Chi-Min Ho Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor of Microbiology & Immunology Columbia University Medical Center Email: ch3516@cumc.columbia.edu Faculty profile
Mimi joined Columbia University in 2020 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology. She earned her PhD under the mentorship of Dr. Hong Zhou at UCLA, where she used cryoEM to determine atomic resolution structures of the malaria parasite translocon PTEX after purifying the complex from endogenous Plasmodium falciparum parasite lysates. When she’s not in the lab, she enjoys exploring new places with her dog, Mighty.
Learn more about Mimi here!
Carolyn Lee
LAB MANAGER Email: cl39@cumc.columbia.edu
Carolyn is a seasoned lab veteran and our go-to fixer! When she isn’t in the lab, she enjoys reading, sleeping, and all things arts and crafty. (She also makes amazing home-made ice cream!)
Meseret Haile
GRADUATE STUDENT Email: mth2149@cumc.columbia.edu
Messi is a graduate student in the Microbiology and Immunology program broadly interested in parasites and infectious diseases. When she’s not in lab, Messi enjoys long naps, tennis, playing with her dog and all things post colonial theory.
Becca Lees
POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR Email: rl3523@cumc.columbia.edu
Becca earned her PhD in the labs of Helen Saibil and Michael Blackman at the Birkbeck University of London and the Francis Crick Institute before joining us as a postdoctoral scholar! She’s interested in studying parasite biology using biochemistry and CryoEM/ET. When she’s not in the lab, Becca enjoys hiking, making things and the odd run.
Hanyu Wang
RESEARCH TECHNICIAN Email: hw2916@columbia.edu
Hanyu just graduated from Columbia University with a Masters degree in Biomedical Engineering. She is interested in learning different lab techniques and conducting experiments. When she is outside the lab, she enjoys trying out new restaurants.
Anna-lena Roßmann
VISITING GRADUATE STUDENT Email: anna-lena.rossmann@bnitm.de
Anna is a visiting student working towards her PhD in the Spielmann lab at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine. Her research delves into the cellular processes of malaria parasites, with a focusing on endosomal transport. Beyond her work in the lab, Anna is passionate about collecting plants, traveling, and outdoor pursuits such as climbing and hiking.
James Zhen
POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR Email: jz3926@columbia.edu
James earned his PhD in the lab of Hong Zhou at UCLA before joining us as a postdoctoral scholar! He’s interested in the structural biology of host entry for infectious pathogens. Outside of the lab, James enjoys cycling, climbing, and building excessively small computers.
Joshua Park
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT Email: hw2916@columbia.edu
Josh is an undergraduate student at Columbia University majoring in Neuroscience.
Mighty
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT PAWFFICER Email: mighty.mouse@columbia.edu
Mighty is a 13 year old Chiweenie. When he’s not in the lab, he enjoys exploring New York City and taking long naps in the sun.
We’re looking for talented scientists to join our team! Please contact Mimi if you’re interested!
Alumni Current position
Christina Lee (Undergraduate Research Assistant) Ph.D. student, Stanford University
Katelyn Radford (Technician) Ph.D. student, Caltech
Brian Yang (Undergraduate Research Assistant) Software engineer, Google
Justin Ghaeli (Undergraduate Research Assistant) Investment banking analyst, Goldman Sachs
Panagiotis Tsimpos (Undergraduate Research Assistant) Columbia Oxbridge Scholar, Oxford University
Anjali Nair (Undergraduate Research Assistant) Undergraduate student, Columbia University
Tina Liu (Undergraduate Research Assistant) Undergraduate student, Columbia University
David Cobb (Postdoctoral Scholar) ORISE Fellow, Center for Disease Control
Leonie Anton (Human Frontiers Fellow) Independent Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Bern
