Faculty and Trainers

Sumin Jang

Assistant Professor of Neurobiology
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience Institute
Committee on Computational Neuroscience
Committee on Neurobiology
Research and Scholarly Interests: Human Development, Motor Neuron Disease, Motor Neurons, Neural Progenitors, Neurodevelopment
Websites: Jang lab website, Research Network Profile
Contact: suminjang@uchicago.edu
Graduate Programs: Computational Neuroscience, Neurobiology, Committee on Development, Regeneration, and Stem Cell Biology, PhD Program in Neurobiology

Comparative investigation of human neural development

We aim to understand how the distinctive features of the human central nervous system emerge during development. By comparing human, non-human primate and rodent neural development, we systematically dissect the genetic mechanisms that confer the human CNS with its unique properties. Our research utilizes a wide range of computational and experimental approaches, centered around stem cell-derived organoids and single-cell genomics.

Columbia University
New York, NY
Postdoc - Neurodevelopment
2025

Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
PhD - Systems biology
2017

Independent control of neurogenesis and dorsoventral patterning by NKX2-2.
Independent control of neurogenesis and dorsoventral patterning by NKX2-2. Genes Dev. 2026 Mar 02; 40(5-6):384-395.
PMID: 41526180

A human-specific progenitor sub-domain extends neurogenesis and increases motor neuron production.
A human-specific progenitor sub-domain extends neurogenesis and increases motor neuron production. Nat Neurosci. 2024 Oct; 27(10):1945-1953.
PMID: 39210067

Transcriptional dynamics of murine motor neuron maturation in vivo and in vitro.
Transcriptional dynamics of murine motor neuron maturation in vivo and in vitro. Nat Commun. 2022 09 15; 13(1):5427.
PMID: 36109497

An expansion of the non-coding genome and its regulatory potential underlies vertebrate neuronal diversity.
An expansion of the non-coding genome and its regulatory potential underlies vertebrate neuronal diversity. Neuron. 2022 01 05; 110(1):70-85.e6.
PMID: 34727520

Dynamics of embryonic stem cell differentiation inferred from single-cell transcriptomics show a series of transitions through discrete cell states.
Dynamics of embryonic stem cell differentiation inferred from single-cell transcriptomics show a series of transitions through discrete cell states. Elife. 2017 03 15; 6.
PMID: 28296635

Fixed single-cell transcriptomic characterization of human radial glial diversity.
Fixed single-cell transcriptomic characterization of human radial glial diversity. Nat Methods. 2016 Jan; 13(1):87-93.
PMID: 26524239