Our Team
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Genetic Medicine and Biomedical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
Center for Inherited Heart Disease
Emmanouil grew up in Crete, studied biology and medicine at the University of Crete, and had always been drawn to the most basic questions in biology. How does a single genome produce a neuron, a muscle cell or a heartbeat? How do cells decide which genes to switch on, when, and how strongly? That fascination with transcription and gene regulation followed him from Crete through Harvard and Boston University to Johns Hopkins, and it's still the thread running through everything the lab does, from enhancers to the chemical marks on RNA.
Emmanouil is also a physician-scientist. Part of his week is in the clinic caring for families with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and other inherited heart diseases, and the rest is in the lab working out what goes wrong in their hearts and how to fix it. Emmanouil believes that seeing patients is what keeps science honest, whilst basic biology is where the answers come from. The Tampakakis lab has shown that heart neurons use clock genes to control how heart cells divide, found a gene "switch" that drives heart cell maturation, and built tools to edit chemical marks on RNA one site at a time. Outside the lab you'll can find him building Lego and playing board games with his son, playing guitar, watching art-house films, or arguing that Greek wine is underrated.
Nicole Cheng, MSc
Ph.D. Candidate in Biomedical Engineering
Nicole completed her BS and MS in molecular medicine at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan where she fell in love with cell imaging before moving to Baltimore. She is a 2023 PhD student at Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering program in the Tampakakis lab where her research focus is exploring the role of epitranscriptomics in cardiac development and regeneration.
Outside the lab, she enjoys cooking and exploring cafes and restaurants. Horse riding is the exercise that best helps her relax.
Shunyao Lei, MSc
Ph.D. Candidate in Biomedical Engineering
Shunyao received her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering (BME) from Rutgers University, where she discovered her passion for developing novel therapeutics to improve human health and lives. She later moved to Baltimore to pursue a master’s degree in BME at Johns Hopkins University. She is currently pursuing her PhD in BME in the Tampakakis Lab, where she studies the role of mRNA modifications during heart development.
Outside the lab, Shunyao enjoys spending time with her cat, exploring new restaurants, and traveling.
Jensen Teel
M.S.E. Student in Biomedical Engineering
Jensen Teel is a first-year Master's student in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He earned his B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Florida and was involved in several research labs as an undergraduate. Jensen joined the Tampakakis lab in Fall 2026, where he plans to complete his master's thesis. After finishing his master's, he plans to attend medical school.
Outside of lab, he enjoys playing guitar and soccer, watching movies, and trying out and reviewing new restaurants.
Ziyan Liu
B.S. Student in Molecular & Cellular Biology and Psychology
Ziyan Liu is a third-year undergraduate student at Johns Hopkins Krieger School of Arts and Sciences majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Psychology. She was inspired to pursue cardiology research after growing up with a congenital heart defect and has been involved in various research labs since high school, including labs at Stanford and Harvard University. Ziyan joined the Tampakakis lab in Spring 2026, and her current research focuses on the neuroimmune regulation of cardiac development and regeneration. She plans to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine after finishing undergrad.
Outside of the lab, she enjoys baking, cooking, spending time with friends, and playing her guitar.
Lisa Li
B.S. Student in Molecular & Cellular Biology
Lisa is a third-year student studying Molecular and Cellular Biology at Johns Hopkins University. She is interested in molecular biology, particularly the mechanisms of gene regulation and techniques to treat congenital heart disease. Since joining the lab in spring 2025, she has been learning about epitranscriptomics and investigating how mRNA modifications affect cardiomyocyte metabolism.
Outside the lab, Lisa enjoys traveling, exploring new places, and spending time with family and friends.
DongGua
Cat in Feline Studies
DongGua is a cat studying how to be a cat. She is the beloved pet of Shunyao Lei and the ruling mascot of the Tampakakis Lab.
Outside the lab, DongGua enjoys sleeping, eating, and getting a lot of love from her human friends.
Alumni
Myo Htet, MD PhD, Post-doctoral fellow, Loyola University
Dushyant Gautam, PhD, Post-doctoral fellow, Ashoka University, Sonepat, Haryana, India.
Harshi Gangrade, MSc, Research Associate at CRISPR Therapeutics, Cambridge MA
Sheetal Bajpayi, Research Associate at Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Jenica Wang, MHS, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
Sandra Gomez, PhD Student, Colorado School of Mines Chemical Engineering
Stephanie Glavaris, PhD Student, Johns Hopkins University CMM program
Eubin Park, MSc Student in Data Science, Columbia University