Mallory Sands
msands2@nd.edu

Mallory is a Ph.D. candidate. Her research investigates the molecular mechanisms that drive therapeutic responses in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, with a focus on the complementary effects of androgen receptor inhibition and PARP inhibitors. She combines molecular biology approaches and transcriptomic analyses to study androgen receptor signaling and mechanisms of drug response. Mallory received her B.S. in Biology-Chemistry, cum laude, from Manchester University.

Sam Adams 
sadams24@nd.edu

Sam is a Ph.D. candidate. His research focuses on understanding how androgen signaling, supraphysiological androgen treatment, and androgen metabolites influence prostate cancer progression and therapeutic response. In addition to his research, Sam is actively involved in teaching and mentoring undergraduate students in molecular biology and genetics. He received his B.S. in Biology with a biotechnology emphasis from Brigham Young University–Idaho.

Zhichao Liu 
zliu32@nd.edu

Zhichao is a Ph.D. candidate. Her research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms driving prostate cancer progression and therapeutic resistance. Before starting his Ph.D., Zhichao worked as a research specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and as a technician in our laboratory, where she studied cancer signaling pathways and drug resistance using molecular and genomic approaches. She received her M.S. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and her B.S. in Biology from Nanjing Agricultural University.

Xinglin Shi 
xshi5@nd.edu

Xianglin is a Ph.D. student with a background in bioinformatics research. Her research focuses on understanding epigenetic regulation during prostate cancer progression using long-read sequencing and computational analysis. Xianglin received her Master of Public Health in Biostatistics from Emory University and has experience analyzing DNA methylation, transcriptomics, and single-cell sequencing data.

Jihaeng Lee
jlee225@nd.edu

Jihaeng is a Ph.D. student. Her research focuses on understanding cellular responses to therapeutic stress in prostate cancer, including mechanisms of cell death and drug sensitivity. She utilizes molecular and cellular biology approaches such as CRISPR-based genome editing, flow cytometry, and live-cell imaging to study treatment responses and improve therapeutic strategies.

Michael Li
mli29@nd.edu

TJ Walsh
twalsh22@nd.edu

Leo Leon
lleon2@nd.edu

Adriana Zablahc
azablah@nd.edu

Liam Clancy
lclancy@nd.edu

Benjamin Gallei
bgallei@nd.edu

Owen Nichols
onichols@nd.edu

Kate McDonnell
kmcdonn5@nd.edu

Pierce Pereira
ppereira@nd.edu

Jianneng Li, Ph.D.
jli33@nd.edu

Dr. Li received his Ph.D. in Biophysics from Fudan University and completed postdoctoral training at the Cleveland Clinic, where he contributed to seminal studies uncovering mechanisms of resistance to androgen receptor–targeted therapies. His work has been published in high-impact journals, including Science Translational Medicine, Nature Communications, PNAS, and Journal of Clinical Investigation, and has advanced the understanding of steroid metabolism and therapeutic resistance in prostate cancer. In addition, he actively contributes to the scientific community through NIH and DOD grant review panels, editorial service, and mentorship of graduate trainees, positioning his laboratory at the forefront of translational prostate cancer research.