Stefan Pietrzak, PhD

I received my PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where my thesis project focused on applying single-cell methodologies (RNA-seq and ATAC-seq) to elucidate the transcriptional and chromatin accessibility dynamics associated with the reprogramming of somatic cells to an induced pluripotent state.

My research interests in Dr. Ziqing Liu's lab are focused on furthering our understanding of vascular formation and angiogenesis, and to elucidate the key regulatory factors involved in blood vessel formation, with particular focus on the cardiac vasculature and endothelial cell development. My project combines analysis of single-cell omics datasets in order to identify candidate transcriptional and epigenetic factors and RNA-binding proteins of interest, accompanied by in vitro knockdown experiments using the vascular organoid model to validate the role of these candidate genes in driving vascular growth and development.