Rate My Professor Rong Lu

Rong Lu is Professor of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Biomedical Engineering, Medicine, and Gerontology at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. She joined USC in 2014 as an assistant professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, earned tenure and promotion to associate professor, and was elevated to full professor in February 2026. Lu earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Lanzhou University, followed by a PhD in molecular biology from Princeton University, where she first engaged with stem cell research. She completed postdoctoral training in Irving Weissman’s laboratory at Stanford University, developing pioneering genetic barcoding methods combined with high-throughput sequencing to track individual hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in vivo. She also serves as faculty director of the USC Flow Cytometry Facility and leads the Rong Lu Lab within USC Stem Cell.

The Lu Lab investigates stem cell heterogeneity, regulation, and coordination from a single-cell perspective, primarily using mouse HSCs to model blood production. Employing integrated approaches from molecular biology, cell biology, systems biology, bioengineering, and bioinformatics, her research elucidates clonal dynamics, lineage commitment pathways, gene expression-blood cell production links, and age-associated immune regeneration imbalances. Seminal publications include “Dissecting self-renewal in stem cells with RNA interference” (Nature, 2006), “Tracking single hematopoietic stem cells in vivo using high-throughput sequencing in conjunction with viral genetic barcoding” (Nature Biotechnology, 2011), “Clonal tracking of rhesus macaque hematopoiesis highlights a distinct lineage origin for natural killer cells” (Cell Stem Cell, 2014), “Clonal-level lineage commitment pathways of hematopoietic stem cells in vivo” (PNAS, 2019), and “Quantitative association between gene expression and blood cell production of individual hematopoietic stem cells in mice” (Science Advances, 2024). These works have advanced insights into leukemia origins, HSC aging, and therapeutic targets. Lu has received the NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award (2024, with Michael B. Elowitz), NIH Emerging Investigator Award (2020, $6.6 million R35), and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Scholar award, underscoring her impact on regenerative medicine.