiency (FXPOI) and understanding the contributions of expanded CGG-containing RNAs and its translated peptide product FMRpolyG to ovarian pathology. I joined the Jin lab in October 2020, and my research interests include 1) using mouse models to elucidate the mechanism of FXPOI in primary ovarian tissues and 2) using iPSCs to study the effects of expanded CGG-repeats in differentiated ovarian-like cells derived from patient iPSCs.
Katherine Shelly, PhD
Graduate Students
I am a second-year graduate student in the Genetics and Molecular Biology program. My current research focus is on DNA and RNA modifications and their role in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. In my spare time, I like to think about hiking, rock climbing, and going to the gym.
Matthew Armstrong
I'm an MD/PhD student in the Neuroscience Program. Both my research and clinical interests lie in neurological disorders affecting children. In the Jin Lab, my research focuses on the neurogenetics of fragile X syndrome (FXS).
Azalea Lee
Staff
I am a research specialist and joined the lab in 2016. I investigate drosophila eye screening and behavior test to identify genetic modifiers in Fragile X-associated tremor ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). I am also involved in epigenetic study.
Junghwa Lim
Lead Research Specialist
Lab Manager
Xiangxue Guo
Associate Research Scientist
Undergraduate Students
I am a junior at Emory University majoring in biology and minoring in women's, gender, and sexuality studies (WGSS). I am currently working with Dr. Kate Shelly in the Jin lab to examine a mouse model of Fragile X-associated primary ovarian insufficiency (FXPOI), looking at various stages of their reproductive life and the ways in which FXPOI can be expressed within the ovaries in hopes of better understanding the mechanism in humans.