People

Join us!

We are recruiting talented scientists with an interest in molecular cell biology, tissue engineering, quantitative microscopy, skin biology, and related fields. Please email the PI with any inquiries. Find out more about our uniquely interdisciplinary lab environment in the Green Center for Systems Biology at UT Southwestern.

Meet the PI

Benjamin Nanes, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor
Department of Dermatology
Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics

Dr. Nanes grew up in Atlanta and received his BA in chemistry from Washington University in St Louis. He then joined the Medical Scientist Training Program at Emory University, where he received his MD and PhD in cell biology. He completed internship in internal medicine and residency in dermatology at UT Southwestern, as well as postdoctoral research training in systems biology.

Since 2023, Dr. Nanes has been appointed as Assistant Professor in the Department of Dermatology and the Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, where his lab studies the molecular basis of skin architecture and epidermal remodeling during wound healing. Specific areas of interest include the signaling function of keratin intermediate filaments and the balance between epidermal stability and plasticity. His research is supported by the Dermatology Foundation.

Dr. Nanes practices general dermatology and has an interest in inherited disorders affecting structural components of the epidermis. He is board certified by the American Board of Dermatology.

Meet the lab

Surbhi Chouhan, PhD

Assistant Instructor

Dr. Chouhan earned her PhD from the National Centre for Cell Science, India, in 2017, researching the impact of metabolites on cancer cell signaling pathways. In 2018, she joined Washington University in St. Louis as a postdoctoral researcher, focusing on the roles of the non-receptor kinase ACK1 in mitochondrial metabolism and histone modifications in prostate cancer. Currently, she is interested in understanding the interplay between vimentin and keratins in the stability/plasticity balance in skin development, wound healing, and cancer.

Sabahat Munawar

Research Assistant II

Sabahat received her BS in Biological Sciences from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She joined the Center for Systems Biology in 2022 and in 2023 was the first scientist to join the Nanes Lab. Sabahat specializes in keratinocyte culture and skin organoid models.