Our Team


  • Kotaro Sasaki, MD, PhD

    • Kotaro Sasaki MD-PhD-Sasaki Lab copyKotaro Sasaki received his MD and PhD from Hokkaido University in 2005 and Kyoto University in 2017, respectively. He is a board certified anatomic pathologist, completed anatomic pathology residency at the University of Pittsburgh in 2011 and renal pathology fellowship at the University of Washington in 2012. Prior to joining the University of Pennsylvania, he completed a postdoc training at Mitinori Saitou Lab at Kyoto University, Japan. His major research interest involves the understanding the molecular mechanisms of human germ cell and gonadal development using single cell genomics and their in vitro reconstitution using pluripotent stem cells. 

  • Michinori Mayama, MD
    • Michinori Mayama, MD-Sasaki Lab Education
      • MD - School of Medicine, Hokkaido University
      • PhD - Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University (to be conferred June 2021)
    • Professional Experience
      • 2021- Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Pennsylvania
      • 2018 – 2021: Department of Obstetrics, Hokkaido University Hospital
      • 2017 - 2018: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oji General Hospital
      • 2011 – 2017: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, TOYOTA Memorial Hospital
  • Yasunari Seita, PhD
      • Yasunari Seita PhD-Sasaki Lab copyEducation
        • PhD - Veterinary Science, Azabu University, Japan
        • MS - Veterinary Science, Azabu University, Japan
        • BSc - Veterinary Science, Azabu University, Japan
      • Professional Experience
        • 2019 - Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Pennsylvania.
        • 2016 - 2019: Research Lecturer, Department of Stem Cells and Human Disease Models, Research Center for Animal Life Science, Shiga University of Medical Science
        • 2014 - 2016: Project Assistant Professor. Department of Stem Cells and Human Disease Models, Research Center for Animal Life Science, Shiga University of Medical Science
        • 2009 - 2014: Postdoctoral fellow. Division of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (Chi-Wei Lu lab)
  • John Hargy
    • John Hargy Education
      • BS Biology – Southern Adventist University (expected 2025)
    • Professional Experience
      • 2023: Research Assistant, Sasaki Lab, University of Pennsylvania
      • 2022: Research Assistant, Thomas Jefferson University
  • Shikha Singh
    • Shikha Singh Education
      • PhD - Department of Biological Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Japan
      • Master’s - Department of Biological Science, Banasthali  Vidhyapith, India
    • Professional Experience
      • 2016-2018 – Project Assistant, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, India

Alumni of the Lab

  • Yuka Sakata, PhD
  • Young Sun Hwang, PhD
  • Keren Cheng, PhD
  • Taku Moriwaki, DVM
  • Ian Paez

Interested in Joining the Sasaki Lab Team?

We are always looking for enthusiastic and creative people to come work with us. We welcome students and postdocs with diverse background regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, age, gender identity and sexual orientation. If you are interested in joining the lab, please contact the principal investigator, Dr. Kotaro Sasaki.

– Now Hiring –

Post-doctoral Positions

Ph.D. and/or M.D. scientists trained in any fields of biology are welcome. Candidates with a background of bioinformatics/computational biology are particularly encouraged to apply. Read the full description for the post-doctoral positions (PDF)...

Any interested individuals should send their CV and a summary of research accomplishments to: ksasaki@upenn.edu