Ali May

Ali is an Assistant Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Principal Investigator of the May Lab. She completed her PhD at King’s College London, where she studied how airway and salivary glands form during embryogenesis and became fascinated by how complex epithelial structures assemble through branching morphogenesis. She then moved to the University of California, San Francisco for postdoctoral training, where she expanded her work in salivary gland biology and uncovered mechanisms regulating epithelial progenitor cells. During this time, her interests broadened from epithelial cell-intrinsic programs to the surrounding niche, particularly how neuronal interactions influence tissue formation and repair. Today, her lab builds on these experiences to explore how cellular interactions, especially with the immune system, shape organ development, regeneration, and long-term function, while also uncovering how rare epithelial cell types contribute to overall gland biology.

Principal Investigator

Julie Manikas

Julie joined the May Lab as a postdoctoral fellow in Fall 2026. She completed her undergraduate studies at Syracuse University where she investigated how Rab GTPases instruct the formation of cilia. During this time, she developed a passion for confocal microscopy - a technique that aided in her visualization of cilia construction during tissue development. She then pursued her PhD at New York University School of Medicine where she coupled confocal microscopy and genetic techniques to explore how both interacting cell types coordinate successful ‘cell biting’ (trogocytosis). During this time, she developed a strong interest in understanding how different cell types achieve crosstalk to regulate tissue development and maintenance. In the May Lab, her research focuses on understanding how immune cells contribute to salivary gland development.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Graduate Student

Yvonne Lin

Yvonne is a Biomedical Science PhD student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She joined the May Lab in Spring 2024. Yvonne completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Washington, where she majored in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and Comparative Literature. She became fascinated with development and regenerative biology. She then pursued a master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University, where she studied the role of primary cilia in regulating meibomian gland patterning and signaling pathways that contribute to adult meibomian glandular homeostasis. She developed a strong interest in the formation of exocrine glands and the cellular and molecular pathways that regulate their development and maintenance. Currently, her research work in the May Lab focuses on delineating the role of ionocytes in regulating salivary gland development and tissue patterning.

Associate Researcher

Eesha Chattopadhyay

Eesha is an Associate Researcher in the May lab. She completed her undergraduate education in molecular, cell and developmental biology at the University of California, Los Angeles where she studied endothelial cell inflammatory signaling in response to mechanical stimuli. She then completed a post-baccalaureate IRTA fellowship at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, where she studied rare human immunological disease and specifically focused on mechanisms of monogenic inborn errors of immunity. Today, her work in the May Lab uses in vitro glandular culture approaches to define upstream signaling regulators of progenitor cell dynamics and ionocyte differentiation.

Henry Weith

Henry is a 5th year PhD student in the May Lab. He completed his Bachelor's of Engineering at Northeastern University, where he explored a wide variety of research experiences including determining how genes regulate wing patterning and development in tropical butterflies, utilizing principles of fluid dynamics and surface-liquid interactions to make biomedical devices more efficient and safe, and identifying innate immune cell mechanisms that regulate cancer growth. Throughout his time investigating these topics he developed a passion for biological research, particularly concerning cellular interactions regulating crucial processes like development. After joining Mount Sinai as a student in the Development, Regeneration, and Stem Cells Multidisciplinary Training Area he became fascinated by glandular development and the work of the May Lab. His main project focuses on understanding the role of the immune cell niche in regulating processes of development across multiple exocrine organs, with a focus on immune-epithelial interactions.