Nelson LaMarche Ph.D

Principal Investigator

Chang Zhang Ph.D

Postdoctoral Fellow

Chang received his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2020 from Shanghai Institute for Biological Science, Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), where he was focusing on the splicing factor’s role in liver cancer. In 2020, he joined the Institute of Neuroscience of CAS to start his postdoctoral training on gene therapy based on CRISPR. In 2022, Chang joined a lab at Yale and investigated mitochondrial fission/fusion in B-cell development and B-cell malignancies. In 2024, he began his work with Dr. LaMarche at Yale, where he is currently working on discovering cytokine roles in controlling non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). He is also interested in how the distinctive immune microenvironment regulates tumorigenesis and in translating laboratory discoveries into clinical therapies. Chang loves Chinese calligraphy and music. He also cherishes his family, his wife, and their two lovely daughters. At home, they’re all his bosses. Email him at chang.zhang@yale.edu.

Sasha Coates–Park

PhD Student

Sasha worked in a protein biochemistry lab at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and in a chemical/biomedical Engineering lab at the University of Maryland throughout her undergraduate studies. After graduating, she completed a postbaccalaureate fellowship in a pathology lab at the NIH. As a graduate student in the LaMarche lab, her research now focuses on the interplay between the nervous and immune systems in regulating metastatic progression. She is especially interested in uncovering the mechanisms that drive or suppress brain metastases. In her free time, you can find her traveling, hiking, climbing, hanging out with her pets, building something, or abandoning yet another hobby. Email her at sasha.coates-park@yale.edu.

Jake Fontaine

PhD Candidate

Jake is a graduate student who graduated from Emory University in 2022. Upon joining the LaMarche Lab in 2024, his current research is focused on how solid tumors disrupt haematopoiesis, and how NK cells regulate the development of immune cells. He is also interested in elucidating how lung tumors impact B-cell-mediated antitumor immunity through chronic IL-4 signaling and disrupted crosstalk with myeloid cells. When he is not in lab, he enjoys PC gaming (shoutout to BG3 and Expedition 33) and tabletop games, like D&D and Catan. Email him at jake.fontaine@yale.edu.

Eduardo Menotti

Postgraduate Research Associate

Eduardo is a Brazilian guy from the countryside, curious about technology and fascinated by all living things. He is interested in computational biology, machine learning, and immunology. In his spare time, he spends an alarming number of hours trying to figure out where he is in the world on GeoGuessr. Email him at eduardo.menotisilva@yale.edu.

Justin Baldassarre

Undergraduate Research Associate

Justin is an undergraduate student pursuing degrees in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and English. His research is focused on the differential procurement of myeloid populations in the bone marrow and the heterogeneity of myeloid cell contributions to anti-tumor immunity across different bone marrow depots. Outside of the lab, he loves rock climbing, writing creative non-fiction, and listening to music (favorites include Amy Winehouse, Bob Dylan, Geese, and Massive Attack, but he claims he’s open to “whatever”). Email him at justin.baldassarre@yale.edu.

Wyatt Sage (Head of Security)

Wyatt enjoys smelling flowers and loves to be carried, but he hates the wind. Trained in diplomacy, his responsibilities include patrolling the lab (mostly for snacks), testing nap spots for optimal coziness, and providing emotional support during late-night experiments

Yarra Waterloo (Chief Poochon Officer (CPO))

Yarra spent the first 3 years of her life in NYC, but has quickly acclimated to life in Connecticut. Yarra can be found leading the pack on walks and keeping Wyatt in line. Yarra moonlights as the CPO in the LaMarche Lab, where she oversees all lab activities and assists in grant review.

Bean and Pinto

Bean (right) survived a housefire, was abandoned, and then rescued from a roof in Maryland. When he was found, he was obese from all of the amazing people who fed him while he was a stray. He now enjoys his daily walks, and he has amassed a horde of adoring fans who pet and cheer him along his weight loss journey.

Pinto (left) was picked out of a gutter in Puerto Rico. She was half dead and has had an incredible recovery; now she has an endless supply of energy, a fear of abandonment, and loves to hang out on Sasha's shoulders. Bean is the peace to Pinto's chaos; even with a six-year age gap, they are best friends.

IV and Nikki

IV (left), named for the spots that run down his back and spell out "IV" in Morse code, short for IV Shrödinger League, adopted during Sasha's quantum chemistry era.

Nikki (right), short for Snickers or Nikita (depending on why her government name is being used), survived a few hours in the wild before being rescued against her will, she takes this personally. In their free time they run circles around the apartment and dissociate with an empty head.

George Mourgkos

Former post-graduate associate in the LaMarche Lab, currently pursuing an MD at Stanford Medical School