Welcome to the Lab, Albert Adhya

We are delighted to welcome Albert Adhya, a Chemistry Ph.D. candidate jointly mentored in my group and Jimmy Hougland’s lab, to our research team. Albert is bringing a unique interdisciplinary perspective at the interface of chemical biology and developmental cell biology.

His work in the lab will focus on two complementary projects:

• Defining the role of the Golgi apparatus during Kupffer’s Vesicle (KV) morphogenesis, with an emphasis on how secretory trafficking contributes to early lumen formation and epithelial remodeling.

• Investigating Ghrelin and the acylation enzyme GOAT in early vertebrate development, an emerging axis with intriguing implications for metabolic signaling during embryogenesis.

We’re excited to have him on board and look forward to the insights his interdisciplinary approach will bring to these questions.

Welcome, Albert!

Hehnly Lab Spotlighted in The Node’s “September in Preprints”!

News! — Our latest preprint was featured in The Node’s ‘September in Preprints’! Check out the highlights here: https://thenode.biologists.com/september-in-preprints-10/news/

Preprint is here: Ononiwu et al.

Seminar Visit: Dr. Dorothy Lerit, Emory University

The Department of Biology and Hehnly Lab were delighted to host Dr. Dorothy Lerit from Emory University for a seminar on October 24, 2025. Dr. Lerit, an expert in centrosome and RNA biology, presented her talk titled “The RNA-binding protein Orb2 regulates brain growth in Drosophila.”

📢 Hehnly Lab is Hiring a Postdoctoral Researcher

The Hehnly Lab in the Department of Biology at Syracuse University is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to join our team! Our research explores how cells organize themselves to build tissues during development, focusing on centrosome function, cytoskeletal dynamics, and membrane trafficking. We use the zebrafish embryo as a powerful vertebrate model system and employ advanced live-cell imaging, molecular genetics, and quantitative approaches to address fundamental questions in cell and developmental biology.

This position offers the opportunity to work in a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment with access to state-of-the-art imaging facilities and training through Syracuse University’s BioInspired Institute. The successful candidate will contribute to ongoing projects and have the freedom to develop independent lines of inquiry within the lab’s research focus.

📍 Location: Syracuse, NY
📅 Start Date: Flexible
🔗 Application and full details: https://www.sujobopps.com/postings/111207

We encourage applications from creative, driven scientists who are excited about exploring how cells shape tissues and organs during development.