Lab Members
Alex Ludwig (PhD, group leader)
I studied Biology in Muenster, Germany, with an emphasis on Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology. For my PhD I joined Peter Sonderegger’s lab in Zurich, Switzerland, where I worked on axonal transport mechanisms. I then moved to the UK to carry out a postdoc with Ben Nichols at the MRC-LMB in Cambridge. The focus here was to understand the assembly mechanisms and functions of plasma membrane microdomains defined by flotillin and caveolin proteins. In 2013 I joined as a Senior Research Fellow the School of Biological Sciences (SBS) at NTU to continue my work on the structure and assembly of the protein coat that shapes caveolae and to establish new research projects on the organisation and functions of the epithelial cell polarity proteins. Since January 2019 I lead my independent research group at the School of Biological Sciences (SBS). The lab is located at the NTU Institute of Structural Biology (NISB).
Maryam Jameelah (MSc, Research Associate)
I attained my MSc from NTU. My MSc project focused on understanding the effects of Toll-like receptors on myocardial infarction recovery. I was then working in research labs at NCCS, GIS (A*STAR), and NUS for 7 years. Some of the projects that I have contributed to include the discovery of a trackable biomarker (chromosome 1q21.3 amplification) for breast cancer in Dr Yu Qiang’s lab. I joined the ALab in March 2019. Here, I hope to elucidate the functions and molecular interactions of novel polarity proteins.
Barbara Huebner (PhD, postdoc)
I studied Biology at LMU in Munich, Germany, with a focus on cell biology. For my diploma and my PhD I worked with Thomas Cremer who passed on to me his fascination and passion for microscopy, the nucleus, and chromatin organization. My main interests during those years were the characterization of changes in the nuclear landscape in response to DNA damage and manipulation as well as the comparative analysis of functional nuclear architecture of various cell types, in particular of hematopoietic cells during differentiation. In 2015 I came to Singapore to join Sara Sandin’s lab at SBS. Gaining insight into telomere ultrastructure in situ using correlative light and electron microscopy and electron tomography has been my main focus since. I changed over to the ALab in early 2020 where I continue my work on telomere and chromatin biology. I am excited to expand my knowledge in new EM sample preparation and imaging techniques including correlative cryo electron tomography and to apply them to current questions in the field.
Eleanor Martin (PhD, postdoc)
I obtained my BSc (Molecular and Cellular Biology) at the University of Bath, before beginning my PhD in Robert Ford’s lab at the University of Manchester. This was a collaborative project where I also spent two years working with Robert Robinson at the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Singapore. Here, I focused on exploring the interaction between the Cystic Fibrosis Conductance Regulator (CFTR) and the scaffold protein NHERF1 through a combination of structural, biochemical, and proteomic techniques. For my postdoctoral studies, I decided to pursue my interests in proteomics and imaging further in a collaborative project between Gunnar Dittmar at the Luxembourg Institute of Health and Alexander Ludwig at NTU. Within this project, I hope to utilise a combination of proximity proteomics and novel EM imaging techniques to address fundamental questions related to tight junction functionality and formation. I joined the ALab in March 2020 and am very much looking forward to getting to grips with some new techniques here! In my spare time, I enjoy learning languages, reading, and sampling all the great food Singapore has to offer.
Sujasha Ghosh (PhD student)
After completing my Master in Technology (Biotechnology) from the Indian Institute of Technology, I joined the Ludwig Lab for my PhD in August 2019. Having both my undergraduate and postgraduate research experiences in the field of cancer biology, gene regulation and epigenetics, the transition to the cell and structural biology domain was a new journey that I decided to embark upon. I am super excited about all the interesting techniques I’ll get to learn, all the fancy instruments I’ll get to use and all the mysteries we’re going to unravel on the way!
Hana Maldivita Tambrin (PhD student)
I obtained my BSc in Biochemistry (Biology) from Purdue University. I started my PhD journey in the ALab to pursue my curiosity in cell biology. The goal of my PhD project is to define the functions and molecular interactions of a novel Rac1 GTPase Activating Protein (GAP) that localizes to epithelial tight junctions.
Liu Yun (PhD student)
I obtained my BSc (Biotechnology) at the Northwestern Polytechnical University, China. Then through the joint program with Vrije Universiteit Brussel, I studied Molecular and Cellular Life Sciences for two years and obtained my MSc in Belgium. Structural biology piqued my interest when I was doing my Master thesis project, in which I determined the 3D structure of a hyperactive mutant of transposase TnpA using single-particle cryo-EM. I then worked as a research assistant at the South China University of Technology for six months. Following my interest in the structural organization of cell membranes, I started my PhD journey in the ALab in August 2021. The aim of my PhD project is to study the native architecture of cell-cell junctions in vitrified epithelial cells using correlative light and electron cryo-microscopy (cryoCLEM). In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, cooking, and watching movies.
Yuhong Chen (PhD student)
I joined the ALab in August 2022, after obtaining my BSc Biochemistry degree from the University College London (UCL). Based on my past research on acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) characterization and treatment, I developed a huge interest in cell biology and imaging. The aim of my PhD project here is to define and characterize the roles of apical domain proteins during de novo lumengenesis in zebrafish model systems. I look forward to this project and to learning how to operate all those fancy instruments and master various imaging techniques that produce amazing images.
Former Lab Members
Mei Ling Wee (BSc, Project Officer)
I hold a BSc in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Western Australia – PSB academy. I joined the lab of Sara Sandin at SBS-NTU in 2014 to manage the operation of Cryo-Electron Microscopy Facilities and to provide guidance to the research staff and students in the specimen preparation for EM. In January 2020 I joined the ALab to continue this work. Prior to that, I was employed at the Electron Microscopy Unit (EMU) at NUS, where I was involved in the management of various research projects led by Prof. Ng Mah Lee that focused on the screening of Dengue virus particles in autopsy tissues. I also worked in various public healthcare clusters (e.g. National Healthcare Group and Singapore General Hospital) which has equipped me with a variety of skills and experiences in Cryo-SEM, Cryo-TEM, Tomography, and EM Immuno-gold-labelling, cell culture and molecular biology.
Benedict Tan (PhD)
Benedict_tan@imcb.a-star.edu.sg
Ben carried out his PhD work in the ALab. He established workflows for quantitative proximity proteomics in MDCK cells and used this approach to resolve the spatial and molecular organisation of the epithelial apical-lateral border (Tan et al., 2020). This project was a close collaboration between the ALab and the lab of his PhD supervisor Walter Hunziker at IMCB, A*STAR. He graduated in April 2020 and, to our great sadness, left us to start his postdoctoral work at the Integrative Biology for Theranostics group at IMCB, A*STAR. We miss him dearly and wish him all the best!