Current Lab Members
Roderick MacKinnon, MD
Head of Laboratory
Rod’s research has aimed to understand the molecular mechanisms of a class of integral membrane proteins known as ion channels. He received a BA from Brandeis, an MD from Tufts University and trained in internal medicine at Beth Israel Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Over the past 30 years his laboratory provided the first atomic structures of selective ion channels, which have revealed the chemical basis of potassium and chloride ion selectivity. They have also determined the atomic structures and discovered mechanisms of voltage-, G-protein-, lipid-, Ca2+- and mechanical force-gated ion channels, all of which underlie the complex electrical signals produced by living cells.
Joël S. Bloch, BSc, MSc, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Joël aims to elucidate the spatial arrangement and interplay of ion channels in their native environment using fluorescence and cryogenic electron microscopy. He received his M.Sc. from Donald Hilvert in 2014 and his Ph.D. from Kaspar Locher at ETH Zürich in 2020. Joël is currently a Life Sciences Research Foundation Fellow.
Emily Brown, BS
Lab Manager
Emily supports several projects in the lab, including seeking to determine the localization of the Piezo1 mechanosensitive channel in native mouse tissues and studying the kinetics of GIRK channel activation in a fully reconstituted system. Emily received a BS in Chemistry and Religion from Swarthmore College in 2009.
Tabish Iqbal, MSc, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate
Tabish aims to elucidate the structures, dynamics, and molecular mechanisms of membrane proteins clustering and their role in cellular signaling. Tabish received his PhD from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Debasis Das's lab in 2024.
Yi Chun Hsiung, BS
Research Specialist
Hsiung manages and maintains the laboratory’s tissue culture room. She works with mammalian and insect cell lines, generating different scales of cell culture, coordinates daily to annual schedules, and supports general lab functions such as training new lab members and ordering/picking up supplies. She received a BS in Agricultural Chemistry from National Taiwan University.
Venkata Shiva Mandala, MA, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate
Using fluorescence microscopy and electrophysiology, Shiva is developing tools to induce controlled clustering of membrane proteins in vitro to provide insight into the function of signaling complexes in cells. He received a PhD in Chemistry from MIT and a BA in Biochemistry from Oberlin College in 2020.
Sarah Marshall, BS
Administrative Assistant
Sarah provides administrative support to the MacKinnon lab. She received a BS in Neuroscience from The University of Scranton in 2022 and joined the MacKinnon lab in November 2022.
Gonzalo Pérez-Mitta, MSc, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate
Gonzalo is currently working on the GPCR – GIRK signaling pathway, studying with fluorescence optics and electrophysiology the molecular interactions between GPCR, G proteins, and GIRK at single molecule resolution while simultaneously monitoring the ion channel electrical response. He received a PhD from the Universidad Nacional de La Plata in 2017.
Yeliz Sezgin, BA
Research Specialist
Yeliz is a research specialist involved in the GIRK project. She received a BA in Biochemistry from Barnard College of Columbia University in 2021.
George Vaisey, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate
George is interested in sensory biology and is currently studying the mechanosensitive channel Piezo1. Using a combination of electrophysiology and imaging techniques in bilayers and cells, he aims to better understand the tension-dependent activation and regulation of Piezo1 as well as its biological roles in living organisms. He received a PhD from Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 2018.
Ying Yin, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate
Using structural biology and electrophysiology techniques, Ying is interested in studying sensory ion channels and the roles they play in cellular signaling. She received a PhD in Biochemistry from Duke University in 2020.
Postdoctoral Associate
Aeric is targeting the KCNQ1 potassium channel to find new treatments for congenital long QT syndrome, using a combination of biochemistry, electrophysiology, and innovative drug screening techniques. He received a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2023.
