Omics and Immunity Collective - Zhang Lab
Our Team.
United by passion and purpose, Dr. Zhang's group is committed to driving science forward and turning challenges into discoveries.
Mei Zhang, PhD, MBA
Principle Investigator
Assistant Professor
BME, CWRU SOM/SOE
Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
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Dr. Zhang leads the Omics and Immunity Collective laboratory with a passion for uncovering how immune systems interact with microbes to drive health and disease and to inspire new therapeutic strategies. Trained as a chemist, she earned her PhD in Polymer Physics and Chemistry from Wuhan University, where her early work focused on carbohydrate-protein interactions. Her scientific journey includes nanomedicine research in Canada and a faculty appointment at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in the Department of Chemistry and Molecular Medicine. Now a faculty member in the Biomedical Engineering program at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and School of Engineeirng, she integrates system immunology, microbiology, genomics and transcriptomics, bioinformatics and computational science to elucidate immune-metabolic mechanisms underlying human health and disease.
Monali NandyMazumdar, PhD
Senior Research Associate
BME, CWRU SOM/SOE
Dr. Mazumdar earned her PhD in Microbiology from the Ohio State University and completed her postdoctoral training at Case Western Reserve University studying gene regulation in Cystic Fibrosis, followed by a senior scientist position at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her research integrates omics approaches including bulk, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics and proteomics approaches to investigate the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of human disease. She brings a wealth of expertise and enthusiasm, fueled by a passion for studying the dynamic and complex interaction between microbes and the hosts.
Ata Abbas, PhD
Research Scientist
BME, CWRU SOM/SOE
Dr. Abbas is a Research Scientist in Dr. Zhang's group with extensive experience in transcriptional regulation, cancer epigenetics, and computational genomics. He earned his PhD in Biochemistry and has held research positions across multiple institutions, including Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic, and the University of North Dakota. Ata’s current research focuses on genome-wide regulation under metabolic and therapeutic stress through application of next-generation sequencing, bioinformatics pipeline development, and integrative analysis of bulk, single-cell, and spatial genomics data.
Zahra Rahmani
PhD candidate
BME / Computer Science, CWRU SOM/SOE
Zahra is a senior and dedicated PhD candidate in our group with a strong background in computational modeling and data-driven modeling of biological systems. Her current research focuses on developing large-langurage model-based frameworks to understand host-microbe interactions in skin and to decode immune regulatory signals from complex, multimodal datasets. Zahra is particularly interested in leveraging AI-driven approaches fro immune engineering of microbes, with the long-term goal of designing programmable, microbiome-based therapeutic stratigies.
Teagan Kukhta
PhD student
BME, BSTP program/Department of Genetics/System Biology, CWRU SOM/SOE
Teagan is a dedicated PhD candidate in our group with a strong focus on RNA chemistry and RNA biology as tools to understand microbial gene regulation. His current research integrates computational modeling, RNA structural analysis, and data-driven approaches to dissect promoter architecture and transcriptional control at the fungal-host interface, with the long-term goal of advancing microbiome engineering and immune-modulatory platforms.
Namjun Cho
PhD student
BME, CWRU SOM/SOE
Namjun is a dedicated PhD candidate in our group with a current focus on immunoengineering and fungal biology as they relate to neuroimmune communication. He earned his undergraduate degree in Bioengineering from the University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign. His current research integrates fungal biology, neuronal cell culture, and protein-based signaling analyses to understand how skin-resident fungi regulate neuronal function and contribute to the skin-brain axis, with the long-term goal of enabling microbiome-based therapeutic strategies.
Hyuga Kato
Visiting Scholar (BME, CWRU SOM)
PhD candidate (Tokyo Tech)
Hyuga is a visiting scholar from Professor Kajiwara’s laboratory at Tokyo Institute of Technology. He brought invaluable expertise in mycobiology to our lab, significantly enriching our team dynamic with his dedication, responsibility, and courtesy. His contributions to our medical fungus-related project elevated our research, and we appreciate his time with us and the knowledge he shared - thank you for being part of our journey!
Sahishnu Vallabhajoysula
Research Assistant
BME, CWRU SOM
Sahi is our research assistant. He is also an undergraduate student in the Department of Biochemistry at CWRU SOM. He joined our team through the NIH YES program, spending two summers conducting research with us before pursuing his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. Throughout his undergraduate studies, he has been an active and enthusiastic member of our team, contributing to our metabolomics research with dedication. His passion for science and eagerness to learn have been invaluable, and we feel fortunate to have trained such a talented and committed undergraduate researcher.
Former Group members
Claire Wolford
Research Assistant III
BME, CWRU SOM
Claire was an integral part of our team as a research assistant from 2021 to 2023. We’re thrilled to congratulate her on starting medical school at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine in fall 2023! Claire has successfully completed the first phase of her medical training and is now preparing to care for real patients starting November 2024. Her dedication and contributions to our research have been invaluable, and we’re confident she’ll bring the same passion and commitment to her journey as a doctor. Best wishes, Claire—we’re so proud of you!
Filip Sagl
Research Assistant II
BME, CWRU SOM
Filip was an invaluable part of our team as a research assistant from 2023 to 2024, contributing his dedication to advancing our microbiology-focused projects. We are thrilled to congratulate him on the next adventure - joining the Bioethics Program at John Hopkins. We know he will bring the same enthusiasm and thoughtfulness to his new path. Beyond scientific brilliance, Filip has a talent for photography, capturing moments with the same precision he brought to our imaging studies.
Former Student Trainees
We are dedicated to training the next generation of scientists. Our summer students gain hands-on experience in cutting-edge research, fostering their growth and passion for discovery.
Lindsay Stone
CanSur Student 2024 (BME, CWRU)​
Undergraduate Student (BME, Penn State)
Amanda Duban
Summer Research Student 2024
Undergraduate Student (BME, CWRU)
Melanie Uroda
Summer Research Student 2024
Undergraduate Student (BME, CWRU)
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Leandra Padgett
Summer Research Student, 2023
(BME, CWRU)