Team – Brunk Lab

Our lab is committed to fostering a collaborative and dynamic learning environment tailored to each team member’s strengths and goals. We value different perspectives and encourage applicants with unique academic and professional backgrounds. Join us to explore cutting-edge research in an environment that champions respect, curiosity, and growth.

Elizabeth Brunk, Ph.D. (She/her)

Principal Investigator. Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and the Department of Chemistry. Faculty in the Integrated Program for Biological Genome Sciences (iBGS). Member of the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center and the Computational Medicine Program. Affiliate of the Carolina Applied Math Program.

Poorya Behnamie, M.D. (He/him)

Lab specialist. Poorya received his M.D. from the Guilan University of Medical Sciences. His research focuses on developing machine-learning-based methods to identify ecDNA in DNA FISH images.

Kriti Shukla (She/her)

Fourth-year Chemistry Ph.D. Candidate. Kriti received her B.S. in Chemistry and Applied Math from UCLA. Her work in the Brunk lab focuses on developing computational and machine learning methods to survey genomic variants and determine their impact of genome functioning at large. She has integrated data from the Dependency Map, with three dimensional protein structural data, pooled CRISPR screens, and multiplex assays for variant effects (MAVE) data. She is first author on a manuscript that was accepted in ACS JCIM in 2024, and another manuscript that was accepted to CTS in 2025. This second manuscript was awarded the PhRMA Foundation Trainee Challenge Award and selected as CTS’s Paper of the Month for Feb 2026!

Sarina Jones (She/her)

Fourth-year Chemistry Ph.D. Candidate. Sarina received here B.S. in Chemistry from Monmouth University. Her work in the Brunk lab focuses on interpreting the functional impacts of variants on global network behavior using CRISPR-mediated knock down and knock-in assays. She has experience working with cancer cell lines, specifically breast cancer cell lines, with a specific focus on growth factor signaling pathways.

Jonnathan Castro (He/him)

Second-year Chemistry Ph.D. Student. Jonnathan received his B.S. in Chemistry from Yachay Tech University. His work in the Brunk lab focuses on developing computational and machine learning methods to survey genomic variants and determine their impact on drug response. He has integrated data from the Dependency Map, with three dimensional protein structural data, and pooled drug screens.

Molly Murray (She/her)

Second-year Chemistry Ph.D. Student. Molly received her B.S. in Chemistry and Psychology from Fordham University. Her work in the Brunk lab focuses on characterizing drug response and resistance mechanisms in ecDNA.

Anna Ebacher (She/her)

Second-year Pharmacology Ph.D. Student. Anna received her B.S. in Biochemistry and Neuroscience from Tulane University. Her work in the Brunk lab focuses on characterizing the relationship between ecDNA and immune response in cancer.

Chaeyeon (Chloe) Sung (She/her)

First-year Chemistry Ph.D. Student. Chloe received her B.S. in Chemistry from NYU. Her work in the Brunk lab focuses on characterizing ecDNA and developing new model systems for studying ecDNA in live cells.

Yujie Liu (She/her)

First-year BBSP (Pharmacology) Ph.D. Student. Yujie received her B.S. in Molecular Biology from Kenyon College. She is interested in how immune signaling and the tumor microenvironment drive cancer progression and therapy resistance. She hopes to incorporate computational methods to uncover novel therapeutic targets.

Adesuwa Igbinigie (She/her)

Recent Undergraduate graduate who majored in Quantitative Biology. Adesuwa completed her honors Biology thesis in the Brunk lab. She has also been working in collaboration with Dorothy Erie’s lab at UNC on disordered protein signatures. She has recently transitioned to a lab tech position within the Brunk lab. Her main projects entail characterizing single cell transcriptional heterogeneity in ecDNA and HSR model systems.

River Summers (He/him)

2nd-year Undergraduate Research Assistant majoring in Computer Science. River is working with Poorya Behnamie on developing AI-guided software for analysis of Fluorescence in situ Hybridization imaging data.

Abby Adeshina (She/her)

2nd-year Undergraduate Research Assistant majoring in Biology. Abby is working with Molly Murray in the wet lab and learning how to passage cells and visualize their ecDNA!

Brunk Lab Alumni and Previous Members

* completed an honors thesis