Who we are

Rachel E. Turn, PhD

Principal Investigator

Dr. Turn leads the lab in their mission to understand how cells establish a healthy, fate-specific G0 program. She is interested in the transient molecular mechanisms and dynamic changes in cell composition required to achieve these programs. To map these processes in time and space, she leverages state-of-the-art mass spectrometry, imaging, and functional assays in mammalian tissue culture, primary cells, and stem cell model systems.

Mohammad Ovais Aziz-Zanjani

Research Assistant Professor

Dr. Aziz-Zanjani is a Research Assistant Professor in Comparative Biosciences working in Dr. Turn’s lab. He is a biological mass spectrometry expert with a PhD and postdoctoral training in cell biology (in particular, pancreatic islets), specializing in the regulation of critical cellular signaling pathways through post-translational modifications. With over a decade of experience in translational research, he applies a multidisciplinary approach to elucidate molecular mechanisms with direct clinical relevance. His expertise bridges advanced proteomics, cell biology, and metabolic disease, enabling productive collaborations across diverse disciplines and driving impactful discoveries in cellular biology and diabetes therapeutic approaches.

Co-first author on the STAMP quiescence study and the metabolic-STAMP beta-cell signaling work, and spearheads the islet cell dialogue program.