Cell Biology Research Labs

Bewersdorf Lab
Cell biological discovery relies on powerful microscopes. The Bewersdorf Lab develops the next generation of fluorescence super-resolution microscopy techniques.
Burd Lab
Our research is driven by the desire to understand how the organelles of the endomembrane system are assembled and maintained.
Colón-Ramos Lab
A fundamental question in neuroscience is how synapses are assembled in living animals to produce behaviors and store memories. Our lab is focused on this question and uses the nematode C. elegans to examine the cell biological mechanisms by which synapses are precisely assembled during development, maintained during growth and modified during learning to store memories.
De Camili Lab
We study mechanisms underlying the dynamics and traffic of intracellular membranes, with emphasis on membrane transport reactions involved in neurotransmission. A major long-term goal is to advance the understanding of nervous system function in health and disease. We also exploit the unique structural and functional features of synapses to learn about general principles in membrane biology.
Ferguson Lab
The Ferguson lab investigates how the endolysosomal pathway is adapted to meet the extreme demands of neurons and how neurological diseases arise when such demands are not met.
Griffiths Lab
Guo Lab
The long term goal of our research is to deduce the set of rules of cell fate control. We use three biological model systems to investigate this question. 1) Induced pluripotency (Yamanaka reprogramming). 2) Malignant transformation. 3) Hematopoietic stem cell fate choices. We wish to use the knowledge of this set of rules to help create desired cell types for cell replacement therapies and to eliminate the emergence of harmful cell types such as cancer.
Gupta Lab
Combining native mass spectrometry with cell biology, membrane biophysics, and chemical biology, we develop quantitative tools to understand membrane associated cell signaling with molecular and spatial resolution.
Chenxiang Lin Lab
We develop DNA-nanostructure-based tools to understand nature’s engineering principles of molecular machineries and create artificial systems with similar structural/functional complexity.
LusKing Lab
Going Nuclear: The LusKing lab investigates the fundamental mechanisms that control nuclear structure, dynamics, and integrity in both physiological and pathological contexts.
Melia Lab
The ability to capture and degrade specific cytoplasmic targets including protein aggregates, invading pathogens or even whole dysfunctional organelles forms the basis of the cell's response to disease.
Reinisch Lab
Organelles within a cell differ in terms of the lipid composition of their surrounding membrane, and these differences help to establish organelle identity and thus allow for directional transport of materials between organelles. The focus of the lab and an emerging area of study is to understand the molecular mechanisms by which membrane composition is established and regulated.
Rothman Lab
We employ diverse biophysical, biochemical, and cell biological approaches to characterize the fundamental participants in intracellular transport processes.
Schwartz Lab
How cells coordinate to form mechanically stable, functional three dimensional tissues and organisms is arguably the most interesting and important problem in 21st century biological sciences. It underlies not just normal development and physiology but also cancer and heart disease, the major killers in developed nations.
Su Lab
The Su Lab studies membrane remodeling and membrane-proximal signal transduction during immune responses. Using combined approaches of biochemical reconstitution, high resolution microscopy, and cell engineering, we aim to understand how spatial and temporal organization of membrane proteins and lipids regulates immune cell activation. This knowledge is leveraged for the development of new strategies and tools for cancer immunotherapy.
von Blume Lab
We are fascinated by organelle biology and intracellular protein transport. In particular, we are very curious about how secreted proteins that are synthesized inside the cell!
Min Wu Lab
Pattern formation lab lead by Dr. Min Wu is investigating cortical oscillations and travelling waves and their roles in fundamental cellular processes including cell growth, cell division, and cell size control.
Yongli Zhang Lab

Latest News: The Cutting Edge of Cell Biology

February 04, 2026

Meet our Speakers: Dr. Jonathon Ditlev, Assistant Professor from the Hospital for Sick Children/University of Toronto

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.