Graduate School Faculty
Our faculty is primarily made up of Van Andel Institute (VAI) investigators, each of whom have a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent academic degree and a distinguished record of scholarship and contributions to the scientific community.
Adjunct faculty members may supplement the permanent faculty. These may include visiting scientists from other research institutes, faculty members from local colleges or universities, postdoctoral fellows at VAI or practicing professionals.
Meet the Faculty
Marie Adams, M.S.
Director, Genomics Core
Stephen Baylin, M.D.
Co-leader, Van Andel Institute–Stand Up To Cancer Epigenetics Dream Team
Director’s Scholar and Professor, Department of Epigenetics
Sarah Bodbyl, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Van Andel Institute Graduate School
Lena Brundin, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Neurodegenerative Science
Behavioral Medicine
Nick Burton, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming
Maternal Effects on Metabolism and Host-Microbe Interactions
Hong-yuan Chu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurodegenerative Science
Neural Circuits and Neurodegeneration
Gerhard (Gerry) Coetzee, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Neurodegenerative Science; Interim Dean, Van Andel Institute Graduate School
Post-GWAS Functionality
Juan Du, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Structural Biology
Structural Biology and Electrophysiology
Stephanie Grainger, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology
Wnt Signaling in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Development and Cancer
Carrie Graveel, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist, Department of Cell Biology; Interim Assistant Dean for Student Research Experience, Van Andel Institute Graduate School
MET signaling, RTK signaling in breast cancer progression and therapeutic resistance, mouse models, targeted therapeutic approaches to breast cancer
Yvonne Fondufe-Mittendorf, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Epigenetics
Epigenetic Regulation and Environmental Impacts
Brian Haab, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Cell Biology
Pancreatic Cancer Identification Using Glycans
Michael Henderson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurodegenerative Science
Protein Pathologies and Genetic Risk in Neurodegeneration
Galen Hostetter, M.D.
Director of Pathology, Pathology and Biorepository Core
Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon)
Chief Scientific Officer; President, Van Andel Institute Graduate School
Epigenetic Therapies
Russell Jones, Ph.D.
Chair and Professor, Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming
Cancer and Immunometabolism
Connie Krawczyk, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming
Immunology, Epigenetics and Metabolism
Adelheid (Heidi) Lempradl, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming
Intergenerational Inheritance of Nutritional States
Huilin Li, Ph.D.
Chair and Professor, Department of Structural Biology
Cryo-EM, Structural Biology, DNA Replication and Epigenetics
Wei Lü, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Structural Biology
Cryo-EM and Structural Biology
Darren Moore, Ph.D.
Chair and Professor, Department of Neurodegenerative Science; Director, MiND Program
Molecular Neurodegeneration
Sara Nowinski, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming
Mitochondria and Metabolism
Gerd Pfeifer, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Epigenetics
Epigenetic and Genetic Pathways in Human Disease
J. Andrew Pospisilik, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Epigenetics
Epigenetic Origins of Heterogeneity and Disease
Scott Rothbart, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Epigenetics
Chromatin and Epigenetic Regulation
Laurent Roybon, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Neurodegenerative Science; Director, MiND iPSC Program
Xiaobing Shi, Ph.D.
Interim Chair and Professor, Department of Epigenetics
Histone Modifications and Chromatin Regulation
Matt Steensma, M.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Cell Biology
Musculoskeletal Oncology
Piroska Szabó, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Epigenetics
Developmental Programming
Tim Triche, Jr., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Epigenetics
Translational Biological Informatics
Bart Williams, Ph.D.
Director, Core Technologies and Services; Professor, Department of Cell Biology
Cell Signaling and Carcinogenesis
Mary Winn, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Core Technologies and Services
Evan Worden, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Structural Biology
Structural Biology of Epigenetic Complexes
Tao Yang, Ph.D.
Interim Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Cell Biology
Skeletal Biology
Qiang Zhu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurodegenerative Science
Genetics, Epigenetics and Therapeutic Innovation in Neurodegenerative Diseases
