Seminars of Academic Year 2025-2026
Spring 2026
Tue., Jan. 20: Protein Quality Control in the Endoplasmic Reticulum: From Organelle Contacts to Neuronal Metabolis
Speaker: Mauricio Torres, PhD, Research Scientist, Qi Lab
UVA School of Medicine Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics
Host: Ling Qi, PhD
Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Location: Snyder 314
Mon., Feb 2: A LARPing we will go! Recent insights from RNA’s most versatile role players.
Center for Membrane & Cell Physiology Seminar Series
Speaker: Mark Bayfield, Ph.D., York University, Canada
Host: Jarred Whitlock, PhD
Date: Monday, February 2, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Pinn 1014
Mon., Feb 23: Molecular Mechanisms of Ribosome Assembly
Speaker: Robin Stanley, PhD, Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory
National Institute of Environmental Health Science
Host: Ahmad Jomaa, PhD
Date: Monday, February 23, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: 560 Building, 2nd Floor, Fontaine
Mon., March 2: Designer lipid nanoparticles to probe and reprogram membrane biology.
Speaker: Huan Bao, PhD, Associate Professor, Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia.
Host: Ling Qi, PhD
Date: Monday, March 2, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: 560 Building, 2nd Floor, Fontaine
Mon., Mar 16: Alex Lohman, PhD (Title TBD)
Speaker: Alex Lohman, PhD, Assistant Professor & Deputy Head
University of Calgary Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy
Host: Brant Isakson, PhD
Date: Monday, March 16, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: 560 Building, 2nd Floor, Fontaine
Mon, Mar. 30: Ming-Feng Tsai, PhD (Title TBD)
Speaker: Ming-Feng Tsai, PhD, Associate Professor, Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia.
Host: Ling Qi, PhD
Date: Monday, March 30, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: 560 Building, 2nd Floor, Fontaine
Mon, Apr. 6: Kalina Hristova, PhD, (Title: TBA)
Center for Membrane & Cell Physiology Seminar Series
Speaker: Kalina Hristova, PhD, Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering
Host: Anne Kenworthy, PhD
Date: Monday, April 6, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: 560 Building, 2nd Floor, Fontaine
*Thursday, April 9: Joaquin Ortega, PhD, (Title: TBA)
Speaker: Joaquin Ortega, PhD, Professor, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Scientific Director, Facility for Electron Microscopy Research, Associate Member, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University
Host: Ahmad Jomaa, PhD
Date: *Thursday, April 9, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Snyder 314
Mon, Apr. 13: Ling-Gang Wu, PhD (Title TBA)
Speaker: Ling-Gang Wu, PhD, Senior Investigator, Synaptic Transmission Section, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Host: Huan Bao, PhD
Date: 4/13/2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: 560 Building, 2nd Floor, Fontaine
Mon, May 4: Membrane ion and lipid transport in health and disease.
Center for Membrane & Cell Physiology Seminar Series
Speaker: Huanghe Yang, PhD, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Associate Professor of Medicine, Associate Professor of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center
Host: Jarred Whitlock, PhD, and Ilya Levental, PhD
Date: Monday, May 4, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: 560 Building, 2nd floor, Fontaine
Mon, May 11: Arpita Upadhyaya, PhD (Title: TBA)
Center for Membrane & Cell Physiology Seminar Series
Speaker: Arpita Upadhyaya, PhD, Professor, Department of Physics, University of Maryland
Host: Stefanie Redemann, PhD
Date: Monday, May 11, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: 560 Building, 2nd floor, Fontaine
Mon., June 1: Bechara Kachar, PhD
Center for Membrane & Cell Physiology Seminar Series
Speaker: Bechara Kachar, PhD, Senior Investigator, Laboratory of Cell Structure and Dynamics, NIDCD
Host: Seham Ebrahim, PhD
Date: Monday, June 1, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Snyder 314, Fontaine
Mon, June 15: Danish Khan, PhD (Title: TBD)
Speaker: Danish Khan, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech.
Host: Ahmad Jomaa, PhD
Date: Monday, June 15, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Snyder 314, Fontaine
Mon., June 22: Volker Kiessling, PhD (Title: TBA)
Center for Membrane & Cell Physiology Seminar Series
Speaker: Volker Kiessling, PhD, Research Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Physiology & Biological Physics, Center for Membrane & Cell Physiology, University of Virginia School of Medicine.
Host: Lukas Tamm, PhD
Date: Monday, June 22, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Snyder 314, Fontaine
Speaker: Ahmad Jomaa, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Physiology & Biological Physics, University of Virginia School of Medicine.
Host: Ling Qi, PhD
Date: Monday, June 29, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Snyder 314, Fontaine
Fall 2025:
11/13/2025 Rachel Green, PhD, “ZAK activation at the colliding ribosome”
Rachel Green, PhD Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Host: MPBP Student Invited Speaker Date: Thursday, November 13, 2025 Time: 12:00 p.m.…
11/10/2025/ Yihong Ye, PhD “Organelle homeostasis in neurodegenerative diseases.”
Yihong Ye, PhD, Senior Investigator and Section Chief Laboratory of Molecular Biology National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases National Institutes of Health Host: Ling Qi, PhD Date:…
9/18/2025 Sander Kersten, PhD, “Regulation of intracellular and extracellular lipolysis”
Sander Kersten, PhD Schleifer Family Professor Director of the Division of Nutritional Sciences Cornell University Host: Ling Qi, PhD, Chair, Molecular Physiology & Biological Physics Date: Monday, September 18, 2025 Time: 12:00…