Team
Mehmet attended Bilkent University studying Molecular Biology and Genetics. He then moved to Los Angeles for his Ph.D and worked with Mark Frye at UCLA on visual feature detection. He left sunny Los Angeles for his postdoctoral work and studied function of sleep with Mark Wu at Johns Hopkins.
Fun fact: Mehmet used to host couchsurfers from all over the world in his LA apartment. One weekend, he hosted a four-person Japanese street dance crew in town for a competition. He may have picked up a move or two along the way.
Hometown: İstanbul, 🇹🇷
mkeles1 [at] jhmi.edu
Mehmet Keleş, PhD
Principal Investigator
Minsik is from South Korea. He attended Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology for his B.A. and Ph.D. His thesis work focused on post-mating decisions in Drosophila.
Fun fact: During his college years, Minsik led a hip-hop crew and once staged a DJ performance wearing a handmade cardboard box mask with drain-cover eyes while pretending to mix tracks on stage.
Hometown: Incheon, 🇰🇷
myun5 [at] jh.edu
Minsik Yun, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Jack is originally from Charlotte, NC. He majored in Neuroscience at UCLA (Go Bruins!). He become lab’s first technician after a brief stint at University of Pittsburgh working with monkeys.
Fun fact: Jack is a Steelers fan and attended the Ravens–Steelers playoff decider for the 2025 season. While Tyler Loop lined up for the field-goal attempt, Jack was distracted, perhaps thinking about his monkeys, and missed the kick itself, only to realize seconds later it was no good and the Steelers were headed to the playoffs.
Hometown: Charlotte, NC 🇺🇸
jketter4 [at] jh.edu
Jack Kettering
Lab Technician
Liam Schaefer
Graduate Student - Biomedical Engineering
Liam is from Ann Arbor, Michigan. He dual-majored in Biomedical Engineering and German at the University of Michigan and is currently pursuing his Master’s in Biomedical Engineering. In the Keles Lab, he develops novel imaging and analysis methods to study the neural and physiological correlates of internal states.
Fun fact: Liam previously interned at Ford, where he worked on crash-safety testing with dummies. His current subjects—flies—are a bit wary of him given his past.
Hometown: Ann Arbor, Michigan 🇺🇸
lschae10 [at] jh.edu
Gio Kim
Undergraduate Researcher
Gio is the Keles lab's first undergraduate researcher. Originally from Irvine, California, she's majoring in Medicine, Science, and the Humanities with aspirations of becoming a physician. Beyond her exceptional brain dissection skills in the lab, Gio is pursuing paramedic certification and volunteers her weekends with the Baltimore City Fire Department.
Fun fact: Gio is both a passionate foodie and a meticulous documentarian of her culinary adventures. She's also the generous force behind our well-stocked lab snacks drawer.
Hometown: Irvine, CA 🇺🇸
gkim92 [at] jh.edu
Elise Li
Undergraduate Researcher
Elise hails from Shanghai, China, where she developed her love for mathematics before pursuing Biomedical Engineering at Hopkins. Beyond the lab, her interests span cryptography and rock climbing, a fitting combination of mental and physical problem-solving.
Fun fact: Elise brings the lab's best retro style game, from her nostalgic original iPhone case to her collection of 1980s Adidas knitted sweaters.
Hometown: Shanghai, 🇨🇳
xli315 [at] jh.edu
Katie Truong
Undergraduate Researcher
Katie comes to the lab from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where she taught herself English through the internet before pursuing Neuroscience at Hopkins. Passionate about pediatric oncology, she volunteers at the hospital in her free time and aspires to become a neuro-oncologist.
Fun fact: Caffeine barely affects Katie. She holds the lab record for most Celsius consumed in a single day, beating even Mehmet.
Hometown: Ho Chi Minh City, 🇻🇳
ttruon23 [at] jh.edu
Winnie
Principal Pup
Winnie has a Ph.D. in taking naps and barking at squirrels. She spent her early years in Chattanooga but then moved to Baltimore to investigate squirrel behavior in inner city parks. She is yet to catch a squirrel for further experimentation…
Hometown: Chattanooga, TN 🇺🇸