New Faculty Profiles
Welcome!
So-Youn Kim, PhD
Wen Zhang, PhD
Liwen Deng, PhD
Dr. So-Youn Kim is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. She received her Ph.D. and M.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, Korea.
Dr. Kim completed postdoctoral training at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in the laboratories of J. Larry Jameson, M.D., Ph.D., and Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph.D. She subsequently served as a Research Assistant Professor at Northwestern University before joining the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2018 as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology, where she was later promoted to Associate Professor. In January 2026, she joined Rutgers New Jersey Medical School as a tenure-track Associate Professor.
Dr. Kim's research program focuses on reproductive endocrinology, ovarian biology, and fertility preservation, with a particular emphasis on the molecular mechanisms regulating primordial follicle dynamics in the ovary. Her work has contributed to understanding the roles of the c-KIT/PI3K and CHK2 TAp63 signaling pathways in the activation and demise of primordial follicle oocytes. Using knockout mouse models, her laboratory has elucidated the pivotal role of TAp63 in mediating oocyte death triggered by chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Her group has also identified a novel mechanism by which TAp63 regulates oocyte death induced by cisplatin and cyclophosphamide, providing important insights into chemotherapy-related ovarian damage. In addition, her studies have demonstrated that PI3K and c-KIT signaling are essential for oocyte survival and the maintenance of reproductive lifespan.
More recently, Dr. Kim's laboratory has investigated the direct impact of leukemia on ovarian function, revealing how leukemic infiltration compromises ovarian tissue. Her ongoing work aims to develop strategies to preserve ovarian function in the context of disease-related damage, with the ultimate goal of improving fertility preservation approaches for female patients.
Dr. Wen Zhang is an immunologist whose research focuses on Sensory Neuroimmunology and Mucosal Immunology. Dr. Wen Zhang received his PhD in Immunology fromTsinghua Universityand completed her postdoctoral training at Weill Cornell Medicine. Her research is supported by the National Institutes of Health, including an NIH Pathway to Independence K99/R00 Award, as well as funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases MIST Scholar Award in Mucosal Immunity. Her work investigates how sensory neurons regulate tissue immunity, inflammation, and tolerance at barrier surfaces, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract. Dr. Zhang's studies have uncovered mechanisms by which gut-innervating sensory neurons shape intestinal immunity, tissue protection, and host-microbe interactions. More recently, her work identified neuro-epithelial circuits that coordinate intestinal immune responses and sensory convergence within mucosal tissues.
The Zhang Lab will combine mouse genetics, chemogenetics,and single-cell and spatial approaches to investigate how neural, microbial, and tissue-derived signals integrate to shape immune outcomes in health and disease.
Dr. Deng obtained her BS and PhD from the University of California San Diego. Her doctoral studies in the laboratory of Professor Kelly Doran inspired her interest in host defense against infection. Dr. Deng performed her postdoctoral training under the mentorship of Professor Isaac Chiu at Harvard Medical School, where she leveraged her expertise in bacterial pathogenesis to study neuroimmune interactions with Staphylococcus aureus. She was awarded a K99/R00 grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) for her research into how microbes trigger itch, inflammation, and skin barrier damage. Her work was the first to discover a causative role for bacteria in driving itch and scratching-induced dermatitis. This research also identified an itch signaling mechanism that could be targeted to alleviate itch and skin damage. In May 2026, Dr. Deng joined the Center for Immunity and Inflammation at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School as an Assistant Professor and Chancellor Scholar in the Department of Anesthesiology. Using multidisciplinary approaches spanning microbiology, neuroscience, and immunology, her research program investigates how neuronal signaling shapes host-microbe interactions in both health and disease. This work will uncover novel mechanisms of host defense and has the potential to reveal therapeutic pathways for modulating neuroimmune signaling to treat infection and other diseases.
