People

Steve (Ssang-Taek) Lim, Ph. D, Principal Investigator

Dr. Lim received his bachelor’s and master’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from Seoul National University, South Korea, and Ph.D. in Cell Biology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2003. He completed his postdoctoral training at the Scripps Research Institute’s Department of Immunology and the University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center where he became an Assistant Project Scientist before joining the University of South Alabama’s faculty as Assistant Professor in 2012 and earning promotion as Associate Professor in 2019. Then, he started his new position to the Department of Pathology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2022.

James Murphy, Ph.D (August 2018-present), Postdoctoral fellow

James received his bachelor’s and master’s in mathematics from Spring Hill College and the University of South Alabama, respectively. In 2018, James graduated with a Ph.D. in basic medical science from the University of South Alabama. He has been a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Lim’s lab since 2018 and followed the lab when it moved to the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2022.

While not in the lab, James enjoys watching sports and hanging out with friends.

Ly Nguyen, Ph.D (September 2023-present), Postdoctoral fellow

Ly finished her Bachelor’s degree from University of Science, Hanoi, Vietnam in 2017. Then she completed her master’s in 2019 and doctoral programs in Physiology at Dongguk University, Korea in 2022. Ly joined Lim lab as a postdoctoral fellow in September, 2023.

Saroj Kumar Shrestha, Ph.D (October 2024-present), Postdoctoral fellow

Saroj holds a BSc in Biochemistry (Pokhara University, Nepal, 2014) and an MSc and PhD in Bioscience (Jeonbuk National University, South Korea, 2023). His research focused on the molecular mechanisms of breast cancer metastasis and vascular smooth muscle cell calcification. His short postdoctoral research at Jeonbuk National University investigated hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cell fate. Saroj joined Lim Lab in September, 2024

Shawkat Kochi (November 2024-present), Undergraduate Student

Shawkat is a junior at the cancer biology program and interested in TNBC. He will take a course that allows him to shadow the lab activity. He is a member of UABTeach where I tutor middle school to high school students.

Duyen Tran, B.S./M.S. (March 2023-Present), Ph.D Graduate Student

Duyen received her bachelor’s degree in Biology from University of Science, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam in 2019. Then, she has completed her master’s degree in Biotechnology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2021. Currently, she is studying Ph.D. program in GBS program at UAB.

Mi Ae Choi, B.S. (August 2024-present), Researcher

Mi Ae received her bachelor’s in Biochemistry from Chungnam National University, South Korea in 2019. She completed a course Combined MS/Ph.D in Health Sciences and Technology from Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea in 2022. Mi Ae joined the Limlab in August 2024 as a visiting scientist. She plans to pursue a Ph.D program.