Lab Members

Lab Director

Hee Won Yang, PhD
- Assistant Professor of Pathology & Cell Biology
- hy2602@cumc.columbia.edu

Lab Members

Sungsoo Kim, PhD
- Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Dr. Sungsoo Kim is a postdoctoral research scientist in the laboratory of Dr. Hee Won Yang at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Dr. Kim received his PhD from the KAIST. During his PhD, he had investigated the development of optogenetic tools which can modulate diverse cellular signaling, especially intracellular Ca2+ signaling in vivo mice brain. As a postdoctoral research scientist, he employs optogenetic tools and multi-omic analysis to understand how melanoma cells develop drug resistance.
Suyeon Kim, PhD
- Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Dr. Suyeon Kim is a postdoctoral research scientist specializing in cancer biology at the Yang Lab at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She received her PhD from Korea University College of Medicine, where she investigated the resistance mechanisms of tumor cells to immunotherapy. In her current role, Dr. Kim leverages cutting-edge single-cell technologies and live-cell sensors to elucidate the complex molecular mechanisms driving resistance to pan-RAS inhibitors in KRAS-mutant non-small cell lung cancer models. Her work aims to uncover novel therapeutic strategies that could lead to the development of more effective treatments for lung cancer patients.
Jessica Armand
- PhD Student
Jessica is a graduate of Binghamton University with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. Following graduation, she conducted two years of postgraduate research at the University of Rochester Medical Center where she investigated pharmacological and stem cell therapeutics for acute spinal cord injury. Jessica joins the Yang lab in April 2021 as a PhD candidate in the Integrated Program in Cellular, Molecular and Biomedical Sciences. As a graduate researcher, she studies mechanisms of drug resistance and new therapeutic strategies in breast cancer models.
Eugene Son
- Postbaccalaureate Researcher
Eugene is an alumnus of New York University, where he earned a degree in Biology. During his undergraduate studies, he conducted research on the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium responsible for Lyme disease, in New York forests, with the aim of evaluating the risk of human exposure to Lyme disease. Currently, as a postbaccalaureate researcher, he is exploring the fundamentals of cell-cycle progression and investigating new therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment.
Amanda Leone
- PhD Student
Amanda graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in Biological Sciences. She joined the Yang lab in April 2025 as a graduate student in the Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Science Program. During her PhD, she looks forward to investigating mechanisms of whole genome duplication and cell cycle surveillance.
Melina Chen
- PhD Student (rotation)
Melina earned her B.Sc. in Biochemistry from McGill University, where she used structural and functional analyses to investigate the biosynthetic pathway of an antimicrobial compound with therapeutic potential against antibiotic-resistant infections. She is currently a graduate student in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics and a rotation student in the Yang lab. Melina is interested in leveraging cutting-edge technologies to investigate the molecular mechanisms that drive cancer progression and resistance to targeted therapies, aiming to enhance therapeutic response.
Madison Snyder
- PhD Student (rotation)
Madison is a first year PhD student in the Pathobiology and Mechanisms of Disease program at Columbia with interests in cancer biology and omics research. She graduated from Swarthmore College with majors in Biology and Spanish. After graduating, Madison was a Fulbright Scholar at IRB Barcelona and an R&D Rotational Associate at Pfizer. For her rotation in the lab, Madison will be investigating the development of drug resistance in breast cancer.
Isidro Guadarrama
- Undergraduate Student
Isidro is an undergraduate student majoring in biochemistry at Columbia University. He is originally from East Chicago, IN and he is interested in the way that medicine and research come together. Isidro is excited to learn more about lab work to get further involved. His interests include drug resistance and the ways in which medications are discovered to aid in diseases like cancer.
Amanda Prashad
- Undergraduate Student
Amanda is an undergraduate student from Queens, New York majoring in biochemistry at Barnard College. She is a member of the Barnard Science Pathways Scholars Program and looks forward to expanding her skills in the lab. Her interests include analyzing signaling pathways and how they influence cancer development and progression as she strives for a career in cancer therapy research.