Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Bonini Lab
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Lab Members

Meet the current Bonini Lab team members and read testimonials from former members.

Principal Investigator

Marcelo Bonini, PhD

Marcelo Bonini, PhD

Professor of Medicine (Hematology & Oncology)
Associate Director for Education & Training at Lurie Cancer Center

marcelo.bonini( at )northwestern.edu

View Bonini's Faculty Profile

Biography
Marcelo Bonini earned his PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology in 2004 from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. After postdoctoral training at the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, he transitioned to his first academic appointment as a tenure-track assistant professor of medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in 2009. Bonini rose through the ranks and in 2020 joined Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine as a professor of Medicine and associate director for Education and Training at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Chicago. He has mentored over 20 graduate students and postdoctoral trainees, including several mentees from diverse backgrounds. He is currently the chairman of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility and chairman of NIH/CSR Study Section Systemic Injury by Environmental Exposures.

Postdoctoral Scientists

Fernando Ogata, PhD

Fernando Ogata, PhD

Research Associate

fernando.ogata( at )gmail.com

Flavio Palma, PhD

Flavio Palma, PhD

Research Associate

flavio.palma( at )northwestern.edu

Research Staff

Yunping Huang, MSc

Yunping Huang, MSc

Laboratory Manager

yunping.huang( at )northwestern.edu

Postdoctoral Fellow

Marcelo Sakiyama, PhD

Marcelo Sakiyama, PhD

Graduate Student

Nicole McGrath

Nicole McGrath

nicole.mcgrath( at )northwestern.edu

Alumni Testimonials

Mao Zeuch, PhD, Associate Director of Business Development, LaNova Medicines

The four years I spent in the lab were crucial in shaping my career. Not only did Dr. Bonini ask us to come up with our own perspectives first, but he also encouraged us to be bold and unafraid of challenging the dogma. By the time I left the lab to pursue my PhD, I had already become very independent in my research. Dr. Bonini has been an excellent mentor and I have continued to work and interact with him."

Mao Zeuch, PhD, Associate Director of Business Development, LaNova Medicines

Veronica Paviani, PhD, Proposals & Contracts Coordinator, IQVIA

Working with Dr. Bonini as a postdoctoral fellow was essential to improving my communication and writing skills, learning new techniques and establishing collaborations with renowned scientists that contributed to my scientific development."

Veronica Paviani, PhD, Proposals & Contracts Coordinator, IQVIA

Peter Hart, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, Roosevelt University

Dr. Bonini helped encourage my scientific curiosity and creativity while still training me to focus my hypothesis generation and experimental design. I was well-prepared for the intensive environment of my postdoc at University of Chicago and, since then, have started my own laboratory at Roosevelt University."

Peter Hart, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, Roosevelt University

Diego Coelho, PhD, Senior Design Engineer, Microchip Technology Inc.

I worked with Dr. Bonini as a postdoctoral trainee/research associate for almost four years before I transitioned to industry. The Bonini Lab is well-funded, well-equipped and supported by collaboration with several labs and facilities across Northwestern University, as well as other institutions. His team is very collaborative, diverse and hard-working. I doubt I would find better mentorship anywhere else."

Diego Coelho, PhD, Senior Design Engineer, Microchip Technology Inc.