PI, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry

Yizhi is a biochemist specializing in protein biochemistry, cellular metabolism, and NMR. He received his B.S. from the Ocean University of China and completed his Ph.D. with Dr. Klara Briknarova at the University of Montana, Missoula. He then moved to Boston, MA, where he pursued his postdoctoral research with Dr. Dorothee Kern at Brandeis University/Howard Hughs Medical Institute and later with Dr. Bruce Spiegelman at Harvard Medical School. His work focused on protein structure and dynamics as well as mitochondrial metabolism and was supported by an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship and an NIH/NIDDK K01 award. In 2022, he was appointed Instructor of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School, and in 2025 he joined the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, as an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry.

Lab Manager/Research Assistant

Lu Zhang earned her B.S. from Fudan University and M.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology (CEMB) from the University of Arkansas.

Before joining the Sun Lab, Lu spent over ten years at NOWDiagnostics, gaining extensive experience in assay development and diagnostic product research. She is proficient in molecular biology, protein engineering, cell culture, and nanomaterial synthesis & characterization, with strong skills in project management, scheduling & planning, and cross-functional communication. Lu hopes to leverage her technical and organizational strengths to create a productive and collaborative lab culture.

Outside the lab, Lu enjoys life with her husband and toddler son. She is a seasoned Toastmasters member and a two-time marathon finisher.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Aastha Sindhwani is a postdoctoral research scholar in the Sun Lab. Her research focuses on the molecular mechanisms that govern organelle dynamics and cellular adaptation, with a particular interest in how intracellular trafficking and metabolite-linked signaling shape cellular function in development and disease. Before joining the Sun Lab, she was an Associate Research Scientist at Yale School of Medicine and the Wu Tsai Institute, where she contributed to studies of human and non-human primate brain development and evolution. She earned her Ph.D. in Cell Biology from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, where she defined how Salmonella manipulates host endolysosomal trafficking machinery to establish its intracellular replicative niche. In the Sun Lab, she is investigating how mitochondrial transporters and metabolite signaling influence mitochondrial dynamics, quality control, and adaptation to cellular stress.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Thilini earned her B.Sc. from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, and her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Miami University, where she focused on membrane protein function. She previously worked at the University of Cincinnati on functional characterization of the ER membrane protein. She is a postdoctoral fellow in the Sun Lab at the University of Arkansas, where she studies mitochondrial membrane protein transporters and metabolite sensing.

Her research interests center on protein biochemistry, membrane transport, and understanding the mechanisms of complex membrane proteins.

Outside the lab, she enjoys spending time with her family and exploring global cuisines through cooking and baking.

Graduate Research Assistant

Borong is a PhD student in the Sun Lab at the University of Arkansas. His research centers on mitochondrial membrane protein transporters, and he aims to advance computational methodologies to accelerate the exploration of underlying mechanisms in mitochondrial physiology.

Borong received his MSc from Wuyi University, China. During his master’s studies, he conducted antibacterial research in UK, focusing on organic synthesis of antibiotics at the Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, and investigating antibacterial mechanisms at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Before joining the Sun Lab, he worked as a computational chemist in a pharmaceutical company, where he performed molecular dynamics simulations and developed novel computational strategies to evaluate PROTAC efficacy through ubiquitination mechanisms.

Outside the lab, Borong enjoys badminton, tennis and photography.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Mary O’Neill is a junior undergraduate studying Biology in the Fulbright Honors College. Her work as a research assistant focuses on investigating the chemical communication between mitochondria and nucleus. Her interests include animal diseases and cancer research, and she hopes to attend veterinary school after graduation.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Undergraduate Research Assistant