Grace Shin, Ph.D. Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor of Neurology

Grace is an Assistant Professor recruited to the Ohio State University’s Department of Neurology in September 2023. She directs her team on the multimodal approach to comprehensively studying the underlying mechanisms of peripheral neuropathy, a painful sensory neuron disorder that can affect cancer patients after chemotherapy and immunotherapy. She is a member of the Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Neuroscience Research Institute, the Institute of Brain, Behavior, and Immunology, and also holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Dermatology.

Grace received her first bachelor’s degree from Ewha Women’s University in Seoul, Korea, where she unexpectedly found her passion for research while studying engineering and business administration. To pursue her research endeavors, Grace moved to Australia and obtained her second bachelor’s degree in biomedical science at the University of Queensland. Following her graduation, she joined Dr. Brian Key’s laboratory to study axon guidance mechanisms for her honors and PhD. She studied an axon guidance molecule called RGMa, which turns out to be a multi-faceted gene involved in seemingly every step of brain development, as well as after nerve injury via neurons and immune cells. It was during this time that she found her passion for translational research in neurological disorders. This time also guided her to start thinking about how multiple cell types work together to maintain the function of the nervous system in health and disease.

Since then, Grace’s research aims to apply what we learned from basic research to the effective treatment of pathological conditions. After a productive postdoc in Australia studying cellular mechanisms of synaptic connections in the developing brain, she was recruited as a senior postdoc in Dr. Wes Grueber’s lab at Columbia University in New York to develop and lead a project investigating the mechanisms underlying chemotherapy-induced peripheral sensory neuropathy (CIPN). As part of the translational neuroscience research initiative at Columbia, Grace collaborated with scientists and physicians from multiple disciplines to develop and use models to elucidate the complex etiology of CIPN.

At OSU, Grace is a founding scientist at the CIPN clinic in Neurology, where she collaborates with clinicians and scientists to bridge basic science research and clinical practice. Her lab aims to understand the underlying mechanisms of painful sensory neuropathy caused by cancer treatment and their potential connections to painful and inflammatory skin disorders. She is passionate about mentoring the next generation of neuroscientists, biomedical scientists, and physician-scientists both within and beyond her laboratory.

Outside the lab, she spends her time in galleries, playing music, and learning about contemporary ceramics with her husband.

STAFF

Tugce Ozyildiz Sert, MD. Visiting Research Fellow (2026 - )

Tugce Ozyildiz Sert, MD, will join the Shin Lab in September 2026. She received her medical degree from Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine in Turkey and is currently a Visiting Research Fellow in the Akkaya Lab in the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology at The Ohio State University. Prior to coming to the United States, she also trained as a Family Medicine resident physician in Turkey.

Tugce’s current research focuses on immunology and intracellular metabolism. She has experience with PBMC and B-cell isolation, PCR and qPCR, flow cytometry and intracellular staining, mouse handling, and data analysis. In the Shin Lab, she is particularly interested in neuroimmunology, neuron-immune interactions, and the peripheral mechanisms underlying pain and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Her broader interests center on understanding how immune signaling influences the nervous system and contributes to neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Surith Krishna, BSc, BA. Former Undergraduate Research Assistant. (2023-2026)

Currently a Master’s student at Harvard University, USA

Surith Krishna graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Neuroscience and a Bachelor of Music with a concentration in vocal performance. His research focused on understanding the toxic side effects of chemotherapy, particularly proteins implicated in exocytosis processes that underlie neuron–immune interactions in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Leveraging the lab’s Drosophila model of CIPN, he investigated the cellular mechanisms of these interactions, and in parallel, collaborates on human clinical trials with Dr. Shin and others to evaluate patient-reported outcome measures and identify biomarkers. Together, these projects aim to advance precision-based medical care for patients undergoing chemotherapy. In addition to his research, Surith is deeply involved in service and leadership at Ohio State. Outside of academics, Surith enjoys singing and going on long bike rides with his husky, Blue.

Vanessa Sims, BSc. Former Undergraduate Research Assistant. (OSU, 2023 - June 2025)

Currently in the Ohio State University College of Optometry Graduate Program in Vision Science

Vanessa graduated from The Ohio State University earning a Bachelor’s of Science in Vision Science with a Spanish minor. She began in the Shin Lab in January 2024 working to develop a novel in vivo model of chemotherapy-induced retinopathy in Drosophila. In her following semesters, she worked with graduate student Callie Barber to understand the mechanisms underlying neuron-immune interactions using the Drosophila model of CIPN.