Liling Wan, Ph.D., Principle Investigator
Assistant Professor, Department of Cancer Biology
Assistant Investigator, Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute
Core member, Penn Epigenetics Institute
Member, Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Email: liling.wan@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Liling received her B.S. from Tsinghua University in Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, and her Ph.D. from Princeton University in Molecular Biology. During her Ph.D. she studied molecular basis of cancer metastasis with Dr. Yibin Kang. She then pursued her postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. David Allis at the Rockefeller University, during which she worked on chromatin and epigenetic mechanisms in cancer. She is now leading a research group to investigate how epigenetic mechanisms regulate cell fate control and cancer.
Selected Honors and Awards
2024 Scholar Award, American Cancer Society
2023 Scholar Award, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
2022 Scholar Award, American Society of Hematology
2021 Scholar Award, V Foundation
2021 NIH Director's New Innovator Award (DP2)
2021 Pew-Stewart Scholar Award
2020 New Investigator Award, Leukemia Research Foundation
2020 AACR NextGen Star
2019 Finalist, Blavatnik Regional Award for Young Scientists
2018-2023 NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00)
2015-2018 Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellow
Lele Song, Ph.D., Postdoctoral fellow
She received her Ph.D. from Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology where she studied the cross-talk between stromal cells and immune microenvironment in inflammation and cancer. She is now investigating the roles of epigenetic reader proteins in cancer.
Email: Lele.Song@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
yIMAN liu, Ph.D., Postdoctoral fellow
Yiman received her Ph.D. from Zhejiang University in Cell Biology where she investigated the role of long non-coding RNAs in cancer. She is now exploring the relationship between epigenetic reprograming and cell plasticity in the lab.
Email: Yiman.Liu@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
qinglan li, Ph.D., Postdoctoral fellow
Qinglan got his Ph.D. from Wuhan University in biochemistry and molecular biology. He previously studied cancer epigenetics using biochemical and bioinformatics approaches. Now he is exploring epigenomic reprogramming during cell fate control and during cancer metastasis. Outside the lab, he enjoys soccer, swimming and reading.
Email: Qinglan.Li@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Kaeli Mathias, graduate student
Kaeli graduated from Amherst College with a BA in Chemistry in 2018. She is now a graduate student in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics (BMB) Graduate Group. She is interested in studying how transcriptional hubs regulate gene expression in the context of cancer. When not in the lab, she enjoys running, cooking and exploring Philadelphia with her dogs.
Email: kaelim@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
krista budinich, GRADUATE student
Krista graduated from The College of New Jersey with a B.S. in Biology in 2018. She is now a graduate student in the Cell and Molecular Biology Program (Cancer Biology). Krista is interested in studying the link between epigenetic regulators and the pathways they control to maintain a cancerous cell state. Outside of the lab, Krista enjoys running, volunteering with the local cat rescue, and cross-stitching.
Email: Krista.Budinich@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
CHUJIE GONG, GRADUATE student
Chujie obtained his bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from Penn State University and master's degree in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Currently, he is a Ph.D. student in Cell And Molecular Biology Program (DSRB) at Penn. In the lab, Chujie is investigating the epigenetic mechanism driving acute myeloid leukemia. In his free time, Chujie is an aviation enthusiast and a licensed pilot who enjoys traveling thousands of feet above.
ARUSHI Sahay, GRADUATE student
Arushi graduated from UC Berkeley in 2021 with a BA in molecular and cell biology. She is now a graduate student in the Cell and Molecular Biology Program (Genetics and Epigenetics). She is interested in epigenetic mechanism in cell differentiation during normal development and in cancer. Outside of the lab, Arushi enjoys trying new restaurants, going to the local farmer’s market, and playing tennis.
sylvia tang, Research associate
Sylvia graduated Penn in 2023 with a BA in Biochemistry and Biophysics as a Vagelos Scholar in the Molecular Life Sciences Program. She is now a Research Associate in the lab studying epigenetic regulation in leukemia. Outside of lab, Sylvia likes to play piano, dance, and try new recipes.
kAITLYN TOY, ROTATION GRADUATE STUDENT
Kaitlyn graduated with a B.S. in Biochemistry in 2021 from CUNY City College. She is now a graduate student in the Cell and Molecular Biology Program (Cancer Biology). Kaitlyn is now studying epigenetic reprogramming during metastasis. Outside of the lab, Kaitlyn enjoys listening to music, running, biking, and taking care of her plants.
KIM MANNING, ROTATION GRADUATE STUDENT
Kim graduated from Elizabethtown College with a B.S. in Biotechnology in 2023. She is now a graduate student in the Cell and Molecular Biology Program (Cancer Biology). Kim is interested in studying how epigenetic reprogramming maintains a cancerous state. Outside of the lab, Kim enjoys cooking, dancing, and exploring Philadelphia.
MICHELLE LEE, UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Michelle is an undergraduate student at Penn studying Biology and Health & Societies. She is interested in epigenetic dysregulation in cancer and potential epigenetic targets for therapy. In her free time, Michelle enjoys trying new restaurants, baking, and playing soccer.
Heather Birmingham, aDMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Heather graduated from Temple University in 2019 with a BA in Theater with concentrations in Musical Theater and Acting. She supports four labs within the Cancer Biology department as an Administrative Assistant. Heather continues to act in her free time as well as painting, sculpting, and playing guitar.
Lab Alumni
Sai Chaluvadi, rotation student, now an MD/Ph.D. student at Penn
Yanqing (Christine) Jiang, rotation student, now a Ph.D. student at Penn
Julia Park, undergraduate student
Zhengfeng (Jeff) Liu, rotation Student, now a Ph.D. student at Penn
Hangpeng (Daniel) Li, Master student, now a Ph.D. student at Oxford
Lingbo Xia, Master student, now Research Associate II at Tessera Therapeutics
Jill Henrich, rotation student, now a Ph.D. student at Penn
Alexis Jean Morales, rotation student, now a Ph.D. student at Penn
Samantha Bramen, high school student summer intern (2023)