Principal Investigator
Mehdi Damaghi (مهدی دمقی), PhD
Department of Pathology
Assistant 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!
Research Assistant & Visiting Students
Haipeng Zhao
I’m a research assistant focused on using deep learning to solve biomedical problems. My current work centers on DCIS upstaging and graph neural networks. I’m passionate about developing novel computational tools to understand complex biological data. Outside of research, I enjoy working out and playing video games.
Master’s Students
Clarissa Padilla
Aditya Meshram
Devin Marcheselli
I received my B.S. in Biology and M.S. in Physiology and Biophysics from Stony Brook University. I work in Dr. Damaghi’s lab, where I am excited to continue my research experience. I plan on attending medical school in the near future, with the goal of integrating clinical practice and research. Outside of the lab, I enjoy playing soccer, traveling, and cooking.
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.
Saiful Samad
Hi, my name is Saiful Samad. I am a pre-medical student at Stony Brook University with strong research interests in cancer biology and treatment. My work has focused on understanding breast cancer resistance to radiation, as well as exploring potential strategies to overcome this challenge. I am also interested in mass spectrometry techniques, particularly MALDI, and their applications in cancer research alongside cryostat and analysis of data. Outside of academics, I enjoy traveling and have spent time in Pakistan and the Middle East, which has broadened my cultural perspective.
Jack Yang
I’m an undergraduate student at SBU majoring in Biochemistry. I have an interest in medicine and plan on pursuing graduate-level education in the future. On top of my interest in science, I also study music at SBU with the piano being my main instrument! I enjoy playing piano in my free time and accompanying other musicians at SBU.
Shreeya Gillela
Hi! My name is Shreeya, and I'm a freshman undergraduate student majoring in Biochemistry on the pre-med track. I'm excited to pursue a career in medicine and connect research with meaningful clinical applications. Outside of academics, I love watching Formula 1, listening to music, and I hope to travel a lot in the future. I also enjoy working out and reading!
Rotation Students
Benjamin Okisamen
Isaac Odoom Amanor
Seungmin Chou
Former Members
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