Zeguan received his B.S. in Applied Physics from the University of Science and Technology of China, and his Ph.D. in Media Arts and Sciences from MIT, where he trained with Ed Boyden. At Rowland, his research focuses on developing optical and molecular...
Natural photosynthesis channels energy with exquisite spatial control: light is harvested, excitations split into charges, and those charges are steered to the exact sites where chemistry happens. Our lab aims to emulate these core principles with novel...
The Shi Lab seeks to uncover molecular mechanisms that drive brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases. We specialize in decoding glycans—complex carbohydrates that decorate our cells and permeate our brain’s extracellular environment. Despite their...
Our lab investigates how tissue-level architectures emerge from the material properties and spatial organization of subcellular structures. Currently, we are focusing on nuclear mechanics and positioning in the context of epithelial pseudostratification...
Our lab seeks to elucidate and control dynamic electrochemical processes at the nanoscale sites of complex electrodes that are critical to energy and environmental technologies. We are dedicated to advancing the applications and capabilities of cutting...
Michael Desai is a recovering physicist and current evolutionary biologist. He joined the Rowland Institute as Director in 2026. His research focuses on population and quantitative genetics, and he is broadly interested in applying theoretical...
We study gene transfer agents (GTAs), a widespread but poorly understood mechanism of horizontal gene transfer. GTAs are bacterial-encoded virus-like entities that package random sections of the host genome for horizontal transfer to other cells in the...
The Owens laboratory studies how organisms and ecosystems cope with anthropogenic light pollution. We are particularly interested in the ecological costs and evolutionary history of flight-to-light behavior (positive phototaxis), most famously exhibited...
We investigate how the local, temporal fluctuations of electrons, ions, and atoms dictate the macroscopic thermodynamic properties of condensed matter. Utilizing ultrafast nonlinear and laser optics, we develop tools to directly measure these fluctuations...
Abby completed her PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology at Boston University in 2026, where she studied the ecological drivers of mimicry in nymphalid butterflies. As a postdoctoral researcher in the Owens laboratory, she is studying the ecological...