Gina earned her PhD in Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology from the University of Chicago, where she investigated molecular determinants of normal and malignant hematopoietic stem cell development. Her post-doctoral research examined developmental interactions between cells and their microenvironment in leukemia and breast cancer. At the Lurie Cancer Center, Gina has worked with diverse teams to advance numerous multidisciplinary scientific and educational programs. She joined the Adli lab in 2022 as an enthusiastic manager and fan of the MorpHiC Consortium project. Outside the lab, she’s likely to be working in her garden, or waiting for gardening season to return to Chicago. 

Fidan earned her PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Koc University in Istanbul-Turkey. Her research focused on the discovery of novel genes that play an important role in glioblastoma invasion and therapy response through transcriptome profiling and CRISPR screenings. She joined Adli Lab in August 2020 as a postdoctoral researcher. She is currently working on key mechanisms of chemoresistance and immune checkpoint regulators in ovarian and pancreatic cancers through utilizing CRISPR screening. She is also utilizing single-cell multi-omics technologies in primary patient samples to identify key mechanisms of chemoresistance in primary tumors. Fidan is a movie enthusiast and loves to travel to places she has never been.   

De earned his Ph.D. in genome engineering in Fisheries, Aquaculture & Aquatic Sciences, and the second M.S. in Mathematics & Statistics from Auburn University in 2022.  During his doctoral training, he focused on gene editing and genetic engineering using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. He joined the Adli lab in July 2022 and works on the molecular and cellular characterization of essential human genes using auxin-induced degron in hiPSC. He is leading the MorPhic consortium project in the lab. Outside the lab, De enjoys reading and traveling.

Kadir earned his medical degree from Hacettepe University Medical School in Turkey in 2017. Throughout his graduate training, he studied the role of hypertension in regulating Increased Myogenic Tone and arterial stiffness in mesenteric microvessels at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He started his first postdoctoral research in Adli Lab in March of 2020 and works on investigating the genetic and epigenetic basis of Uterine Fibroids through functional genomics and CRISPR-mediated genome engineering. Kadir is a big fan of Japanese anime series, his favorite one is “One piece”.

Zahra earned her Ph.D. in Control Engineering from the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran, in 2022. She studied the control of nonlinear systems in strict-feedback form with matched and mismatched uncertainties and state constraints. She joined Adli Lab in January of 2023 as a post-doctoral scholar computational biologist. She is interested in processing and analyzing high dimensional data sets, generating statistical and mathematical modeling, and controlling them to reveal novel drug combinations and, more importantly, predict drug responses at the cellular and organismal level. Her ultimate goal is to integrate multiple omics data and combine it with machine learning to predict clinical outcomes in patients. 

Hoda earned her B.S., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees from Helwas University (Egypt). She had a joint supervision scholarship in the United States studying leiomyomas pathogenesis during her Ph.D. She joined Adli’s lab in March 2023 and investigates the genetic and epigenetic drivers of leiomyoma pathogenesis and aims to identify novel druggable pathways for leiomyomas. Hoda is a movie fan and nature lover.

Alex is a Ph.D. candidate and graduate student in the Driskill Graduate Program (DGP) at Northwestern University. Alex got his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst in 2013. He worked in a wide variety of fields, most recently at the Military HIV Research Program in vaccine development. Since joining the Adli Lab in 2018, Alex has used cutting-edge single-cell sequencing, CRISPR applications, and bioinformatics to research the transcriptional and epigenetic underpinnings of ovarian cancer chemotherapy resistance. Outside the lab, Alex likes to walk and explore Chicago neighborhoods and he loves to do the New York Times crossword puzzle to unwind.

Harun is a Ph.D. candidate graduate student in the Driskill Graduate Program (DGP) at Northwestern University. He received her BS in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Istanbul University, Turkey. He also earned his MSc degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Bogazici University, Turkey. In Adli’s lab, he contributed to research on critical tumor suppressors and combinatorial drug targets in cancer. His current research focuses on critical regulators that are necessary and sufficient to establish and maintain the chemoresistant state of ovarian cancer. In addition to science, Harun loves heavy metal and the Denver Nuggets!

Inci was born in Kosovo and raised in Turkey. She received an MD degree from Trakya University Faculty of Medicine. She has been involved in several stem cell research programs at multiple institutes including Koç University, the National Institutes of Health, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories, and CiRA-Kyoto University.  She joined the Adli lab in early 2023 to work on genome engineering project in iPSC to characterize essential human genes. If you can’t find her in the lab, she is probably hiking, watching Premier League, or exploring new places all over the world.

Ozlem obtained her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Middle East Technical University (Ankara/Turkey). During her master’s training, she studied mapping the genomic and epigenomic landscape of meningioma to identify targeted and combinatorial therapies to overcome chemoresistance in meningioma. She joined the Adli lab in November 2022 as Post-Baccalaureate Research Fellow and working toward the MorPhic consortium project.

Neda received her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from Loyola University Chicago and recently earned her Master’s degree in Medical Sciences from Loyola University Chicago. On her journey through the medical field, she joined the Adli Lab in July 2022 and is currently utilizing CRISPR screening technologies to discover regulators for immune checkpoints in cancer. Neda is excited to identify factors that drive cancer progression and produce novel therapies against them. In her free time, Neda likes to listen to music and cook new and cool recipes.

Yasemin is an undergraduate student in her final year at Northwestern University where she is studying cellular and developmental biology. She joined our lab in 2021 and spent her summer focusing on exploring the role of PRMT5 and its regulators in ovarian cancer chemoresistance. Yasemin enjoys cross-stitching, baking, and biking along the lake.

Shani is a Master of Reproductive Science and Medicine student at Northwestern University’s Center for Reproductive Science. She received her B.S. in Biology with an emphasis in Bioethics from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. There, she studied the role of pesticides in inducing Parkinson’s Disease-like symptoms in model organisms. In Adli’s lab, Shani contributes to research on chemo-resistance in Ovarian Cancer. Apart from her studies, Shani enjoys engaging in community outreach as well as creative projects of her own.

Yağmur is a third-year undergraduate student at University of Richmond. She is majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with Integrated Science and Health Studies minors. Yagmur has joined the Adli Lab in the summer for 2021, where she focused on bioinformatics, large-scale biological data analysis, and gene interactions in pancreatic and ovarian cancer.