Interested in our research? Contact Dr. Tomida to learn about current opportunities. 🙂
Dr. Junya Tomida joined the UNC Charlotte Department of Biological Sciences in 2018, where his research focuses on the fundamental mechanisms of DNA repair and DNA damage response pathway choice. His long-term research goals are to translate basic discoveries into better outcomes for patients with cancer or rare genetic diseases.
Dr. Tomida’s expertise in protein complex methods led to the 2011 discovery of FAM35A, a gene frequently deleted in prostate cancer. This work uncovered a previously unknown signaling axis involving REV7, leading his team to define REV7 as a novel regulator of DSB-induced p53 signaling (Cell Cycle, 2024). Most recently, his lab identified REV7 as a key negative regulator of ATR activity through its direct interaction with ATRIP (Nucleic Acids Research, 2026). The REV7-ATRIP-ATR axis provides a new framework for understanding how cells regulate ATR activity and determine cell fate following DNA damage.
Prior to UNC Charlotte, Dr. Tomida was an instructor at MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he characterized the biochemical interactions of human DNA polymerase zeta (pol ζ). He earned his Ph.D. and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Kyoto University’s Radiation Biology Center in Japan, focusing on translesion DNA synthesis and Fanconi anemia.
Current Graduate Students
Ph.D. candidate
(Fall 2023 – present)
Ph.D. candidate
(Fall 2025 – present)
Current Undergraduate Students
Lauren Feltz (Fall 2025 – present)
Cooper Williamson (Fall 2025 – present)
Simran Bali (Fall 2025 – present)
Ava Nicoletti (Spring 2024 – present)
Former members: Thank you for your hard work! 🙂
Graduate Alumnae
Sara Kabir, M.S. (2022-2023)
Megan Biller, M.S. (2020-2022)
Parul, M.S. (2019-2021)
Past Undergraduates
Jade Moran (2025)
Rama Baidas (2024-2025)
Serene Alsaaidah (2024)
Paola Adame (2024)
Skyler Kuncik, Honors (2023-2025)
Yara Kayali, Honors (2023-2025)
Dylan Riddle (2023)
Sarah Nipper, Honors (2022-2024)
Alexandra (Alex) Saffa (2022-2023)
Ariella Tal (2021-2023)
Nayeli Chowdhury (2021)
Salem Tedder (2021)
Ronya Alhumaidi (2020-2022)
Katherine Norman, Honors (2020-2021)
Jayline Zavala, Honors (2020-2021)
Summer Bond (2019-2021)
LoriAnn Bobins (2019-2020)
Kylie Fackrell, Honors (2019-2020)
Tirtha Patel (2019)
Angela Duong (2019)