Team

Bi Lab

Current Members

Pengpeng Bi
Pengpeng Bi
Assistant Professor
Department of Genetics
Center for Molecular Medicine

Pengpeng Bi (Bee) grew up in Shandong, an eastern province of China. He completed his doctoral study in Dr. Shihuan Kuang’s group in Purdue University. Next, he joined Dr. Eric Olson‘s group in the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center as a postdoctoral researcher. His graduate and postdoctoral work mainly focused on the molecular regulation of cell fate choice in muscle and adipose tissues. In Aug 2018, Pengpeng launched a new lab in Center for Molecular Medicine at the University of Georgia. His academic home is Department of Genetics, where he teaches classes and accepts students.

Haifeng Zhang
Haifeng Zhang
Postdoc

Haifeng joined the lab in Oct 2018. He earned a Ph.D. degree in Genetics from Ocean University of China. His graduate work focused on the molecular signaling pathways that regulate development of zebrafish. Haifeng also has a M.S. degree in Pharmacology, and a B.S. degree in Biotechnology from Qingdao Agriculture University. Basketball is his favorite sport.

Hannah Jean Namgoong
Hannah Jean Namgoong
Undergraduate Research Trainee

Hannah is from Canton, GA. She is a biology major and studio art minor who hopes to become a genetic counselor. She joined the lab in Spring 2022. In her free time, she likes to paint, watch Netflix, and play video and board games.

Aaryahi Deshmukh
Aaryahi Deshmukh
Undergraduate Research Trainee

Hi, my name is Aaryahi Deshmukh and I am a second-year (c/o 2025) at UGA. I am a Genetics Major with a minor in Public Health. I am currently pursuing the pre-med track with hopes to go into Oncology with a focus on breast health in the future. I love huskies, watching tennis, and drinking boba with my friends.

Ashlynn Kim
Ashlynn Kim
Undergraduate Research Trainee

Ashlynn Kim is a third-year genetics student from Canton, GA. During her free time, she enjoys going on walks, crocheting, and trying new foods. She joined the lab in Fall 2022 and plans to continue studying clinical genetics after she graduates.

Yanqing Cai
Yanqing Cai
Undergraduate Research Trainee

Yanqing is from Luoyang, a city with a long history. People can call him “Charlie” if they like it. He is a junior year student from Wuhan university, major in Biotechnology and minor in computer science. He joins the lab in 2022 as an undergraduate trainee. He likes to play table tennis and cycling, and he wants to try football in the future. He also wants to become a skillful person both in the laboratory and kitchen.

Alina Baiju
Alina Baiju
Undergraduate Research Trainee

Alina joined the lab during the summer of 2020. She is a third-year premed student from Johns Creek, GA majoring in biochemistry and genetics. In her free time she likes to read, draw, and play with her cat. She also likes long walks and exploring new coffee shops.

Yanran Zhao
Yanran Zhao
Undergraduate Research Trainee

Yanran is from Chongqing, China. She is a pre-med with a major in Biology and minor in Statistics. During her free time, Yanran loves to watch movies and listen classical music.

Team - Previous Members

Renjie Shang
Renjie Shang
Graduate Student

Renjie joined the lab in Oct 2018. He earned a B.S. degree in Biotechnology. As a college student, Renjie won the Silver Medal in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Competition in 2015. Renjie possesses a unique combination of skills in both bench work and bioinformatics, areas in which he has a keen interest. Throughout his doctoral studies in our lab, his outstanding performance earned him four awards with scholarships from the University or department. In his spare time, Renjie is a snooker fan and is a top pool player at UGA.

Tom N. Lagen
Tom N. Lagen
Undergraduate Research Trainee

Tom grew up in the suburbs surrounding Chicago. He is studying biology with the goal of pursuing a career in orthopedic surgery. He joined the lab in Fall 2021. Outside of classes and tutoring, he enjoys longboarding, going to the gym, and celebrating the little victories with a trip to Cane’s.

Gaurav Gopu
Gaurav Gopu
Undergraduate Research Trainee

Gaurav is from Johns Creek, GA. He is a Biology major with a Health Policy and Administration minor, and is also pre-med. Gaurav joined the lab in July 2020 as an undergraduate research assistant. In his free time, Gaurav loves to play tennis and basketball.

Zheng Zhang
Zheng Zhang
Undergraduate Research Trainee

Zheng is from Zhejiang, a province located at lower reaches of Yangtze River. He is a junior student of Zhejiang University and planning to pursue a PhD degree after graduation. He joined the lab as an undergraduate trainee in August 2021. He likes playing Lego and watching soccer matches when he is free of lab work.

Carla Molines Trujillo
Carla Molines Trujillo
Summer Research Trainee

Carla was born in Caracas, Venezuela. She got her B.S degree in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico, Cayey Campus. She joined Dr. Bi Lab with a Summer Undergraduate Fellowships in Genetic during the summer of 2021. Her hobbies are learning new things and cultures, travel, doing exercise, going to the beach, movies, art and photography.

Emily Marie Hicks
Emily Marie Hicks
Undergraduate Research Trainee

Emily is from Marietta, GA. She is a pre-med genetics major who hopes to become an orthopedic doctor. She joined the lab in Fall 2019. In her free time, she likes to exercise, water Netflix, and play with animals.

Jiacheng Chen
Jiacheng Chen
Undergraduate Research Trainee

Jiacheng Chen (Jackie) is from Wuhan, China. He is an undergraduate student of Wuhan University who wishes to become a PhD student in the future. He joined the lab in Fall 2019 as a visiting scholar student. He likes music, watching movies and his favorite food is hot dry noodles, which is a traditional dish of his hometown.

Junfei Wen
Junfei Wen
Undergraduate Research Trainee

Junfei grew up in Jiangxi, a middle east province in China. He joined the lab in Sept 2019. He is a senior college student from Wuhan University, China. He likes to play basketball and listen classical music when he is free from study and lab works.

William Maley
William Maley
Undergraduate Researcher (2018-2019)

William was born and raised in Macon, Georgia. He is currently a fourth-year biology major and pre-med. Willam loves to go camping and fishing in his free time. He also likes to watch movies directed by the Coen Brothers.

Hector Romero
Hector Romero
Summer Research Trainee

Hector is an undergraduate student from the University of Puerto Rico. He joined the lab for research training with a Summer Undergraduate Fellowships in Genetics (SUNFIG) in May 2019.

Fusion of Cell : Fusion of Culture : Fusion of Strength as a Team

Cell Fusion