About us

Welcome to the Shin lab at Emory University! We are a new research group, established in September 2025, in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.

We investigate how gene regulatory networks define immune cell identity and effector functions. In particular, we focus on how transcription factors that are expressed across multiple lineages achieve context-specific gene regulation. To address these questions, we integrate molecular biology, functional genomics, and cellular immunology approaches.

Our research centers on two main areas:

• Gene regulation in T cell development – uncovering how transcription factors orchestrate gene networks to establish cell identity programs in early T cell development.
• Pathogenic CD4 T cell states in chronic inflammation – identifying the molecular features and regulatory circuits that drive disease-associated, persistant pathogenic functions.

Through our studies, we aim to reveal how transcription factors shape gene expression programs that define immune cell identity and drive their functions in health and disease.