Lab Members

Research in my lab aims to elucidate the molecular basis of transmembrane signaling through the use of biochemistry, pharmacological studies, and structural biology. We are particularly interested in signaling pathways with connections to human health and disease, including G protein-coupled receptors and other transmembrane receptors. In the long term, we aim to leverage a detailed molecular understanding of these pathways to facilitate the development of new and better therapeutics.

Victor received his B.S. in Microbiology with a minor in Biochemistry from the University in Arizona where he worked under the supervision of Dr. May Khanna in identifying small molecule modulators of TDP43 and Malat1, both implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, using in silico docking and biophysical binding assays. After graduating from the UA, Victor joined the Chemical Biology program in 2020 and joined the Kruse lab in 2021. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his partner and dogs, playing chess, and spending time at the beach.

Josh (B.S., Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, Yale, 2015; Ph.D., Molecular & Cell Biology, UC Berkeley, 2021) completed his doctoral work in the labs of Jennifer Doudna and John Kuriyan, where he studied how protein and nucleic acid conformational dynamics enable the function of CRISPR-associated enzymes in bacterial immunity and genome editing applications. In 2022, he began his postdoc in the Kruse lab, where he is using biochemistry and structural biology to probe bacterial membrane protein function. Outside of lab, Josh likes Baroque music, climbing on real and fake rocks, and sleeping in tents.

Morgan received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from Dartmouth College under the supervision of Dr. Jason McLellan. Her thesis research centered on determining the molecular mechanisms of the interactions between viral fusion glycoproteins and the host humoral immune system, with a primary focus on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). She joined the Kruse lab in August 2019.

Jinghan received her Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Michigan in Dr. Emily Scott’s lab. Her thesis research focused on the structure and function of cytochrome P450 enzymes to support drug design for major human diseases and drug metabolism predictions in neonates. She joined the Kruse lab in September 2023.

Emily graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2021 with a double major in Spanish and Pre-Medicine before attending UMass Chan Medical School. She joined the Kruse Lab in June 2024 to broaden her research experience as it relates to GPCR signaling. In her free time, Emily likes to run, travel, and try new foods!

James received his Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Physiology from Johns Hopkins School of
Medicine under the supervision of Dr. Zhaozhu Qiu. His thesis work focused on structure-
function characterization of a novel proton-activated chloride channel (PAC). James likes to hike
and play soccer in his spare time. He joined the Kruse Lab in November 2021.

Daniel was born in Cuba but grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia. As an undergraduate at Princeton University, he worked in the laboratory of Thomas Silhavy to characterize the role of YejM in regulating LPS biosynthesis. After graduating in 2020 with a B.S. in molecular biology, he became a research assistant in the laboratory of Cigall Kadoch at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Here, he studied the function of mSWI/SNF (BAF) chromatin remodeling complexes in normal and oncogenic cell states. He then joined the Chemical Biology program in 2022, and the Kruse and Loparo laboratories in 2023. Daniel's current research is focused on understanding the regulatory mechanisms of protein complexes that build the bacterial cell wall. In his free time, he enjoys cycling, running, hiking, and trying different espresso beans.

Jeffrey is from Washington State, attending the University of Washington for undergraduate. There he joined the laboratory of Charles Chavkin, studying opioid pharmacology. He subsequently matriculated in Duke University’s MD/PhD program, studying chemokine receptor signaling and biased agonism under the mentorship of Sudar Rajagopal and Robert Lefkowitz. After completing a medicine intern year, Jeffrey completed residency in the Harvard Combined Dermatology Residency Program. He joined the Kruse Lab in 2022 and is studying noncanonical GPCR signaling. He is also an attending at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital where he cares for patients with autoimmune skin diseases.

Xunan graduated from the University of Toronto in 2023. During undergraduate studies, she conducted research in pharmacology of neuropsychiatric diseases with Drs. Amy Ramsey and Ali Salahpour and nutritional epidemiology with Dr. David Jenkins. She joined the Chemical Biology PhD program at Harvard in Fall 2023 and the Kruse lab in Spring 2024. Xunan likes to grow plants, listen to music, and practice martial arts in her spare time.

Elizabeth received their B.S. in Biochemistry from Wellesley College in 2024. For their undergraduate thesis, they studied the thermodynamics and biological relevance of guanine quadruplexes specific to Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus. They joined the Kruse lab in 2024. Outside of lab, they like playing and listening to live music, hiking, and knitting