People

Yuchi Liu, MSPH

Bioinformatician

Yuchi recently earned her MSPH in Biostatistics from Emory University and is currently a full-time Research Intern in the Shen Lab. Her research interests include biostatistics, bioinformatics, and microbiome research. She plans to pursue a PhD in Biostatistics and continue conducting research in biostatistics and biomedical science. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and watching movies.

Contact: yuchi.liu@wsu.edu

Binyi An

Ph.D. Student

Binyi is a first-year PhD student in the Molecular Biosciences program. With a clinical background as a dermatologist, she is interested in understanding how the skin microbiome influences skin health and disease. Her long-term goal is to become a physician-scientist who bridges clinical practice and biomedical research. Outside of research, she enjoys outdoor activities, cooking, and spending time with her nephew.

Contact: binyi.an@wsu.edu

Soohyeon Lim

Ph.D. Rotation Student

Soohyeon is a first-year PhD student in the Multidisciplinary Program in Infectious Disease (MPID) and is currently rotating in the Shen Lab. She has a background in biological sciences and is interested in host–pathogen interactions and computational approaches to biological research. In the Shen Lab, she is exploring host–microbe interactions by analyzing microbial signals in single-cell RNA sequencing data. In her free time, she enjoys swimming, gardening, and journaling.

Contact: soohyeon.lim@wsu.edu

Abdelrahman (Bodi) Abdelrazek

Bodi joined the lab in Spring 2025 and is a Bioengineering student minoring in Mathematics and Public Health. He is interested in stem cell and cardiovascular research, especially using patient-derived iPSC cardiomyocytes to study heart disease and regenerative therapies. He hopes to pursue an MD-PhD and a career as a physician-scientist. Outside the lab, he is passionate about advocacy, mentoring, and writing, and recently published a memoir inspired by his childhood growing up in a rural village in Egypt.

Contact: a.abdelrazek@wsu.edu

Khalil Abdullah

Khalil joined the lab in Fall 2025 and is majoring in Microbiology, with an expected graduation in Fall 2026. He aims to continue broadening research interests and deepening knowledge of the human body. After graduation, Khalil plans to attend medical school and ultimately pursue a career in emergency medicine. Outside of academics, Khalil enjoys cooking, baking, and spending meaningful time with family.

Contact: khalil.abdullah@wsu.edu

Jeremy Banks

Jeremy joined the lab in Spring 2025 and is majoring in Genetics and Cellular Biology. After spending years in tech and cloud engineering, he returned to finish his degree and apply his technical background to biology and genetics research. He is especially interested in understanding not only how research pipelines work, but why they are used. After graduation, he plans to return to the Seattle area and join the biotech startup space in a leadership role, such as Director or CTO. In his free time, Jeremy enjoys PC games like Counter-Strike 2 and Stellaris and looks forward to Grand Theft Auto 6 on PS5.

Contact: jeremy.banks@wsu.edu

Lily Brown

Lily was one of the first students to join the lab in Fall 2025. She is majoring in Astrophysics and minoring in Chemistry. She’s interested in studying the chemical and biological processes of our world and others and studying the evolutionary biology of different organisms. In her spare time, Lily enjoys reading, traditional arts, and photography. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a dual-title PhD in Astronomy and Astrobiology.

Contact: lillian.l.brown@wsu.edu

Anastasia Chepel

Anastasia is a post-baccalaureate student in her last year of the Data Analytics program. She is particularly interested in applying computational methods to biomedical and biological research. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a role that combines math, computation, and biology while contributing to research that benefits the broader community. In her free time, she enjoys playing video games (currently Echoes of Wisdom and Hollow Knight), hiking up Moscow Mountain, and exploring trails in the greater Washington–Idaho area.

Contact: anastasia.chepel@wsu.edu

Samuel Hickman

Samuel was one of the first students to join the lab in Fall 2025. He is majoring in computer science, looking to expand his focus to the field of bioinformatics. He is interested in improving and inventing tools in the realm of data science. Outside of school, he enjoys cycling and playing board games, as well as skiing in the winter.

Contact: samuel.hickman@wsu.edu

Omar Ibrahim

Omar is majoring in Data Analytics with a minor in Business. His research interests include computational approaches to understanding disease and the use of data to support medical and biological discoveries that can improve human health. His career goal is to become a sports analyst and and be able to work with FIFA to help with performance analytics and scouting analytics. Outside of academics, Omar enjoys cooking new recipes, playing video games, and playing soccer.

Contact: omar.ibrahim@wsu.edu

Samuel Toompas

Samuel is in the Data Science program and joined the lab in late Fall 2025. He enjoys developing bioinformatics software and performing genetic analyses. After graduation, he plans to pursue a PhD in biology. In his free time, he enjoys playing strategy games.

Contact: samuel.toompas@wsu.edu

Nathan Tuvey

Nathan was one of the first students to join the lab in Fall 2025. He is majoring in Genetics and Cell Biology with a minor in Computer Science. He is interested in research and genetic engineering to improve the efficiency of new and existing biotechnological innovations. He is also interested in the applications of neural networks in biology. Nathan hopes to pursue research full time and is considering graduate school in the future. In his free time, he enjoys watching TV shows, animation, and coding.

Contact: nathan.tuvey@wsu.edu

Abigail Warren

Abigail is a freshman majoring in Microbiology. She is interested in microbiome and pathogen research and plans to pursue a career in medical laboratory science. In her free time, she enjoys going on walks and knitting.

Contact: abigail.warren@wsu.edu

Kyu Jin Youm

Kyu Jin is a senior majoring in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. He is interested in epidemiology and using data analysis to develop improved treatment models for healthcare. He plans to attend medical school and ultimately pursue a career as a physician. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, trying good food, and spending time with loved ones.

Contact: kyujin.youm@wsu.edu

Lisa Ngo, B.S.

Lisa is a medical student at the Washington State School of Medicine. Her research interests include understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying various inflammatory skin diseases and how research can inform diagnostics and patient care. She plans to pursue a residency in Dermatology in the future. Outside the lab, she enjoys snowboarding and trying out new cafes.

Contact: lisa.ngo1@wsu.edu