Meet the Team
Jeeyun Chung
Principal Investigator
Jeeyun is from South Korea and did her PhD with Pietro De Camilli at Yale University. She completed postdoctoral training in the joint laboratory of Tobias Walther and Robert Farese Jr. at Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School before joining the faculty in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University in 2023. Jeeyun is a recipient of the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative Collaborative Pairs Pilot Project Award, Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship Awards in Neuroscience, the NIH Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award R35, and the Charles H. Hood Child Health Award. She enjoys looking at beautiful cellular structures under a microscope and designing creative experiments to solve the mysteries of cellular lipid metabolism. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, exploring new restaurants, and playing with her cat, Mochi.
Eleni Katafygiotou
Research Assistant
Eleni grew up in Thessaloniki, Greece, and got a degree in Neuroscience from Pomona College in California. There, she studied sex differences in stress effects on hippocampal plasticity and cognition in rodents. Her thesis focused on a BDNF-based approach combining a ketogenic diet, exercise, and handling to counter stress-related cognitive decline. At NYU’s Chao Lab, Eleni explored the link between astrocyte inflammation and glaucoma. At the Chung lab, Eleni is excited to hone in on her microscopy and cell culture skills and learn about lipid droplet catabolism and its link to neurological disorders. Outside the lab, Eleni enjoys running, reading, and pretending to be a film expert.
Trong Vien Duy Diep
Postdoctoral Researcher
Duy was born in Vietnam and earned his PhD at the University of Muenster in Germany. During his doctoral research, he uncovered the molecular machinery of a contact site between lipid droplets and vacuoles (the yeast equivalent of lysosomes), which plays a crucial role in lipid droplet degradation through autophagy. At the Chung lab, he continues to explore the biology of lipid droplets, focusing on their role in neuronal function and how their dysfunction contributes to neuropathology. Outside the lab, Duy enjoys traveling, watching movies, and exploring scenic trails.
Anne Liang
Undergraduate Researcher
Anne is a junior at Harvard College from Boston, where she was born and raised. She is currently pursuing a concentration in Molecular and Cellular Biology, with a secondary in Mind, Brain, and Behavior. Hoping to merge these interests at the Chung Lab, she is keen on investigating the implications of lipid droplet dysregulation in neurodegenerative diseases. Outside of the lab, Anne enjoys watching crime shows, listening to indie music, and going thrifting with her friends.
Walid Idi
Postdoctoral Researcher
Walid was born and raised in Marseille, France. He earned a master’s degree in Neuroscience in Bordeaux before joining Abid Oueslati’s lab for his PhD at Université Laval in Québec, where he studied alpha-synuclein aggregation in Parkinson’s disease and the involvement of lipid droplets, sparking a strong interest in their role in neurodegeneration. In the Chung Lab, Walid is investigating lipid droplet biology in the basal ganglia and its potential link to neurodegenerative diseases. Outside the lab, he enjoys photography, sports, watching stand-up shows, and exploring new places.
