Meet the Team

I am a professor in the Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine at The Ohio State University. The goal of my research is to develop novel targeted therapies for patients with multiple myeloma and other cancers. My laboratory seeks to identify targetable pathways in B cells, T cells and dendritic cells to develop immunotherapies and unravel their underlying mechanisms of anti-tumor immunity in a variety of cancers. My research is supported by several competitive extramural fundings, including an NIH/NCI R01 grant, an NIAID U01 grant and a multi-institute NCI P01 grant. I have authored and co-authored numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals, including Immunity, PNAS, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Nature Communications, Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer Research and Science Immunology. Before joining Ohio State, I served as director of the Microbiology and Immunology Graduate Program at the Medical University of South Carolina. I have mentored trainees at multiple levels, including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, physician-scientists and junior faculty. I hold professional memberships with the American Association of Immunologists, the American Association for Cancer Research, the Society for Mucosal Immunology and the International Society for Stem Cell Research.

I am a postdoctoral fellow in the Liu lab. I received my PhD in Oncology at Brazilian Cancer Institute. During my PhD training, I focused on molecular and epigenetics events in cancer. I started my postdoctoral training at Washington University in Saint Louis and studied the immune response in glioblastoma by oncolytic virus strategy. After joining the Liu lab in 2021, I seek to identify the mechanisms by which the molecular chaperone GRP94 regulates dendritic cell functions and T cell programming in the tumor microenvironment. My career goal is to become an independent scientist in the field of immunology.

I am a third-year PhD candidate in the Liu lab. I graduated from the University of California, Davis with a Bachelor of Science in microbiology. Before starting graduate school, I had several years of research experience in biotech and academia. I have over five years of in vivo mouse experience and published in several journals. At my industry position in NGM biopharmaceuticals, I was an in vivo research associate working on developing humanized mouse models and tumor models. My dissertation research focuses on understanding how the unfolded protein response plays a role in B cell development and functions. I am also exploring new avenues in multiple myeloma pathology and drug resistance. With my PhD, I hope to take my experience to lead a team in translational drug development.

I am a third-year PhD candidate in the Liu lab. I graduated from The Ohio State University (OSU) with a Bachelor of Science in microbiology with an underlying interest in tumor and immunology. Before starting graduate school, I did undergraduate research in cancer biology at the OSU. My dissertation research focuses on the unfolded protein response and its effect on CD8+ T cells in the tumor microenvironment. My research goal involves using the knowledge gained during this initial project into translational immunotherapies by engineering the T cell population in cancers.

I recently graduated from the Ohio State University in the spring of 2023 with a bachelor’s degree with Honors in biochemistry. During my undergraduate career, I contributed towards research in cancer biology. Now my key responsibilities are assisting with genotyping procedures while promoting lab maintenance and managing supplies. My time here will strengthen my understanding of research methods while allowing me to learn and master technical skills. The valuable experience I will continue to gain here will adequately prepare me for continuing my academic career through earning my PhD.

I'm currently a second-year Ph.D. student in the Liu laboratory. My academic journey began with a Master of Science degree in microbiology and immunology from the National Taiwan University. Prior to embarking on my Ph.D. program, I dedicated two years to research while pursuing my master's at Academia Sinica in Taiwan. During that time, my research focused on the applications of bacteria cancer therapy and phage-assisted continuous evolution to enhance the optimization of potential cancer drugs. My primary research interest centers on unraveling the role of the unfolded protein response in CD4+ T cell development, specifically within various cell subsets and their functions. Additionally, I am delving into the study of the bacteria-lung axis and its implications for anti-tumor immunity, with the aim of identifying a novel target for immunotherapy. My ultimate career aspiration is to leverage the knowledge and experience I gain from my Ph.D. to contribute to the field of translational drug development.

I am a third-year undergraduate student at the Ohio State University in the Liu Lab. I am a candidate for the 2025 Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences (BSPS) in the Honors Program. My major is pharmaceutical sciences with a minor in East Asian Studies, and I am on the pre-medicine track. I began studying pharmaceutical sciences to learn more about how various drugs impact human physiology, and I plan on applying to medical school after graduation.