Emory University School of Medicine
Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Li Lab Alumni

The Li Lab is part of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology

MinJae Kim

MinJae Kim
Research Specialist

MinJae earned his B.S. in Biochemistry and molecular biology at Michigan State University. During his junior/senior year, he had an opportunity to volunteer in an immunology lab studying NK cells. After graduation, he worked in various core labs as a flow cytometry specialist. He joined the Li Lab in 2023 to learn how to do research and to shoot for a PhD. In his free time, he enjoys playing piano and exploring around the city. 


Behafarin Arbasi

Behafarin Arbasi, MIS
Research Specialist

Behafarin is a research specialist in the Li lab. She earned her B.S. in Biology a master of Interdisciplinary Studies in Biomedical Enterprise at Georgia State University. She loves research and investigation and findings, loves innovation, achievements and improvements. She loves animals, has a beagle, a finch, a few fish, and enjoys professional oil-painting and drawing. Behafarin is studying the regulation of Tregs in adipose tissue and skin.


Pulavendran Sivasami, PhD

Pulavendran Sivasami, PhD.
Research Scientist

Dr. Pulavendran Sivasami was a research scientist in the Li lab. After obtaining a PhD from CLRI-CSIR laboratory from India, Dr. Sivasami completed postdoctoral training in Oklahoma state university and joined Dr. Li’s lab in the summer of 2020. His research interest is to explore the mechanism of increased viral-infection-associated immune pathology and metabolic complications in the obese conditions and how the fat resident immunocytes respond and contribute to disease progression. 


Jennifer Bae

Jennifer Bae
Undergraduate Student

Jennifer is a senior at the Emory College of Arts  and Sciences. She is majoring in economics and human health. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys watching movies and playing video games. Jennifer is currently applying for medical school.


Samara Moll

Samara Moll
Undergraduate Student

Samara was a senior at Emory College of Arts and Science. She majored in English and on the pre-health track. Although these two fields are seemingly unrelated, she believes that knowledge in literature and writing--along with science--can improve scientific writing and discovery. In her free time, Samara enjoys dancing, hiking, and reading.

Amy Peng

Amy Peng
Undergraduate Student


Amy majored in biology at Emory University. She's interested in working in the biomedical and healthcare field and can be found dancing, drawing, and watching shows in her free time.

Stellar Xu

Stellar Xu
Undergraduate Student

Stellar majored in Biology and minoring in Quantitative Sciences at Emory College of Arts and Sciences. She wants to further explore the field of immunology together with her knowledge of statistics. In her free time, Stellar likes to cook and watch musicals

headshot for Grace Song

Grace Song
Undergraduate Student

Grace is a senior at Emory University. She is majoring in QSS/Biology and studying on the pre-med track. She is interested in biological sciences and statistics, fields she aspires to seamlessly blend in her forthcoming academic pursuits. In her free time, she really enjoys outdoor activities and loves visiting animal shelters.