Principal Investigator
Kamila Naxerova
Kamila obtained her undergraduate degree in Molecular Biotechnology from Heidelberg University in Germany, and her PhD in Human Biology and Translational Medicine from Harvard University. She completed her postdoc with Stephen Elledge at Harvard Medical School. Kamila loves genetics and German literature.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Daan Andel
Daan Andel studied medicine at the Catholic University of Leuven and obtained his PhD in Clinical and Translational Oncology at Utrecht University. At the Naxerova lab, Daan studies the evolution of metastases through bulk- and single-cell sequencing. He also enjoys working out, playing chess, and exploring Boston and New England on his (motor)cycle.
Foivos Chatzidimitriou
Foivos is a chemical engineer from Greece who obtained his PhD at Imperial College in London. Using in vivo models, CRISPR screens and cell barcoding, he is exploring the effects of tissue turnover and lifestyle exposures on normal tissue evolution. Outside the lab, he keeps up with movies from his favorite directors and spends time with friends.
Dave Cheek
Dave is a mathematician with an undergraduate degree from Oxford University and a PhD from Edinburgh University. He is studying somatic evolution and carcinogenesis from a mathematical perspective. Outside the lab, he likes climbing and cold water swimming.
Alex Gorelick
Alex is a computational biologist interested in cancer evolution and metastasis. He obtained his PhD in cancer genomics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the Tri-I Computational Biology and Medicine program. When not hunched over a computer terminal, he can be found biking around Boston, working on some DIY project, or relaxing at home with his wife and cat.
Remus Stana
Remus is a mathematician from Romania. He obtained his PhD in Mathematical Immunology from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. His main interest is in modeling interesting biological phenomena such as cancer evolution. Outside the lab Remus enjoys reading about history and travelling.
Rohin Gawdi
Rohin is a surgical resident who studied Physics at East Carolina University and earned his MD from Wake Forest University. He is on temporary leave from clinical responsibilities to conduct research before completing his surgical training. In the Naxerova lab, he blends his interests in oncology and mathematics to investigate the evolutionary patterns of human cancer metastasis. Outside the lab, he enjoys running, adventure travel with his wife, and writing.
Gabriela Lobinska
Gabriela obtained her BSc in Biological Sciences from UCL, her MSc in Bioinformatics and Modelisation from Sorbonne Universite in Paris and her PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. Gabriela has a deep interest in evolutionary processes, no matter where they occur. Outside of the lab, Gabriela enjoys reading, listening to music and running.
Students
Martin Blohmer
Martin is a MD/PhD student at Charité University in Berlin, Germany. He is doing his thesis research in the Naxerova lab, where he combines his background in medicine, computational biology, and experimental work to uncover novel insights into cancer initiation and metastases. Outside of the lab Martin can be found exploring Boston and its tennis courts.
Xell Brunet
Xell completed her Bachelor and MSc in Mathematics and Biology at Edinburgh and Oxford. She is now a PhD student in Edinburgh, where she develops mathematical tools to study patterns of cancer evolution from genetic data. During this summer, she will be in the Naxerova lab working on models of metastasis evolution. Born and raised in the Catalan Pyrenees, she can be found hiking or searching for the perfect tomato.
Sebastian Degner
Sebastian is a PhD student in the Harvard BBS program. Originally from Germany, he obtained a bachelor and master’s in Molecular Biotechnology from Heidelberg University and moved to Boston to study somatic evolution in the colon. When not in lab, Sebastian enjoys trying out new restaurants and spending time outdoors.
Dominik Ricken
Dominik is a graduate student from Germany, where he obtained bachelor and master’s in Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Heidelberg. He loves to work at the intersection of wet lab and bioinformatics. In his free time, he enjoys hiking in the White Mountains, climbing in- and outdoors and many other outdoor activities.
Linsey Gong
Linsey is currently a PhD student in the BBS program at Harvard. She had previously obtained her BSc and MSc at the University of Toronto. In the lab, she is interested in tracing back the evolutionary history of cancers to gain insight into the processes by which they initiate. On the weekends, she can be found enjoying live music and discovering new cafes.
Brice Laurent
Brice is an undergraduate student from San Diego, CA studying Molecular & Cellular Biology and Statistics at Harvard College. He studies somatic evolution in the blood, using data analysis and mathematical modeling . Outside of the lab, he enjoys hiking, cooking, and swimming in the ocean.
Lisa Magermans
Lisa is currently a PhD student at the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands. She obtained her MD at the University of Groningen. After working as a surgical resident, she became interested in the evolution of metastatic colorectal cancer, which she is now investigating in the Naxerova lab. In her free time she enjoys exploring new places, cooking, spending time with friends and working out.
Research Technicians
William Hung
William is a recent graduate of the University of Oxford. As a research technician in Naxerova lab, he engages in multiple ongoing projects exploring metastasis evolution and the cell division history of cancer. Outside of lab, William enjoys listening to audiobooks and watching movies.
Erica Broeker
Erica is a research technician originally from Minnesota who obtained her bachelors in Biology from Boston University. She collaborates with other members of the lab and assists with the logistical and experimental execution of a wide variety of projects. In her free time, she enjoys baking and exploring Boston.
Research scientists
I-Hsiu (Joyce) Lee
Joyce obtained her undergraduate degree in Physics from National Taiwan University in Taiwan and her PhD in Theoretical High Energy Physics from University of California at Berkeley. After a career in physics, she transitioned to bioinformatics and computational biology with a focus in genetics and genomics research. Joyce enjoys solving mysteries of all kinds, scientific or otherwise.