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
José Brás, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Neurodegenerative Science
Genomic Sciences and Neurodegeneration
Lena Brundin, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Neurodegenerative Science
Behavioral Medicine
Nick Burton, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Epigenetics
Environmental Impacts on Health and Epigenetics
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
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
MET signaling, RTK signaling in breast cancer progression and therapeutic resistance, mouse models, targeted therapeutic approaches to breast cancer
Rita Guerreiro, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Neurodegenerative Science
Genomic Sciences and Neurodegeneration
Brian Haab, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Cell Biology; Assistant Dean, Van Andel Institute Graduate School
Cancer Immunodiagnostics
Michael Henderson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurodegenerative Science
Protein Pathologies and Genetic Risk in Neurodegeneration
Galen Hostetter, M.D.
Associate Core Director, Pathology and Biorepository Core
Scott Jewell, Ph.D.
Director, Pathology and Biorepository Core
Professor, Department of Cell Biology
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
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.
Associate Professor, Department of Epigenetics
Chromatin and Epigenetic Regulation
Hui Shen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Epigenetics
Epigenomics Analysis in Human Disease
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
Steven J. Triezenberg, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon)
President and Dean, Van Andel Institute Graduate School
Hong Wen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Epigenetics
Epigenetics and Transcription
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
