Nadeem Riaz, MD, M.Sc.
Lab PI
Physician-scientist, training the next generation
Integrates DDR and immunogenomics; clinical focus on HPV‑related head and neck cancer.
People
Meet the Riaz Lab
Clinicians, scientists, and computational biologists partnering to decode DDR-guided tumor immunity and deliver precision cancer treatments.
Principal Investigator
Lab Members
Computational scientists, biologists, and research staff decoding DDR-immunity crosstalk and adaptive therapy signals.
Sonali Sinha, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
Studies the interface between homologous recombination and immuno‑oncology.
Leads mechanistic studies uncovering how DDR rewires immune recognition in HPV-associated disease.
Ardijana Novaj
Research Technician
Operations lead keeping the lab organized
Ensures biospecimen pipelines, data handoffs, and study operations run smoothly across collaborations.
Xin Pei, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
Computational genomics
Dissects mutational signatures and HPV-related oncogenesis to identify new treatment approaches.
Yingjie Zhu, PhD
Computational Postdoctoral Fellow
Tumor microbiome and DNA‑repair signatures
Studying the tumor microbiome and tumor microenvironment in head and neck cancers.
Shu Yazaki, MD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Physician-Scientist, Medical Oncologist
Studying the DDR influence on the tumor microenvironment (TME) in breast and HRD-related cancers.
Friends of the Lab
Junior faculty and physician scientists who partner with us on translational projects.
Bill Diplas, MD, PhD
Instructor
Physician-Scientist, MSKCC
Studying the biology behind precision radiotherapy in HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers.
Yao Yu, MD
Assistant Attending
Radiation Oncologist, MSKCC
Collaborating on translational trials elucidating how to alter the tumor microenvironment (TME) in head and neck cancer.
Vonetta Williams, MD, PhD
Assistant Attending
Radiation Oncologist, MSKCC
Studying the tumor microenvironment (TME) of cervical cancer and how it influences radiotherapy.
Amy Xu, MD, PhD
Assistant Attending
Radiation Oncologist, MSKCC
Investigating how radiation reshapes the immune system in metastatic cancer.
Alex Terry, MD, PhD
Resident Physician-Scientist
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Developing methods to evaluate how radiotherapy impacts tumor evolution and immune response.
Alumni
Former lab members now extending DDR biology across industry and academia.
Jennifer Ma, MD
Now: Assistant Attending (MSKCC)
Radiotherapy and synthetic cytotoxicity
Studied how to radiosensitize HR-deficient tumors in cellular models and clinical trials.
Victor Ng, MD
Now: Private practice
Radiotherapy and synthetic cytotoxicity
Studied radiosensitization of ATM‑deficient tumors with ATR inhibition.
Jiapeng Jeng, PhD
Now: Industry Scientist (Colgate)
DNA repair biology
Studied homologous recombination deficiency in pancreatic cancer.
Abhi Ratnakumar, PhD
Now: Industry Scientist
Applied germline genetics
Mapped how germline variants influence cancer development.
Rachna Shah, MSc
Now: Industry Scientist (Regeneron)
Former senior lab technician
Handled translational genetic analysis and cellular DNA repair assays within the lab.
Pedro Blecua, PhD
Now: Industry Scientist (Safecore Devices)
Focused on DNA repair therapeutics
Worked on mutational signatures in HRD tumors and other DNA repair tumors in cancer.
Group photos
A few snapshots from lab retreats, celebrations, and team-building adventures.
