Meet Our Speakers

The Olzmann Lab is pursuing three major areas centered on the cell biology of lipids: 1) Lipid storage and flux decisions – We study how cells employ lipid droplets to store and mobilize lipids, with a recent focus on how hepatocytes decide whether to store lipids or secrete them. This gets at a broader question of how cells regulate lipid flux in response to physiological demands. 2) Lipid quality control – We are interested in how cells maintain the integrity of their lipid populations, how damaged lipids are detected, repaired, or removed. In the context of ferroptosis, this involves understanding how cells respond to lipid peroxidation. We think this represents just the beginning of a broader field, where different organelles may deploy distinct quality control systems based on their lipid composition, protein environment, and redox state. 3) Therapeutic targeting of lipid biology – We aim to translate these insights into therapeutic strategies.

Dr. Demet Araç, currently an associate professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and of Neuroscience Institute at the University of Chicago, has been conducting research on cell communication, specifically on the cell-surface receptors that mediate intercellular adhesion. With an inspiring career as a structural biologist, she has been the forefront of ground-breaking work in understanding regulation of adhesion GPCRs and advancing their engineering to better understand this family of proteins. Dr. Araç is visiting us on March 24th. Prior to her visit, we had the opportunity to have a zoom meeting to talk about her research, her intellectual journey and personal reflections on life within and beyond science.

Was there an event or person that inspired you to pursue a career as a scientist? “I was always drawn to science. I went to a local, non-prestigious public high school in Pennsylvania where not all the academic work was rigorous However, there were a couple science teachers that challenged me and stoked my interest in science. Given my interests in both chemistry and biology, pursuing biochemistry at the next stage was a relatively clear choice. I had a great undergraduate experience at Notre Dame doing organic synthesis research that further solidified my interest in understanding the chemical basis for biology. After a few unexpected moves around the country, I was very fortunate to pursue my PhD under the guidance of Dr. Jack Dixon at UC San Diego. Jack is a stellar biochemist who just kind of knows how biology works. My post-doc mentor, Dr. Vamsi Mootha, was equally inspiring for different reasons. Vamsi is a quintessential systems biologist, geneticist and mathematician.

The Yale Cell Biology Department is excited to welcome Dr. Jonathon Ditlev as an upcoming seminar speaker on February 10th. Dr. Ditlev is a professor in the University of Toronto Department of Biochemistry and a Scientist in the Molecular Medicine Program at the SickKids Research Institute. His research focuses on understanding how biological phase separation regulates signal transduction in neuronal and immune cells, using a combination of biophysical analysis, biochemical reconstitution, and cell biology. In this interview, Dr. Ditlev shares the scientific questions currently driving his lab, what inspired his path into research, his interests outside of science, and his vision for the future of his lab.

Cell Biology Department Seminars-Meet Our Speaker: Rebecca Voorhees, PhD, Professor of Biology and Biological Engineering , HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Scholar, California Institute of Technology

Professor Taekjip Ha is a world-renowned biophysicist whose pioneering work in single-molecule fluorescence and force spectroscopy has transformed how scientists visualize and understand molecular mechanisms. He is the George D. Yancopoulos in Honor of Frederick W. Alt Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and a Senior Investigator in the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, where he also serves as Director. A Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator since 2005, Prof. Ha is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His career has been marked by both technological innovation and biological discovery, earning him numerous accolades—including the Kazuhito Kinosita Award and the Gregory Weber Award—and establishing him as one of the leading figures in modern biophysics.

Edwin Chapman is a professor of Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an HHMI Investigator. The Chapman lab has spent the last 28 years studying the molecular mechanisms that mediate calcium-triggered exocytosis and their effects on synaptic function, as well as a variety of associated membrane trafficking events. Ahead of his talk on Tuesday, April 29th, I had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Chapman about his work, his approach to science, and what he takes away from all his years in the lab. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

As a scientist, starting from my postdoc and continuing in my own lab, we have helped redefine the role of the lysosome. Historically, it was considered a “boring organelle,” just the endpoint of degradation—a cellular trash can. But we’ve demonstrated that the lysosome is actually a sophisticated signaling center. We now call it the “metabolic computer” of the cell because it integrates information from other organelles and nutrient signals, particularly through mTOR kinase. The lysosome and mTOR communicate to make key metabolic decisions, balancing anabolism and catabolism. This has far-reaching implications for various cell types, including neurons, immune cells, and cancer cells.

Professor Dario Alessi is a distinguished British biochemist whose groundbreaking research on protein kinases has significantly advanced our understanding of cellular signalling in health and disease. Born in Strasbourg, he earned his PhD from the University of Birmingham before joining the Medical Research Council’s Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit (MRC-PPU) at the University of Dundee, where he now serves as director. His pioneering work has provided critical insights into neurodegeneration, including elucidating key mechanisms of LRRK2, a kinase implicated in Parkinson’s disease, paving the way for targeted therapeutic strategies. Beyond his research, Professor Alessi is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of scientists. As director of the MRC-PPU, he has trained and guided numerous PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, fostering an environment of excellence and innovation.