Assistant Professor
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
HHMI Hanna H. Gray Fellow

Postdoc, Princeton University, Brangwynne Lab
Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, Guttman Lab
A.B., Princeton University

M.D./Ph.D. Clinical Fellow

Dustin is a pediatric neuromuscular physician-scientist collaborator interested in the roles of small RNAs, RNA processing kinetics, and nuclear localization in neurodevelopment and neuromuscular disorders of childhood. He is also a post-doc and K12 trainee in the lab of Charlotte Sumner, M.D., in the Department of Neuroscience. For fun, he enjoys cooking, puzzles, gym, coffee, desserts, and is learning to swim and bike! Someday he also hopes to increase his gardening skills. 

Research Specialist

Solomon received his B.S. in Neurobiology from the University of California, San Diego. During his undergraduate studies, he conducted research at the Salk Institute, where he studied the regulation of chromatin remodelers in the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana. Solomon joined the Quinodoz Lab as a Research Specialist in January 2026. Outside of the lab, Solomon enjoys cooking, trying new sports, and exploring Baltimore. He still sometimes misses the beaches of San Diego.

Human Genetics Graduate Student

Valeska joined the lab in May 2026 and is a graduate student in the Human Genetics & Genomics program. Prior to Johns Hopkins, she received a B.S. in Genetics & Genomics and a B.A. in Vocal Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During her undergraduate studies, she conducted research under Dr. Jo Handelsman at the Wisconsin Institute of Discovery investigating how the rel gene in Flavobacterium johnsoniae mediates antibiotic-induced stress response in microbial communities. In her free time, Valeska loves to sing and compose music, play tennis, ski, and read many books!

Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology (BCMB) Graduate Student

Heydar is a BCMB Ph.D. student who joined the lab in March 2026. He received his B.Sc. in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering in 2017 and his M.Sc. in Physical Chemistry in 2020 from Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, Iran. For his master’s thesis, he developed nanocomposite electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction in the Taherinia Lab. From 2022 to 2025, he worked as a research technician in the Rashidian Lab at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, where he contributed to the development of CAR-E, an engineered protein that enhances chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy. His current research focuses on the role of RNAs in nuclear body organization. Outside the lab, he enjoys walking in Patterson Park, hiking, and watching movies with his wife.

Postdoctoral Fellow

You Jin received her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she worked in Dr. Prasanth Kannanganattu's lab. During her graduate studies, she examined the mechanism by which the long non-coding RNA MALAT1 regulates RNA processing of genes pre-positioned near nuclear speckles. You Jin is interested in studying the organization of RNA molecules and how it shapes their regulation and function in cells. Outside of the lab, she enjoys watching movies and hiking.

Undergraduate

John is currently an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University in his junior year of work. He is currently studying Molecular and Cellular Biology, along with Classics, aiming for a double major. John wishes to pursue a PhD in Biology and focus on advancing our knowledge of cancer and treatments for cancer. Outside of school, John enjoys watching the NFL, reading manga, and watching movies.

We are looking to grow. If our work sounds exciting - please join us!