Meet the Principal Investigator

Saikat Mukhopadhyay, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Cell Biology
The focus of Mukhopadhyay Lab's current research is to understand mechanisms of cellular signaling at the level of the primary cilia, and its relevance to human health and disease.
Current Lab Members
Sun-Hee Hwang, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist (2018-) Research Scientist (2013-2018)
Ph.D.: Pukyong National University, South Korea
Postdoctoral Training: Wakeland Laboratory, UT Southwestern
Research Interests: PKD, SHH Medulloblastoma, Neural tube defects.

Kyungsuk Choi, Ph.D.
Research Scientist (2024-)
Ph.D.: University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Postdoctoral Training: Duojia Pan Lab, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Research Interests: PKD, Drugging ciliary trafficking disorders

Yu Xun, Ph.D.
Scientist (2024-)
Ph.D.: Hunan Normal University, Changsha; China
Postdoctoral Training: Center for Genetics of Host Defense, UT Southwestern
Research Interests: SHH Medulloblastoma, Obesity.
Lab Alumni
Kasturi Pal, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2013-2016), Fowler Lab, Scripps Institute (2016-2019)
Present position: Assistant Professor of Biology, DBT Ramalingaswami Fellow, Ashoka University, India

Hemant Badgandi, Ph.D.
Research Scientist (2013-2017)
Present position: Assistant Professor of the Practice of Biological Sciences, Department of Biological Chemistry, Vanderbilt University

Issei Shimada, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow and Assistant Instructor (June 2015-July 2018)
Present position: Junior Associate Professor, Graduate School of Medical Sciences Department of Cell Biology, Nagoya City University, Japan

Nipunika Somatilaka, Ph.D.
Graduate student (June 2014-August 2018)
Postdoc (Sep 2018-Feb 2020)
Present position: Postdoc and lab manager, UT Southwestern,
CTF Young Investigator Fellowship.

Venkata Vivek Reddy Palicharla, Ph.D.
Assistant Instructor (2023)
Postdoctoral fellow (2017-2023)
PKD Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow (2019-21)
Ph.D.: Maddika Subba Reddy Lab, CDFD, Hyderabad, India
Present position: Structural Biology Blue-Sky Initiative, St. Jude

Sandii Constable, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2019-2021)
Ph.D.: Lance Wells Lab, University of Georgia
Postdoctoral training: Tamara Caspary Lab, Emory University
Present position: Science Educator, Adelaide.

Evan Loriot
STARS program, Summer 2014
Jesuit High School, Dallas

Karisma Sheth
SURF program, Summer 2014
Austin College, Sherman

Teja Sebastian
SURISKD 2019 Summer Student (June-August 2019)
Undergraduate Studies at UT Austin
Present position: Medical Student, UT Southwestern

Amin Lim
SURF 2020 Summer Student (Selected)(May 2020-)
Undergraduate Studies at Wellesley College and MIT
Research Interests: Cilia and brain development

Anatupenda Daphrose
STEP-UP summer research program student (2023)
Emmett J. Conrad Global Studies HTECH high school student

Kevin White
Research Associate (May 2020-2023)
Research Assistant II (May 2019-April 2020)
B.S., Texas A&M University
Present position: Diosynth Biotechnologies, College Station, TX

Amy Ternida
STARS student (June 2024-July 2024)
Benjamin Popokh
Medical Student (Aug 2022-) UT Southwestern Summer Research Program (May 2023–August 2023)
BS Neuroscience, BSA Biology: University of Texas at Austin

Pratibha Bhalla, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (May 2018- Feb. 2019)
Present position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Van Oers Lab, UT Southwestern