UIUC RNA Club brings researchers together for talks, scientific exchange, and conversation across the RNA community. Explore our recent meetings, seminars, and symposia below.
2025–2026
April 20, 2026 — UIUC RNA Club Symposium
Monday · 2:00–5:00 PM
CLSL B102
Featured talk
Gene Regulation by RNA Localization to Membraneless Organelles
Jingyi Fei, Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago
Student presenters
- Ruiying Cheng — Kevin Van Bortle Lab
- Hao Fan — Yan Zhang Lab
- William Fang — Boxuan Zhao Lab
- Ehsan Homaee — Ido Golding Lab
- You Jin Song — Kannanganattu V. Prasanth Lab
March 5, 2026 — UIUC RNA Club Seminar
Thursday · 1:30–2:30 PM
CLSL B102
Cross-Species Phenotypic Profiling Uncovers Functional Determinants of Bacterial Cold Shock Adaptation
Andy Briercheck
Department of Biochemistry
Lost in Translation: How 33 Nucleotides Can Change ParB Protein Levels in Caulobacter crescentus
Rodrigo Arana Garrido
Department of Microbiology
2024–2025
Monthly meetings were held from 5:00–6:30 PM on Thursdays in 217 Noyes Laboratory (505 S. Mathews Ave.). Meetings included two 30-minute talks followed by a social with food and drinks.
May 8, 2025 — UIUC RNA Club Symposium
Thursday · 11:00 AM–2:30 PM
CLSL B102
Featured talk
New Roles of tRNA and snoRNA in Translation
Tao Pan, PhD, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago
Student presenters
- Sounak Saha — Jin Lab
- Jessie Chen — Yang Lab
- Albur Hassan — Kim Lab
- Rajendra K C — Van Bortle Lab
- Subhashis Natua — Kalsotra Lab
- Neha Chivukula Venkata — Belmont Lab
April 10, 2025 — RNA Club Meeting
Thursday · 5:00–6:30 PM
217 Noyes Laboratory
Dissecting PTBP1-Mediated Alternative Splicing in Host-Microbe Interactions and Spermatogenesis
Yuexi Wang
Wenyan Mei Lab
Silent Guardian of the Heart: How Regulated PABPN1 Expression Shapes Cardiac Maturation and Drives Cardiomyopathy
Sandip Chorghade
Auinash Kalsotra Lab
March 13, 2025 — RNA Club Meeting
Thursday · 5:00–6:30 PM
217 Noyes Laboratory
snaR-A: A Noncoding RNA Jams the Gears of Splicing in Cancer
Sihang Zhou
Kevin Van Bortle Lab
How Do Cells Distinguish a Programmed Translation Pause from a Pathological Stall?
Hong Jin
February 13, 2025 — RNA Club Meeting
Thursday · 5:00–6:30 PM
217 Noyes Laboratory
Decoding the Brain: RNA Technologies as Windows into Mammalian Neural Structure and Function
Boxuan Zhao
Coming in from the COLD: A New Avenue to Explore Post-Transcriptional Regulation
Yan Zhang
Event photos
