Principal Investigator
Mehdi Damaghi (مهدی دمقی), PhD
Department of Pathology
Associate Professor
Stony Brook Cancer Center
E-mail: mehdi.damaghi@stonybrookmedicine.edu
More about me
Education and Positions:
1998-2002: BSc Cell & Molecular Biology, Genetics, Chamran University, Ahvaz, Iran
2002-2005: MSc Biochemistry, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
2008-2012: PhD Cell Biology & Genetics, Max Planck Institute, Dresden, Germany
2012-2017: Postdoctoral Fellow, Cancer Biology, Department of Cancer Imaging and Metabolism, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL
2017-2021: Research Scientist, Cancer Biology, Department of Cancer Physiology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL
2021: Instructor Cancer Biology, Department of Cancer Physiology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL
2018-2021: Assistant Professor, Cancer Biology, Department of Oncological Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
2021- Present: Assistant Professor, Cancer Biology, Department of Pathology, Stony Brook Cancer Center, Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook University, New York
Professional Memberships:
Physical Sciences in Oncology (PSON)
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
World Molecular Imaging Society (WMIC)
Current Lab Members
PhD Students
Jowana Obeid
Jowana is a PhD candidate in the Molecular and Cellular Biology program. She is interested in understanding how the transcription factor KLF4 is epigenetically regulated in response to the acidic tumor microenvironment in DCIS, leading to metabolic reprogramming and cell state changes. In her free time, she enjoys reading novels, baking and hiking.
Song, Joon-Hyun (송준현)
I’m a computational biologist interested in modeling and studying the underlying abstract structure of evolution especially in perspective of robustness and evolvability. Currently, I’m studying cancer evolution with single cell multiome sequencing data to understand how temporal fluctuation affect cancer cells population in its global diversity, phenotypes, and so on. I enjoy learning languages and build my own world in my free time.
Yujie Xiao
I am a PhD student in Applied Mathematics and Statistics. My research focuses on multi-omics approaches to cancer evolution, with a particular emphasis on predicting upstaging in early breast cancer—ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). I develop and apply graph neural network methods to spatial omics data to identify and characterize spatial domains within the tumor microenvironment. By integrating statistical modeling with machine learning across molecular layers, my goal is to improve risk stratification and reveal mechanisms that underpin DCIS progression.
Naheel Khatri
I am a 4th-year MD-PhD student (G2) co-advised by Drs. Mehdi Damaghi and Chao Chen. My work lies at the intersection of cancer biology and computational methods, where I study cancer evolution dynamics through spatial multi-omics, computational topology, and machine learning. My current project aims to predict and understand mechanisms of radioresistance in breast cancer. Beyond research, I enjoy soccer, playing the cello, exploring cafés, and long walks around New York City.
Zhiyi Dong
My name is Zhiyi Dong, and I am a PhD student of the Biomedical Engineering program. My research interests focus on the APOBEC3 family of enzymes, particularly how tumor microenvironmental stresses such as acidosis activates APOBEC3 to shape tumor evolution. Outside the lab, I enjoy listening to music, watching motorsport races, and swimming.
Sogol Ghanbari
Sogol was highly interested in genetics, which led her to earn both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in this field. During her Master’s, she investigated the role of microRNAs as an internal control in breast cancer, which sparked her ongoing interest in cancer biology. Her current research focuses on cancer immunology, specifically investigating how tumor-associated macrophages and metabolic stress shape early-stage tumor progression. She is passionate about translating cellular and molecular findings into insights that can inform better diagnostics and therapies. Outside of the lab, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, gardening, painting, and walking.
Emma Downey
Emma is a 2nd year PhD student in the Molecular and Cellular Biology program. She is interested in investigating epigenetic regulation of cancer-associated fibroblasts and the effects on DCIS upstaging. In her free time, she enjoys reading, working out, and baking desserts for lab meeting!
Seungmin Chou (Jaden)
Jaden is a PhD student in Data Science co-supervised by Drs. Mehdi Damaghi and Song Wu. His research focuses on developing interpretable models to characterize interactions across genomic and cellular levels within spatially structured tumor environments and their roles in driving cancer evolution. He is particularly interested in incorporating causal discovery principles to better understand the mechanistic drivers of tumor progression.
Research Assistant & Visiting Students
Master’s Students
Clarissa Padilla
Clarissa is a Master’s student in the Physiology and Biophysics program. Her research focuses on investigating PARP inhibitor drugs in ovarian cancer using patient-derived organoids. Outside of lab, she enjoys taking trips to the city and listening to Latin jazz.
Venkata Narayana Redrouthu
I am a Master’s student in Data Science at Stony Brook University. I am currently working under the guidance of Professor Mehdi Damaghi and assisting Joon-Hyun Song with research on cancer evolution using single-cell multiome sequencing data. My work focuses on understanding how temporal fluctuations influence cancer cell populations in terms of global diversity and phenotypic changes. Outside of research, I enjoy playing video games and watching anime.
Undergraduate and High School Students
Susoma Halder
I am Susoma Halder, an undergraduate research assistant. My research focuses on comparative analysis of spatial metabolites in bat and human cancer spheroids to better understand interspecies difference in cancer biology. Outside of lab, I spend my leisure sketching and painting.
Krish Vakharia
My name is Krish Vakharia, a first-year student studying Chemistry at Stony Brook University. A key research interest of mine is exploring biochemical pathways to understand the molecular mechanisms that govern them and how these pathways can be modulated for potentially therapeutic effects. Additionally, I am very fascinated by organelles and their evolving role in advancing oncological research. Outside of the lab, I enjoy spending my time watching sports and discovering new local food spots.
Joshua Oh
Zahra Sabry
My name is Zahra Sabry and I am a freshman biochemistry major here at Stony Brook. Currently, I am experimenting on radioresistance in organoid models to understand why certain cancerous cells survive treatment and how we can improve patient outcomes. Outside of research, I love to read, travel and try new cafe spots.
Neil Yabannavar
Neil is a sophomore undergraduate student at Stony Brook University, who majors in biology. His interests include understanding how cancer associated fibroblasts behave in both acidic and non acidic environments. Outside of lab, he enjoys creative writing, skiing, and watching the Celtics and Patriots.
Rotation Students
Labiba Aziz
I am a first year PhD student in the Pharmacology program. For my rotation in the CEEL Lab, I am branching out into cancer biology to study the mechanisms of PARP inhibitor resistance in metastatic ovarian cancer. I am particularly interested in investigating how resistance is regulated at the metabolic and epigenetic levels. I will be learning and working with 3D organoids and patient derived tissues to better understand these dynamics.
Adam Leszczynski
During my rotation, I am interested in investigating the relationship between the tumor microenvironment and cancer cells. The human body is a much more complex and dynamic environment than cell media in a plastic dish, so understanding how various conditions can drive cancer adaptation is important to seeing the full picture of tumor growth and development. To explore this field of research, I look forward to using imaging techniques and MALDI to quantify changes in tumor characteristics, as well as learn interdisciplinary approaches for collecting data from cancer samples.
Benjamin Okisamen
Isaac Odoom Amanor
Former Members
Devin Marcheselli
Saiful Samad
Raafat Chalar: MS Researcher, Current MD/PhD Student in the University of Michigan
Fatim Kouassi: Master student, Current CSHL
Kevin Vera: Master student
Julia Gattozzi: PhD Rotation student
Monica Alexander: PhD Rotation student
Abigail Booth: PhD Rotation student
Yijie Kang: PhD Rotation student
Stefan Liu: PhD Rotation student
Minxin Huang: PhD Rotation student
Andrew Cheng: PhD Rotation student
Luiz Alberti: PhD Rotation student
Liam Shanley: PhD Rotation student
Scott Feltman: PhD Rotation student
Karla Torres Arciga: Visiting student
Grace Han: MD student
Jabin Gong: MD student
Efosa Enoma: MD student
Arham Akhyer: Undergraduate student
Soraya Rahni: Undergraduate student
Andrew Chen: Undergraduate student
Andrew Young: Undergraduate student
Emmanuel Woods: Undergraduate student
Katy (Yuzhu) Chen: Undergraduate student
Ghaleb Jubi: Undergraduate student
Ozge Somuncu: PhD, Current Post Doc
Khadijeh Karbalaei: PhD, Current Post Doc
Manal Elmasry: PhD, Current Post Doc