NAIK LAB - Key Persons
Daniel is a Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) postdoctoral fellow. Daniel received his B.Sc and Ph.D. from Tel Aviv University, where he developed the first targeted highly efficient genome editing-based Nanomedicine for cancer therapy. This work gained worldwide interest as it pioneered the use of genome editing for cancer therapy and opened new avenues for treating a few of the most aggressive tumors, including Glioblastoma and metastatic ovarian cancer.
In January 2021, Daniel joined the lab as a postdoctoral fellow. Daniel's work is focused on studying the evolution of stem cell niches in inflammation and the critical cross-talk between stem cells and their niche. Daniel's work has been awarded the 2021 Kenneth Rainin foundation innovator award.
Jack obtained his Bachelor of Science in Immunology at the University of Glasgow, subsequently joining Andreas Wack's lab at the Francis Crick Institute for graduate research. His doctoral studies focused studied the interface between innate antiviral immunity and lung tissue repair, leading to the discovery of a previously unknown mechanism of immunopathology in respiratory viral infections. A second project explored a gut-lung axis that regulates disease tolerance mechanisms in the respiratory endothelium mediated by aryl hydrocarbon receptor signaling. In 2023, Jack joined the Naik laboratory as a postdoctoral fellow. His current research focuses on neuroimmune interactions in the skin, supported by an EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Job Titles:
- Bernard B. Levine Postdoctoral Fellow
- Postdoctoral Fellow
Piotr is a Bernard B. Levine Postdoctoral Fellow in Immunology. He received his Ph.D. from the Jagiellonian University, Poland where he investigated the role of an RNase, MCPIP1, in skin physiology and pathophysiology. In particular, he dissected how epidermally-expressed RNase is modulated by and affects the pathology of skin diseases such as psoriasis, skin cancers and wound healing.
In 2019, he joined the Naik lab as a visiting Ph.D. fellow and since defended his thesis and continued as a postdoctoral fellow in the Naik lab. His postdoctoral training focuses on decoding the crosstalk between immune and epithelial cells during regeneration and carcinogenesis. Piotr has been recognized for his work and received several awards including the Research Award for Young Researchers from Lilly Company, European Society for Dermatological Research, Etiuda Fellowship from Polish National Science Center and National Psoriasis Foundation Early Career Research Grant.
Rachel received her BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Victoria and her PhD in Immunology from the University of Calgary, where she was the recipient of the Canadian Governor General's Gold Medal and the 2023 Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists for her graduate work on immune regulation of hunger hormones, leptin and ghrelin, during tissue repair.
In 2022, Rachel joined the Naik lab as a postdoctoral fellow where she currently studies how commensal and pathogenic microbes affect epithelial stem cells in the context of wound healing and cancer. Rachel's research is supported by the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Principal Investigator
- Principal Investigator / Science
Shruti received her B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Maryland, College Park. After which she worked as research assistant at the Naval Medical Research Center studying traumatic injury and autoimmune onset. Shruti then matriculated into the University of Pennsylvania-National Institutes of Health Graduate Partnership Program and obtained her Ph.D. in Immunology under the mentorship of Dr. Yasmine Belkaid and in collaboration with Dr. Julie Segre. During her doctoral studies, she discovered that normal bacteria living on our skin, known as the commensals, educate the immune system and help protect us from harmful pathogens. Her work unveiled how immune cells in our skin work with our microbial partners to prevent disease and has opened the door for microbiota-based therapies in the skin. For her postdoctoral studies, Shruti joined the lab of Dr. Elaine Fuchs at the Rockefeller University as Damon Runyon Cancer Research Fellow. Here she found that epithelial stem cells can harbor a memory of inflammation which boosts their regenerative abilities. This finding extended the definition of inflammatory memory beyond immune cells bringing about a seachange in our current view of how tissues remember inflammatory encounters.
Shruti is a strong advocate for increasing diversity in science and promoting the advancement of underrepresented and marginalized groups. For her research and advocacy Shruti has received numerous accolades including the NIH Women's Scholars Award, the Regeneron Award for Creative Innovation, the L'Oréal For Women in Science Award, the Damon Runyon Dale F. Frey Award for Breakthrough Scientist, and the Sartorius, Science Prize for Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy, the International Takeda Innovators in Science Award, Pew-Stewart Fellow, Packard Fellow, NIH Director's New Innovator Award and the New York Stem Cell Foundation Robertson Investigator Award.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Scientist
Uju received her B.Sc with honors in Pharmacology from Stony Brook University. She completed her doctoral studies in the lab of Dr. Ulrich Steidl at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where she collaborated in work that identified a novel protein coding gene in fusion with the Class II Transactivator in Hodgkins' Lymphoma (PMID: 21368758). Her dissertation work showed that the wildtype full length gene was being translated and functioned as a positive regulator of cell proliferation and cycling in active KRAS myeloid leukemias and these findings were patented (PCT/US2013/70227). For her postdoctoral studies, in the lab of Dr. Britta Will at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, she found that RNA demethylation and acute type-I interferon (IFN-I) upon azacytidine-treatment incited thrombocytopenia
In 2023, Uju joined NYU as a Senior Research Scientist in the lab of Dr. Shruti Naik. She is currently working with the team to organize various translational research projects. Additionally, she is studying the impact of skin lipids in psoriatic patients to understand the impact on disease severity and especially on cardiovascular disease comorbidity. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, being active and drawing/painting.
Yue received her PhD from Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Her dissertation research focused on understanding mechanisms of NLRP3 inflammasome and how inflammasome crosstalk with commensal bacteria to sustain homeostasis in the gut mucosal barrier. In the Naik lab she uses skin as a model system to study how immune cells non-canonically regulate tissue stem cell behavior in the context of both adult wound repair and neonate skin morphogenesis. Yue's research is supported by The AAI Intersect Fellowship Program for Computational Scientists and Immunologists, and the NYSTEM training grant in stem cell biology.
Erica joined the lab in November 2021 as an Associate Research Technician. Here, she is excited to expand her knowledge of skin immunology while supporting the projects of Drs. Piotr Konieczny and Daniel Rosenblum. She recently obtained her BS in Biology with a minor in Psychology from Northeastern University. As an undergraduate, Erica worked on cilia isolation to study radial spoke structure in Alan Brown's laboratory at Harvard Medical School.
Job Titles:
- Senior Bioinformatics Programmer
Ikjot received his BS in Bioinformatics from Panjab University, India, and his MS in Bioinformatics from Boston University. In the Naik lab, he is currently working as a senior bioinformatics programmer. His work in the lab has included several projects but his most notable work includes co-leading the spatial transcriptomics of a psoriatic skin study where he built a custom workflow for this study, worked closely with Dr. Rochelle Castillo to uncover clinical findings including how healthy and lesioned skin differed significantly, distinguish mild psoriasis cases from those that were moderate to severe and changes in gene activity that varied with disease severity. Besides this, he has also contributed to several other projects in the lab over the years as a lead bioinformatician. His current career goals include learning and implementing more machine-learning tools especially deep-learning to study sequencing and imaging data. In his spare time, he enjoys reading non-fiction, playing RPGs, bodybuilding/cross-training, and Japanese food.
Ilana is the Naik lab manager and oversees lab operations. She graduated from Rutgers University with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Public Health. Ilana joined the lab in November 2022 and is excited to work with Dr. Yue Xing to study why neonatal mice are more susceptible to atopic dermatitis. In her undergraduate years she worked as a Lab Technician at Infinity Biologix. There she worked with Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and performed Fluorescence Activated Cell sorting. In her free time she likes to crochet, rock climb, watch movies, and play guitar.
Ipsita is a MD-PhD student in the NYU Medical Scientist Training Program. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016 with a B.A. in Biochemistry and South Asia Studies and a M.S. in Chemistry through the Vagelos Molecular Life Sciences Program. Her master's thesis focused on the molecular mechanism of ubiquitin ligases in macrophage and T cell activation. Prior to entering graduate school, she also studied molecular chaperones and protein misfolding in the context of neurodegeneration.
Ipsita is broadly interested in the intersection of immunology and regeneration. Her work is focused on epithelial responses in inflammatory diseases, such as psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease, and is supported by the NYU Clinical and Translational Research TL1 Training Program.
When Ipsita is not in the lab, she is an active member of the NYU MSTP Student Operating Committee and the NYC Free Clinic. She enjoys writing fiction, learning new dance styles, and baking birthday cakes.
Joe is a PhD student in the Naik and Ruggles labs studying inflammatory memory in skin disease. He is interested in harnessing computational biology to study inflammation and the recurrence of disease. He graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in Economics, and since graduating, has worked on cardio metabolic disease at Boehringer Ingelheiom and cutaneous disorders in the Damsky Lab at Yale. Outside of the lab, Joe's hobbies include cycling, skiing and hiking.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Research Scientist
Kate is an Associate Research Scientist working at the intersection of bench research and science writing. She received her B.S. in Microbiology and Cell Science and B.A. in English with a Film Concentration from the University of Florida in 2018. She completed her MS in Narrative Medicine at Columbia University in 2019.
In early 2024, Kate joined the Naik lab and splits her time between wet lab research and writing and editing grants and manuscripts. At the bench, her research involves studying models of intestinal inflammation.
When not in the lab, Kate enjoys reading, writing, watching films, nature photography, and other canonical Brooklynite activities.
Mr. Holmes graduated top of this class from the Unleased Puppy Training program. Sherlock is the official Naik lab mascot and supports the team with his uplifting tail wags and hugs. His hobbies include squirrel chasing, stealing treats, and power napping.
Job Titles:
- Undergraduate Student Intern