John performed his PhD work at MSKCC as part of the inaugural class at the Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSK). While at GSK, he worked in the lab of Dr. Prasad Jallepalli, MD, PhD, studying the mechanisms that maintain high-fidelity chromosome segregation during mitosis. Following his graduate work, John joined the lab of Dr. Titia de Lange, PhD at Rockefeller University, where he identified a link between telomere dysfunction and the genesis of complex clusters of chromosome rearrangement and hypermutation. John moved to MSKCC to start his independent group in 2017. Outside of the lab John enjoys spending time with his family.

spirt vegetable: jalapeño 

Eleonore is a Research Associate in the Maciejowski lab in Sloan Kettering Institute. She is interested in understanding how genomic stability is challenged in the context of disease and how it can shape therapeutic strategies. In the Maciejowski lab, Eleonore studies how chromosomally unstable cancer cells develop immune evasion mechanisms to resist the host immune system. During her postodoc, she developed a protocol to purify micronuclei, a byproduct of genomic instability, and set up and leads animal studies in the lab to study the interplay between cancer and immune system in vivo. 

Originally from France, Eleonore obtained a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Lyon, followed by a master’s degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University Pierre and Marie Curie in Paris. She also did her PhD work in Paris at the Curie Institute. There, she studied the role of the tumor suppressor p53 in the development of bone marrow failure syndromes. She demonstrated that p53 is a major regulator of the Fanconi anemia DNA repair pathway, and showed that a germline mutation of the p53 regulator Mdm4, found in a family of Dyskeratosis congenita patients, led to p53 upregulation and was responsible for the telomere dysfunction observed in this family. 

Outside of her time in the lab, Eleonore enjoys many “arts and craft” activities including embroidery and ceramics, and recently became an associate artist at her pottery studio. She also enjoys baking, taking care of her plants and playing with her cats.

spirit vegetable: Leek

Originally from Hungary, Marton obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Biology at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, Hungary. He then completed a Master’s degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics at the Univsersity of Copenhagen, Denmark. There, he was introduced to the field of genomic instability under the tutelage of Michael Lisby, studying the helicase ZGRF1/Mte1. During his PhD, he described and characterized how DNA damage can lead to nuclear envelope rupture, representing a potential cancer vulnerability. This work was carried out under the mentorship of Raphael Ceccaldi at the Institut Curie in Paris, France. 

Marton joined the Maciejowski lab in February 2024, as a post-doctoral fellow. He is interested in discovering new ways in which DNA damage and genomic instability can alter the structure and architecture of the nucleus and the cell, and how different cellular compartments (mainly the nucleus and the ER) might communicate with each other under these conditions. 

In his free time, Marton enjoys going on hikes, seeing exhibitions (especially modern art) and reading fantasy and science fiction books.

spirit vegetable: napa cabbage

Amer hails from Dhaka, Bangladesh and moved to the United States in 2010 for undergraduate studies at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY, where he majored in Biochemistry and Economics. After working as a research assistant in Boston, studying the genetics of neurodevelopmental disorders, Amer moved to NYC in 2016 to start his PhD at The Rockefeller University. There, he studied the role of DNA repair proteins in host-virus immune conflicts in bacteria in the laboratory of Luciano Marraffini. He showed that bacteriophage-encoded recombination systems mediate evasion of bacterial CRISPR-Cas immunity and discovered a novel family of DNA glycosylases that provide antiviral defense in bacteria. He joined the Maciejowski Lab in 2024 to study DNA amplifications and innate immunity in cancer cells. Outside the lab, Amer enjoys soccer, restaurants, hanging out with friends, and the sights, sounds and crowds of New York City which remind him of his bustling hometown Dhaka.

spirit vegetable: bok choy

Roshan is a post-doctoral fellow, who joined the Maciejowski lab in February 2024. He is interested in studying genomic integrity and innate immunity in the lab. He grew up in the southern Indian state of Kerala and completed his undergraduate studies at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He developed his love for science and molecules as an undergraduate researcher at the Molecular Biophysics Unit developing peptide inhibitors for Protein Phosphatase 1. He moved to Madison, Wisconsin to pursue his doctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with Dr. Mark Burkard. During his PhD, he studied Polo-like 1 kinase signaling in mitosis and its role in protecting the centromere and discovered a previously uncharacterized dynamic localization of Plk1 to the inner centromere region. He also developed a 3D- isotropic Expansion microscopy method to study Plk1 at nanometer scale resolution.

Outside the lab, he likes to spend his free time playing volleyball, tennis, hiking at various state and national parks with friends.

spirit vegetable: broccoli

Abe is a 4th year graduate student in Weill Cornell’s BCMB program. He studies the molecular mechanisms of how the TREX1 exonuclease suppresses the cGAS-STING innate immune pathway. Currently, Abe’s interests include dissecting the functional role of TREX1 protein domains, as well as elucidating the role of autophagy-related factors in this process.

After growing up in Seoul and Washington State, Abe received a B.S. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale. He started his research career in the Myler Lab (Seattle Children’s), where he worked with a high-throughput protein purification pipeline for structural determination. His main undergraduate research in the Gomez Lab (Yale School of Medicine) involved using Nanopore sequencing to investigate microRNA-driven transcriptomic regulation in neutrophilic asthma. As an Amgen Scholar, Abe also spent a summer studying cancer epigenetics in the Lu Lab (Columbia University Medical Center). 

Outside of the lab, Abe spends a lot of time reading, window shopping (especially fragrances and skincare), going on hiking trips, and staying up to date on local news.

spirit vegetable: green bean

Ashley is a third year graduate student in GSK’s Cancer Biology program. Ashley is originally from California, and moved across the country to NYC to join GSK after completing her B.S. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Chapman University. At Chapman, Ashley studied mechanisms underlying the development of resistance to targeted therapies in breast cancer cell line models. 

Here, in the Maciejowski lab, Ashley began a new project in the lab that studied a specific type of focal amplification and structural rearrangement, extrachromosomal DNA. Ashley is specifically interested in studying different mechanisms for how extrachromosomal DNAs (ecDNAs) are segregated during mitosis, allowing them to be maintained across cell divisions. Outside of the lab, Ashley enjoys long walks in Central Park, museums, and attempting to learn how to be crafty through painting and pottery.

spirit vegetable: broccoli

Josefine is a fourth-year BCMB graduate student. Originally from Athens, GA (go, dawgs), she earned her BA at Bryn Mawr College before becoming a lab tech in Dr. Fidock's lab at Columbia U., where she studied mechanisms of drug resistance in the malaria parasite P. falciparum.

In the Maciejowski lab, Josefine focuses on the roles of APOBEC3 enzymes in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) progression. She is exploring the different paralogs responsible for driving APOBEC3 mutagenesis in LUAD. She is also interested in understanding other innate immune pathways impacted by APOBEC3 activity.

In her free time, Josefine can be found either on a dance floor or planning the lab's next social activity (previous adventures include but are not limited to: taco nights, cookie decorating, pumpkin carving, lab coat tie-dying).

spirit vegetable: green bean

Hannah is a second-year pharmacology graduate student. Originally from Flemington, NJ, she earned her BS at the University of Pittsburgh (H2P!) in chemistry and did chemical biology research in Dr. Deiter’s lab during her time there. She also spent a summer in the Hammond lab at the University of Utah, where she utilized RNA-based tools to study small molecules, including her favorite one – cGAMP.

In the Maciejowski lab, Hannah focuses on the enzyme TREX1 and its role in suppression of innate immunity. She hopes to further define the mechanism of this protein and to illuminate the therapeutic potential of targeting it in the context of cancer.

In her free time, Hannah can be found on a run in Central Park, trying out a new bagel place (Yelp-approved), or hanging with friends.

spirit vegetable: broccoli

Adonis is responsible for keeping the Maciejowski lab in line, which is similar to herding cats. She places orders, organizes equipment purchases and maintenance, schedules flights and conferences, and keeps morale up with her bright energy and encouraging smiles.

We'd be nothing without her.