Toshi received his Ph.D. in Cellular, Molecular, and Biophysical Studies at Columbia University. He established his biochemistry and structural biology background in the Gouaux lab. He did his postdoctoral research in the Swartz lab at the NIH where he learned ion channel biophysics and electrophysiology. Toshi joined the Department of Molecular Medicine at Cornell University in 2011. He plays ice hockey in his free time.

Jacqueline joined the Kawate lab in 2021. She is fascinated by the structure-function relationships of membrane proteins and spends most of her time in lab purifying proteins, using the cryo-EM, and dabbling in crystallography. Jacqueline knew she wanted to study membrane protein structure during her undergraduate studies at Iowa State University because the wealth of structural information obtained from her graduate student mentor’s enzyme structure allowed her to investigate its substrate specificity with a targeted approach. Jacqueline has been lucky to always mix good science and good company - you will often find her planning lab BBQs or tennis matches, or the Molecular Medicine kickball tournament. If she isn’t in the lab, she is probably at the rock climbing gym, out for a little jog, or finding a new trail for a bike ride. She is always happy to chat and can be reached at jje66@cornell.edu.

Sarah earned her B.S. in Biochemistry from Messiah University in 2021 where she studied binding sites for allosteric inhibition of a type 2 diabetes therapeutic protein target, PTP1B. Currently, she is a 3rd year BMCB student in the Kawate Lab studying the function of the integral membrane protein Tweety (TTYH1) using C. elegans as a model organism. Sarah uses a wide variety of techniques to study TTYH1 including C. elegans genetic and behavioral assays, protein purification, mass spectrometry, fluorescence size exclusion chromatography, RNA sequencing, and fluorescent microscopy. Outside of the lab, Sarah can be found running, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.

Katie earned her B.S. in Chemistry from Southern Utah University in 2023. She first became interested in structural biology during an internship at SLAC where she was introduced to cryo-EM and X-ray crystallography, and knew she wanted to use structural approaches to answer biological questions. Katie joined the Kawate Lab in 2024 and is now using structural and physiological approaches to study understudied membrane proteins. When she’s not in the lab, you can find her at the gym, swimming, biking, running, spending time with family and friends, or enjoying a good movie. She can be reached at kc995@cornell.edu.

I joined the BMCB field at Cornell in 2024. Before coming to Cornell, I majored in biology at NYU and was part of the Hochwagen Lab, where I explored how the Rec8 cohesin performs its functions in meiosis. I’m interested in learning about molecular mechanisms underlying different biological processes. In my spare time, I enjoy watching movies, playing video games, baking, and making stuffed animals.

Cara is a student in the College of Human Ecology majoring in Human Biology, Health, and Society, graduating in 2026. She joined the Kawate Lab in 2024 and is interested in studying structural biology to gain an understanding of the molecular mechanisms of disease. Working with Sarah, Cara is investing the function of the membrane protein Tweety. She is particularly interested in how membrane proteins contribute to cellular processes and disease progression. Outside the lab, she enjoys running, hiking, and golfing.