Team
Xu Zhou, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
xu.zhou@childrens.harvard.edu
BS, Peking University
PhD, Harvard University
Postdoc, Yale Medical School
Xu is a Principal Investigator in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Xu is also an Associate Member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Xu grew up in Beijing, China. He earned a B.S. from Peking University and then obtained a Ph.D. with Dr. Erin O’Shea in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University, studying systems biology and transcriptional regulation. He then completed his postdoctoral training with Dr. Ruslan Medzhitov in the Department of Immunobiology at Yale University School of Medicine, investigating the mechanisms of tissue homeostasis and inflammation, with a focus on macrophages and fibroblasts. Since 2021, the Zhou Lab is interested in understanding how immune cells communicate with their neighbors and surrounding environment to control tissue homeostasis and inflammation. Outside the lab, Xu enjoys outdoor activities, board games and playing fantasy football.
Jianfeng Fu, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Jianfeng grew up in Qinghai, China, and earned his B.S. and Ph.D. from Peking University, where he studied the mechanisms underlying DNA double-strand breaks and abnormal epigenetic landscapes in leukemia. He joined the Zhou Lab in June 2026. His current research interests focus on epigenetic dynamics in immune cells in response to inflammation and microenvironmental cues. Outside the lab, Jianfeng enjoys cooking, watching movies, and spending time with his family.
Cathleen Krabak
PhD Student, IMM
cathleen.krabak@childrens.harvard.edu
BS, Davidson College
Cathleen is a PhD student in the Immunology Program at Harvard Medical School. She grew up in Buffalo, New York, and earned a B.S. in Biology from Davidson College. At Davidson, Cathleen studied how crosstalk between gut microbiota and the adaptive immune system directs T cell homeostasis. Currently, she is investigating how immune cells respond to microbiome-driven perturbations in environmental pH. Outside the lab, Cathleen enjoys painting, skiing, spending time with friends, and trying new coffee shops around Boston.
Stephanie Hajjar, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
stephanie.hajjar@childrens.harvard.edu
BS, University of Ottawa
PhD, University of Ottawa
CIHR Fellow
Stephanie was born in Ottawa, Canada and grew up in Beirut, Lebanon. She moved back to Canada in 2014 and completed her B.Sc. in Biomedical Sciences with Honors at University of Ottawa. She later pursued a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology at U Ottawa, studying mechanisms of immune regulation in a murine model of inflammatory bowel disease. Since joining the Zhou Lab, her work has focused on how environmental cues, particularly pH, governs immune cell function, tissue homeostasis and inflammatory responses. She is awarded CIHR postdoctoral fellowship and an HDDC Pilot and Feasibility grant. Outside research, Stephanie enjoys family gatherings, pottery painting and exploring new cuisines.
Yu Hong, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
BS, Jilin University
PhD, National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing
Yu grew up in Zhejiang, China and completed his B.S. from Jilin University. He later pursued a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing (NIBS), studying CRISPR based genome engineering and tumor immunology. Yu joined the Zhou Lab in August 2023. Taking advantages of the CRISPR based genome-wide screening, Yu is exploring molecules involved in interactions between immune cells and stromal cells. Outside of science, he enjoys playing chess, traveling and spending time with family. Yu was awarded the Cell Discovery Network's 2025 NextGen Accelerator Grant.
Zhe Zhong
PhD Student, BBS
zhe.zhong@childrens.harvard.edu
BS, Peking University
Zhe is a PhD student in the Harvard BBS program. He comes from Peking University with a Biological Science BS and a second major in Psychology. He spent 2 years in Aaron Ring's lab at Yale University as a postgraduate associate, working on cytokine engineering and cancer immunotherapy. He joined the Zhou Lab in the summer of 2024, and he is interested in understanding the behavior of immune cells when they are in complicated cellular and environmental contexts. Zhe has earned travel award from the Kenneth Rainin Innovations Symposium. Outside of research, Zhe enjoys music, board games, watching reality TV shows, and playing frisbee!
Jiarui Che
Masters Student, HMS
BS, Queen's University
Jiarui was born in Lanzhou, China and grew up in Canada. After sophomore year, Jiarui worked on optimizing a fate-mapping mouse model funded by a Queen's USSRF and characterized resident macrophages during acute muscle injury for his Honor's thesis. After junior year, Jiarui investigated colonic immune cell distribution and interactions with enteric neurons funded by the Immunology summer program at Harvard Medical School. As a master's student, Jiarui is interested in understanding roles of cell pH sensing in regulation of immune/non-immune cell crosstalk. Outside the lab, Jiarui enjoys visiting parks, eating fruits, and doing cardio.
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Victor Svistunov
PhD Student, IMM
victor.svistunov@childrens.harvard.edu
AS, HACC Central Pennsylvania Community College
BS, Bucknell University
Victor was born in Russia and grew up on the island of Maio, Cabo Verde. He completed an Associate of Science at Harrisburg Area Community College before transferring to Bucknell University, where he earned a B.S. in Biology with honors. As an undergraduate he studied the evolution of odorant receptors in fireflies and bacterial pathogenesis in Drosophila. He then joined Wayne Lencer's lab at Boston Children's Hospital, using intestinal organoids to study how epithelial cells defend themselves against toxins and viruses. He is now a PhD student in Immunology Program at Harvard Medical School. Since joining the Zhou Lab, his work has focused on organelle transfer between fibroblasts and macrophages and on how intracellular pH governs T cell function. Outside research, Victor enjoys drawing, photography, hiking, and cooking.
Shuhua Wang
Masters Student, HMS
Shuhua.Wang@childrens.harvard.edu
BME, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Shuhua Wang was born and raised in Nanjing, China, and completed her undergraduate studies in Biomedical Engineering at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. She is currently a master’s student in the Immunology Program at Harvard Medical School. Her current research focuses on interactions between fibroblasts and immune cells, particularly how intercellular organelle transfer regulates immune function in health and disease. Previously, her research involved copper nanozymes for myocardial infarction treatment and CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumors. Outside of the lab, she enjoys dancing, strength training, and exploring coffee shops around Boston.
Zhou Lab Alumni
Zhiyi Zou, M.S.
Masters Student, 2025-2026
Current: PhD student, Mayo Clinic
Bilasan Hammo, M.D.
Pediatric GI Fellow, 2024
Corrine Liu
Undergraduate Summer Intern, 2025, 2026
Current:
Caroline Canavan
Undergraduate Summer Intern, 2024
Current:
Halle Frey
Rotation Student, April 2025
Current: PhD, Wesemann lab, HMS
Diana Leung, M.S.
Computation Specialist, 2022-2025
Current: Arc Institute
Diya Anand
Research Assistant, 2021-2026
Current:
Zhongyang Wu, PhD
Posdoctoral Fellow, 2021-2026
Current: Professor, University of Science and Technology of China
Ingrid Cobbinah
Undergraduate Research Intern 2023-2025
Current:
Marija Jankovic, M.S.
Visiting Graduate Student, 2023-2024
Current: Uppsala University
Eddie Padilla
Rotation Student, October 2023
Current: PhD, Cui lab, BCH
Maeesha Tasnim Naomi
Undergraduate Summer Intern, 2023
Current:
Shichao Gao
Research Intern, Summer 2023
Current:
Jennavieve Zilic
Undergraduate Research Intern 2023-2024
Current:
Qiuyu Yue, M.S.
Visiting Graduate Student, 2023-2024
Current:
Nathan Raikman
Undergraduate Summer Intern 2022, 2023
Current:
Tyler Chen
Undergraduate Summer Intern 2022, 2023
Current: College of Medicine, UIUC
Jessica Tseng
Undergraduate Research Intern 2023-2024
Current:
Davis Garner
Rotation Student, February 2023
Current: PhD, Griffin lab, Dana-Farber
Sybren Bouwman, M.S.
Visiting Graduate Student 2022-2023
Current: Data scientist, EBMT
Milan Aori
Undergraduate Summer Intern 2022
Current: Research specialist, U Penn
Affiliated members
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Bin Bao, Ph.D.
Postdoc fellow
Bin is a postdoctoral research fellow in Dr. Scott Snapper's lab in the GI Division at Boston Children's Hospital. Bin is also a core scientist directing FACS core at the Harvard Digestive Diseases Center (HDDC). Bin received his Ph.D. from the School of Life Science at Sun Yat-sen University. He has a strong interest in development, metabolism, microbiome, and mucosal immunology. He is currently investigating how gut microbial product modulates mucosal immune cells, aiming to find a new therapeutic method for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) patients. Working with Bin, the lab is exploring the roles of pH sensing in intestinal homeostasis and inflammation. Outside of lab, Bin likes reading and playing chess games.