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Team

Akanksha Thawani

Dr. Akanksha Thawani

Principal Investigator

I am an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Read more here.

 

Email: at4137[at]columbia.edu

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Dr. Francisco Tenjo-Castaño

Postdoctoral Fellow

I am a postdoctoral fellow in the Thawani lab. I received my PhD from the University of Copenhagen, where I studied CRISPR-associated transposons in Guillermo Montoya’s group. My current research focuses on retrotransposons, exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying their mobilization and their potential applications as gene editors.

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Email: ft2657[at]columbia.edu

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Dr. Hemant Goswami

Postdoctoral Fellow

I am a postdoctoral fellow in the Thawani lab. I received my PhD from Florida State University and Van Andel Institute working on CRISPR-Cas systems with Dr. Hong Li. I am interested in all things retrotransposons and structural biology.

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Email: hg2793[at]columbia.edu

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Ashley Heng

Research Associate

I am a Research Technician in the Thawani lab. I am interested in genome engineering and the biology of retrotransposons, particularly how mobile genetic elements influence genome regulation. I enjoy contributing to collaborative, discovery-driven research and supporting the development of new experimental approaches.

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Email: ah4523[at]columbia.edu

You

You!

©2025 by Akanksha Thawani

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