Seminar Series
Fall 2025 – Spring 2026
Seminars are subject to change.
In-person seminars are held in MSB 2.135. Room changes are noted in RED.
Virtual Seminars via Zoom.
Upcoming Speakers
Robert Y. Tsai, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor
Institute of Biosciences and Technology
Texas A&M Health Science Center
“From Epigenome to Molecular Network: Insights into
MASLD Progression to HCC”
Monday, April 20, 2026 @ 4:00 p.m.
Host: Xiaoqin Wu, Ph.D.
Hongyuan (Robert) Yang, B.Med., Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
“Lipid Storage and Trafficking in Obesity and MASH”
Monday, April 27, 2026 @ 4:00 p.m.
Host: Carmen W. Dessauer, Ph.D.
Ali Azhdarinia, Ph.D.
Professor
The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine
Center for Translational Cancer Research
“Development of peptide conjugates for imaging and treatment in neuroendocrine tumors”
Monday, May 04, 2026 @ 4:00 p.m.
Host: Jeff Frost, Ph.D.
Linglin Xie, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Nutrition – Toxicology Program
Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics and Genomics
Texas A&M University
“Adipose Niche Remodeling in Obesity: APC–Macrophage Crosstalk and Fibroinflammatory Reprogramming“
Monday, May 11, 2026 @ 4:00 p.m.
Host: Guangwei Du, Ph.D.
Li Lai, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Nutrition – Toxicology Program
Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics and Genomics
Texas A&M University
“Rewiring Vascular Identity in Regenerative Angiogenesis: Interplay of Metabolism and Epigenomic Remodeling”
Monday, May 18, 2026 @ 4:00 p.m.
Host: Xiaoqin Wu, Ph.D.
Prior Speakers
Juli Bai, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Anesthesiology
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
“Metabolic Conversations: Mitochondria and Immune Signaling in MASH and HCC”
Monday, March 9, 2026 @ 4:00 p.m.
Host: Guangwei Du, Ph.D.
Chien Wen Chen Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Hatzoglou Lab
Case Western Reserve University
“Plasticity of the Integrated Stress Response: from acute response to pathological adaptation”
Watch the Seminar (Recorded) – PW: g=@GL9gy^f
Monday, March 2, 2026 @ 4:00 p.m.
Host: Dung-Fang Lee, Ph.D.
André Hoelz, Ph.D.
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute &
Mary and Charles Ferkel Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
California Institute of Technology
“Structure and Function of the Human Nuclear Pore”
Monday, February 23, 2026 @ 4:00 p.m.
Host: Xiaodong Chen, Ph.D.
Sheng Zhang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Becker Family Foundation Professor in Diabetes Research
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
“Lost in Traffick: Hunting the Mystery of Huntingtin in Huntington’s Disease”
Monday, February 9, 2026 @ 4:00 p.m.
Host: Hongyuan (Rob) Yang, Ph.D.
Kangho Kim, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
“Interorgan Crosstalk by Bile Acid-Induced Hepatokines”
Monday, February 2, 2026 @ 4:00 p.m.
Host: Pamela Wenzel, Ph.D.
Kai Sun, MD, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Institute of Molecular Medicine
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
“Old Enzyme, New Tricks: Emerging Roles of Ces1d in Lipid Signaling”
Monday, November 10, 2025 @ 4:00 p.m.
Host: Yi Ping Li, Ph.D.
Steven Boeynaems, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Molecular & Human Genetics
Baylor College of Medicine
“Biomolecular Condensates as Drivers of Neuroinflammation”
Monday, November 3, 2025 @ 4:00 p.m.
Host: Xiaodong Chen, Ph.D.
Haiqing Zhao, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor (Integrative Computational Biology Lab)
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
University of Texas Medical Branch
“Predicting Genome-wide Protein-Protein Interactions Using Structure-based ML/DL Modeling”
Monday, October 20, 2025 @ 4:00 p.m.
Host: Xiaodong Chen, Ph.D.
Hui Zheng, Ph.D.
Director, Huffington Center on Aging
Professor, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics
Baylor College of Medicine
“Lysosomal signaling and astrocyte-microglia interaction in Alzheimer’s disease”
Monday, October 13, 2025 @ 4:00 p.m.
Host: Hongyuan (Rob) Yang, Ph.D.
Chandra Bartholomeusz, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Breast Medical Oncology
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
“MELK in Aggressive Breast Cancers: Bridging Basic Discovery with Clinical Impact”
Monday, October 6, 2025 @ 4:00 p.m.
Host: Dung-Fang Lee, Ph.D.
Zheng Sun, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Department of Medicine
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
Baylor College of Medicine
“Circadian Clock and Physical Exercise in Metabolism and Cognition”
Monday, September 29, 2025 @ 4:00 p.m.
Host: Hongyuan (Rob) Yang, Ph.D.
Yu (Aaron) An, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
“Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP), a molecular link between obesity and neuroinflammation”
Monday, March 23, 2026 @ 4:00 p.m.
Host: Hongyuan (Rob) Yang, Ph.D.
Bruna Corradetti, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
“Extracellular vesicles: environmentally driven modulators of regenerative and prenatal processes”
Monday, March 30, 2026 @ 4:00 p.m.
Host: Yi-Ping Li, Ph.D.
Yi Zhu
Assistant Professor
Pediatrics
Baylor College of Medicine
“To Treat Obesity: Adipose Tissue Thermogenesis, Metabolic Wasting, and Beyond”
Monday, April 13, 2026 @ 4:00 p.m.
Host: Xiaoqin Wu, Ph.D.