Our Team

Tram earned her PhD in Biomedical Science from Gachon University, South Korea, in 2023, and continued her scientific journey with postdoctoral training at the National University of Singapore. Throughout both her graduate and postdoctoral training, she focused on immunotherapy strategies targeting infections, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. In August 2025, she joined Dr. Kay Chung’s lab to further develop her expertise in synthetic immunology and T cell biology. Outside the lab, she enjoys traveling, trekking, and discovering great food spots.

Anamika graduated in the field of Fungal Pathogenesis, studying host-pathogen interactions. She completed her PhD at CDFD, India, and pursued postdoctoral training at UTSW, Dallas, focusing on inflammasome-mediated immune responses. She joined Dr. Kay Chung’s lab in July 2024 to advance her expertise in adaptive immunity. She is excited to explore synthetic immunology and T cell biology. Outside of science, she enjoys traveling, swimming, yoga, music, and Bollywood movies.

Xiabing earned her PhD in Medicine from Kanazawa University, Japan, in 2022. She then worked as an assistant professor in Prof. Hanayama’s laboratory, where she conducted research on regulating immune responses—including cancer, autoimmune diseases, and infections—using engineered extracellular vesicles. In September 2025, she joined Dr. Kay Chung’s lab as a visiting scholar to deepen her understanding of T cell differentiation and to apply synthetic immunology tools to precisely control this process. Outside the lab, she enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling, and skiing, as well as spending time with her furry family members.

Fiona recently graduated from UNC with a degree in Biology and a minor in Statistics. She focuses on utilizing CRISPR technology to engineer T cells and monitor their efficacy in tumor environments and during chronic infections. She plans to pursue graduate studies in immuno-oncology. Outside the lab, she enjoys hiking, baking, trying new cuisines, and spending time with both human and fluffy friends.

Jarred graduated from Virginia Tech in 2020 with a degree in Neuroscience. Since then, he has worked as a research technician studying ways to manipulate CD8 T cells in order to make them more effective in cancer immunotherapy. He joined the Chung Lab in 2025 to assist with projects involving CAR-T cells, T cell profiling, and more. In his time away from the lab, Jarred enjoys spending time with his wife Liz, playing golf, watching sports, woodworking, and running.

Nick is a junior majoring in Quantitative Biology who is interested in understanding how complex systems—biological and computational—process and act on information. Inspired by the virtuosity of the immune system, he joined Dr. Kay Chung’s lab to learn and develop computational tools that support programmable immunity. Outside the lab, he enjoys exploring nature, playing piano, modding video games, and spending time with friends, family, and animals. 

Joshua is a junior majoring in Chemistry and Biology with a minor in Entrepreneurship. He is interested in chronic disease mechanisms and protein design for cancer treatments. Outside the lab, he enjoys cooking, gaming, lifting, and spending time with friends and family.

Lucas is a sophomore at UNC majoring in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. In Kay’s lab, he develops drug-controlled on/off systems to boost CAR T-cell activity while minimizing T-cell exhaustion. He also investigates rewiring steroid-response pathways in CAR-Tregs for GVHD, with the longer-term goal of engineering CAR-T cells tailored to the NHP immune system. Outside the lab, he enjoys practicing Gongfu tea brewing, experimenting in the kitchen, and diving into digital games. 

Boa is an exchange undergraduate student from the University of Hong Kong, aspiring to pursue graduate studies in the field of immunology. Her research interests include studying the roles of transcription factors in regulating T cell states and designing engineered constructs to enhance T cell-based immunotherapies for cancer. Hobbies outside of the lab include dancing, traveling, and spending time with friends, family, and her dog, Belly.