Meet the Lab
Pyle Lab outside YSB. Photo by Amos Cao, 2026.
We are a diverse team of researchers at all career stages who are passionate about the fundamental principles and therapeutic potential of RNA-based mechanisms. Every member of our research team contributes unique insight into our research and is essential in building a thriving lab community. Read about our amazing team members below!
We often work with other labs on projects that require interdisciplinary expertise, and we have formed collaborations with various labs at Yale, around the US, and around the world.
If you are interested in joining the team, please get in touch.
Principal Investigator
Anna Marie Pyle
Favorite element: Rhodium
Scientist hero: Walther Flemming
Favorite restaurant in New Haven: Miso
If I could visit anywhere, I would go to: South America
Teacher who most inspired me: Jackie Barton
Outside of lab, I enjoy: Running, hiking, gardening, travel, skiing
Photo by Ryuji Suzuki, 2023
Biography
Anna Marie Pyle is Sterling Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and Professor of Chemistry at Yale University. She has been a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator since 1997. Dr. Pyle obtained her undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Princeton University and received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Columbia University in 1990, where she worked with Professor Jacqueline K. Barton. Dr. Pyle was a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Thomas Cech at the University of Colorado. Dr. Pyle formed her own research group in 1992 in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at Columbia University Medical Center. In 2002, she moved to Yale University, where she leads a research group that specializes in structure and function of large RNA molecules and RNA remodeling enzymes. Dr. Pyle was the Chair of the YSB building committee, she has served on the University Budget Committee and as the Chair of the Biological Sciences Advisory Committee, while also serving as Instructor in Charge for Molecular Biology (MCDB200/700). In addition to her work at Yale, Dr. Pyle is co-Chair of the Science and Technology Steering Committee at Brookhaven National Labs, she is past-President of the RNA Society and serves on advisory boards for many scientific organizations, including the Max Planck Institute for Natural Sciences. She is the Co-Editor of Methods in Enzymology, she is the author of more than 220 publications and she is the founder of three companies. The Pyle laboratory uses a diverse set of approaches, including cryo-electron microscopy, biochemistry, cell biology and enzymology, to understand the biological function of complex RNA molecules and their complexes with drugs and proteins. Dr. Pyle has received numerous honors and awards including election to the National Academy of Sciences (2023), the RNA Society Lifetime Service Award (2022), the Yale Faculty Innovation Award (2022), and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2005).
Graduate Student
Sergio Borunda
Joined 2026
Education: Molecular Biology (A.B., Princeton University)
Research: RIG-I-like receptor activation and mechanism of action
Favorite molecule: ATP synthase
Favorite restaurant in New Haven: Noa
Class that most impacted me: Regulatory Mechanisms of Development
Outside of lab I enjoy: tennis, Catan, reading, hiking
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Research Scientist
Olga Fedorova
Joined 1998
Education: Bioorganic chemistry (Ph.D., Moscow State University, Russia)
Research: Small-molecule-RNA recognition: discovery of group II intron splicing inhibitors. Development of alternative methods of synthesis of di- and triphosphorylated oligonucleotides and their non-hydrolyzable analogs
Favorite molecule: icosahedral buckminsterfullerene (C60)
Scientist hero: Dr. Jonas Salk
Class that most inspired me: undergrad organic chemistry
Outside of the lab, I enjoy: reading, cooking, baking, chess
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Staff Affiliate
Sarah Fergione
Joined 2018
Education: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (B.S., Missouri Western State University), Biotechnology (Sc.M., Brown University)
Research: Solid-phase synthesis of RNA, DNA, and LNA
Favorite molecule: Acetylcholine
Class that most inspired me: Nanoengineering and Nanomedicine
Outside of lab, I enjoy: figure skating, genealogical research, spending time with my family
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Graduate Student
Karen Guh
Joined 2025
Education: Plant Pathology and Microbiology (B.S., National Taiwan University), Biochemistry (M.S., National Taiwan University)
Research: Structure and function of viral RNA genomes
Favorite restaurant in New Haven: The Loop by Hachiroku
Class that most inspired me: Molecular Biology, Dr. Ruey-Fen Liou
Outside of lab, I enjoy: Playing sports, going to instrumental concerts and musicals
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Postdoctoral Fellow
Mitch Gulkis
Joined 2026
Education: Biochemistry (B.S., University of Florida), Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Ph.D., University of Florida)
Research: Tertiary structure determination of riboregulatory elements in viral genomes
Favorite molecule: Adenosine triphosphate
Scientist hero: Linus Pauling
Teachers who most impacted me: Robert McKenna and Linda Bloom
Outside of lab, I enjoy: Reading, trivia, music, and board games
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Postdoctoral Fellow
Nick Hiers
Joined 2025
Education: Biology (B.S., Florida Gulf Coast University), Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (Ph.D., University of Florida)
Research: Discovery of non-coding RNAs required for flavivirus infection
Favorite molecule: miR-279-3p
Favorite restaurant in New Haven: Zeneli's
Class that most impacted me: Cell Biology with Dr. Sharon Isern
Outside the lab, I enjoy: Film, nature, and games
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Postdoctoral Fellow
Jimin Hwang
Joined 2024
Education: Chemical Engineering (B.S., Hanyang University), Chemical and Biological Engineering (M.Eng., Korea University), Chemistry and Chemical Biology (Ph.D., Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology)
Research: Small molecule drug discovery for antifungal agent by targeting RNA (Group I self-splicing intron)
Favorite molecule: β-D-Fructofuranosyl α-D-glucopyranosid
Favorite place in New Haven: The Whale Tea
Outside of lab, I enjoy: Hiking, watching sports games
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Postdoctoral Fellow
Harim Jang
Joined 2025
Education: Basic Sciences (B.S., DGIST), Biological Sciences (Ph.D., Seoul National University)
Research: Viral RNA structure and its function
Favorite molecule: Water
Class that most inspired me: Undergrad Design Thinking
Outside of lab, I enjoy: Listening to podcasts
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Graduate Student
Michelle Luo
Joined 2021
Education: Chemistry (B.S., UC Davis)
Research: Structure and function of viral RNAs
Favorite molecule: hexamethyl pararosaniline chloride (crystal violet)
Class that most inspired me: Undergrad organic chemistry
Outside of lab, I enjoy: caring for houseplants, exploring classic films and musicals
Department of Chemistry
Postdoctoral Fellow
Tao Shi
Joined 2025
Education: Medicinal Chemical Biology (Ph.D., Lanzhou University), Pharmacy (B.S., Lanzhou University)
Research: Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of small molecules for the discovery of anti-fungal agents targeting RNA.
Scientist hero: K. Barry Sharpless
If I could visit anywhere, I would go to: Switzerland, Korea
Teacher who most inspired me: Zhen Wang
Outside of lab, I enjoy: Hiking, puzzles
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Graduate Student
Jack Sung
Joined 2025
Education: Biochemistry (B.A., UC Berkeley), Molecular Medicine (M.Sc., Charité – Berlin University Medicine)
Research: Exploring structure and function of Flavivirus RNAs and their protein binding partners.
Favorite molecule: Clathrin
If I could visit anywhere, I would go to: Japan
Outside of lab, I enjoy: Hiking, tennis, and guitar
Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Graduate Student
Lucille Tsao
Joined 2022
Education: Chemistry (B.A., Wellesley College)
Research: Characterizing the structure and function of viral RNAs, specifically for Flaviviruses
Favorite molecule: benzene
Favorite restaurant in New Haven: Hachiroku
Outside of lab, I enjoy: Excursions to the Yale Art Gallery, cooking/baking
Department of Chemistry
Graduate Student
Ruben Warkentin
Joined 2024
Education: Biochemistry (B.S., Queen's University), Biology (M.Sc., Concordia University Montreal)
Research: Synthesis of circRNA using permuted Group I introns for biotechnological and therapeutic applications.
Favorite molecule: DARPins
Favorite restaurant in New Haven: Lalibela
Outside of lab, I enjoy: Foosball, taking care of my plants, DnD
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Thank you to Charles Camarda and Ryuji Suzuki for photographing our lab members!
Lab Alumni
Pyle Lab Alumni have gone on to many wonderful and diverse endeavors. Alumni, please get in touch if you would like to add an updated profile link!
Dana Abramovitz
Yasunori Aizawa
Gina Buchel
Kevin Chin
Vi Chu
Kevin Chung
Carlos Duarte
Benjamin Götte
Justin Green
Rong Guo
Tanja Hahn
William Howell
Elisabeth Humphris-Narayanan
Nicholas Huston