Kai Zhang’s lab group studies how signal transduction regulates cell fate determination and how normal signaling processes are compromised in disease conditions. Using live cell imaging and optogenetic control of signal transduction, Zhang observes and perturbs signaling modules to define cellular responses. His lab’s major goal is to gain insight into signaling mechanisms that regulate critical cellular functions such as cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, and apoptosis and to apply the insight to understanding and treating neurological disorders and diseases, such as cancer.
Zhang earned his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley and completed his postdoctoral research at Stanford University.