Recent Departures from the lab:
Joshua Babiarz
Current Position: Senior Molecular Biologist, Lifecode Inc.
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Where they are now: Josh was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Blelloch lab from 2007-2009. He is currently a Senior Molecular Biologist at Lifecode, Inc. LinkedIn
Ryan Boileau
Current Position: Post-Doctoral Fellow, Duke University
Previous Position: Graduate Student, DSCB
Where they are now: As an undergraduate at the University of Oregon Ryan developed a passion for science by conducting research in a couple of labs: First studying human muscle metabolism in Hans Dreyer’s lab and then investigating mechanisms of asymmetric cell division in the lab of Ken Prehoda. After graduation, he moved to the Bay Area to work as a technician with David Bilder at UC Berkeley exploring the intersection of cell polarity and epithelial tumorigenesis in Drosophila. As a member of the DSCB graduate program and the Blelloch Lab Ryan was interested in the mechanisms of transcriptional regulation that govern cell fate transitions. Outside of the lab he enjoys running, climbing, reading, concert(ing), chips&salsa, and being from Portland, OR, before it was cool. In July 2023 Ryan joined Dr. Emma Chory's research group at Duke University. Linkedin
Amy Chen
Current Position: Principal Scientist, Genentech
Previous Position: Graduate Student - BMS
Where they are now: Amy was born in New York City but grew up in Vancouver, BC where she enjoyed Canadian privileges such as poutine, ketchup-flavoured chips, and cheap tuition. While studying molecular biology and biochemistry at Simon Fraser University, she performed research on alternative splicing in C. elegans and mechanisms of breast cancer drug resistance. She then ventured south of the border and enrolled in the Biomedical Sciences program at UCSF, where she is currently a graduate student in the Blelloch lab. Her work focuses on epigenetic regulation of embryonic stem cell differentiation. When not in lab, she enjoys watching TV, rock climbing, reading, practicing yoga, and baking. LinkedIn
Matthew Cook
Current Position: Executive Director, Strategic Projects Gilead Sciences
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Where they are now: Matt was a postdoctoral fellow in the Blelloch lab. He is currently working as an executive director in strategic projects at Gilead Sciences. Check out Matt's LinkedIn page for the most up-to-date information. Linkedin
Brian DeVeale
Current Position: Assistant Professor, University of Windsor
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Where they are now: Brian grew up a mediocre hockey player in Toronto, although, in retrospect, he thinks advanced metrics would be kind to his contribution. He did his undergraduate studies in Life Sciences at Queen's University (Seroude lab) and then went on to do a PhD in Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto (van der Kooy lab). For his graduate work, he studied lineage specification and genomic imprinting in early embryos. His post-doctoral research interests were to genetically dissect the relationship between the establishment of phasic transcription and lineage specification during development. His studies were supported by a CIHR fellowship (2014-17) and an NIH R21(2017-22. When not in the lab, he enjoys spending time with his family, especially outdoors. Brian has started his independent career as a Principal Investigator at the University of Windsor in Canada in 2022. Website | Linkedin
Jacob Freimer
Current Position: Computational Scientist, Genentech
Previous Position: Graduate Student - DSCB Program
Where they are now: Jake was a DSCB Graduate student in the Blelloch lab from 2012-2018. As a post-doctoral fellow he was co-mentored by Dr. Alex Marson at UCSF and Dr. Jonathan Pritchard at Stanford. He joined Genentech as a computational scientist in 2022. LinkedIn
Qi Fu
Current Position: Consultant
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Where they are now: Qi was a postdoctoral Fellow in the lab from Summer of 2016 until the Fall of 2018. Linkedin
Tayma Handal MS, BS
Current Position: Graduate Student, UCSF
Previous Position: Junior Specialist
Where they are now: Tayma is a Palestinian from Jerusalem. She completed a bachelor’s of Biotechnology and then pursued her Master’s in Human Genetics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. During her Master’s she uncovered the role of differentiation as a molecular lock for the epigenetic landscape of the DM1 locus in hESCs. Tayma joined the Blelloch Lab as a Junior Specialist in 2022. She was primarily focused on dissecting the role of miR291 and miR302 target genes in ES proliferation. She is also focused on understanding the origin of asymmetry in the human chorion. Outside of the lab, Tayma enjoys hiking, contemporary dancing and reading books. Tayma was accepted into a graduate program at UCSF starting in the fall of 2023. Linkedin
TJ Hu
Current Position: Consultant at The Boston Consulting Group
Previous Position: Graduate Student - BMS Program
Where they are now: TJ was a graduate student in the BMS program from 2012-2017 He had broad interests in the tumor microenvironment as well as membrane trafficking. TJ is now a consultant with Boston Consulting Group. LinkedIn
Robert Judson
Current Position: Sandler Research Fellow, UCSF
Previous Position: Graduate Student - BMS
Where they are now: Rob was a BMS Graduate student in the Blelloch Lab from 2007-2012. He is currently a Sandler Faculty Fellow at UCSF. Linkedin
Raga Krishnakumar
Current Position: Bioinformatician
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Where they are now: Raga is currently a Bioinformatician with Sandia National Laboratories. Linkedin
Arthur Liu
Current Position: Post-doctoral Fellow MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston
Previous Position: Junior Specialist
Where they are now: Arthur was an undergraduate volunteer and then Junior Specialist in the lab before heading to graduate school at The University of Texas – Houston. Linkedin
Bryan Marsh
Current Position: Post-doctoral Fellow, Genentech
Previous Position: Graduate Student - DSCB
Where they are now: Bryan Marsh was a DSCB graduate student in the Blelloch lab from 2017-2022. He is currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Genentech in San Francisco. Linkedin
Collin Melton
Current Position: Associate Director Bioinformatics and Data Science, Grail Inc.
Previous Position: Graduate Student - BMS
Where they are now: Collin was a graduate student in the Blelloch Lab from 2005-2011. After completing a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Stanford University in Michael Snyder's lab, Collin join the bioinformatics team at Grail, Inc. Linkedin
Alireza Paikari
Current Position: Pathologist, The Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Where they are now: After receiving his MD from Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Arash entered the pathologist fellowship at the same university. He studied the role of mir-290 in development of mouse extra-embryonic tissue as a post-doctoral fellow in the Blelloch Lab from 2014-2017. He is currently a Research pathologist at the Julius Maximilioans University of Wurzburg in Germany. Linkedin
Ronald Parchem
Current Position: Assistant Professor
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Where they are now: Ronald Parchem was a Postdoctoral fellow in the Blelloch Lab from 2009-2015. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Ron has a profile in LinkedIn. Linkedin
Mauro Poggio
Current Position: Scientist
Previous Position: Graduate Student, Postdoctoral Fellow
Where they are now: Mauro joined the lab in the winter of 2017; after receiving his PhD he stayed on as a Postdoctoral Fellow. Mauro left the lab in the Fall of 2019 to explore opportunities in the biotechnology industry. Linkedin
Carolyn Sangokoya
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Pathology & Institute for Regeneration Medicine, UCSF
Previous Position: Adjunct Instructor, Pathology | [email protected]
Where they are now: Carolyn was a clinical instructor and research fellow in the UCSF Pathology Physician-Scientist Program pathway. She completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford University studying Human Biology with a concentration in molecular genetics. She then went on to earn both her MD and PhD through the Medical Scientist Training Program at Duke University School of Medicine. For her graduate work, she trained in the lab of Jen-Tsan Ashley Chi in the Duke Program for Genetics and Genomics, gaining expertise in RNA biology, genomic approaches to the discovery and functional analysis of microRNAs, and the elucidation of biological roles for microRNAs in human biology and disease. For her graduate thesis, she developed methods for the isolation and characterization of microRNA expression in human erythrocytes (red blood cells) and studied cellular stress response in erythrocytes in sickle cell anemia, with findings contributing to the biological basis for clinical trials for new treatments. At UCSF, Carolyn has completed her residency and fellowship training in anatomic and surgical pathology with a focus on liver/gastrointestinal disease and has returned to the lab to focus on her interest in stem cell biology and mapping post-transcriptional RNA-binding regulatory networks in dynamic cell states, specifically within the embryonic stem cell fate transition. Profile | Pathology | Research | Linkedin
Archana Shenoy
Current Position: Bioinformatics, Grail Inc.
Previous Position: Graduate Student - Neuroscience Program
Where they are now: Archana Shenoy transferred to the Blelloch Lab in 2009 to study the role of microRNAs in differentiation. She defended her thesis in May 2014 and stayed on in the capacity of a Post-doctoral fellow leading the analysis of a number of microRNA sequencing projects. Archana received a Master's degree in biomedical informatics at Stanford University in 2018 and is now working for Grail, inc. as a Bioinformatics Scientist. Linkedin
Mayya Shveygert
Current Position: Senior Regulatory Writer, Amgen
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Where they are now: Mayya was a postdoctoral fellow in the lab studying the role of microRNAs in beta-cell differentiation and diabetes from January 2013 until November 2015. In 2015 she took a position at Amgen as a Senior Regulatory Writing Associate. Linkedin
Jason Mark Soriano, BS
Junior Specialist, PROPEL scholar | [email protected]
Jason is a Junior Specialist in the Blelloch Lab and a post-baccalaureate scholar and Advisory Council member in the UCSF PROPEL Program. He completed his undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley where he studied Molecular Environmental Biology and Global Public Health. As an undergraduate student, Jason developed a keen interest in disease biology having conducted research on arboviral disease vectors, including mosquitoes in Moorea, French Polynesia during his semester abroad, and kissing bugs, the vector for Chagas Disease, during his summer in the University of Georgia REU Program. Needless to say, he was bitten by the bug—the research bug that is. It wasn't until the COVID-19 pandemic hit during his last two years of his undergraduate education that he decided to pursue the career path of becoming a physician scientist to combine his interests in basic research, medicine, and public health. In pursuit of these aspirations, Jason joined the Blelloch Lab in 2022 to spend his gap years training under the guidance and mentorship of multiple physician scientists prior to applying to MD-PhD programs. He is primarily focused on cancer immunology and the role of exosomes in disease progression with a particular interest in developing cancer vaccines. When not in the lab, he enjoys running, shooting film photography, consuming coffee, taking care of his houseplants, and watching movies! Linkedin
Deepa Subramanyam
Current Position: Principal Investigator
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Where they are now: Deepa was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Blelloch lab from 2006-2011. She is now a Principal Investigator in at the National Centre for Cell Science in Pune India. Linkedin | Website
Monica Venere
Current Position: Assistant Professor
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Where they are now: Monica was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Blelloch Lab from 2006-2009. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Ohio State University in the Department of Radiation Oncology. Monica has a LinkedIn profile where you can read more about her current interests. Linkedin
John Vincent
Current Position: Scientist
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Where they are now: John was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Blelloch Lab from 2013-2014. He is currently a Scientist at Guardant Health. Linkedin
Yangming Wang
Current Position: Professor, Principal Investigator
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Where they are now: Yangming was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Blelloch Lab from 2006-2010. He is currently a Professor at Peking University. Linkedin | Website
Julia Ye
Current Position: UCSF Pathology Resident
Previous Position: Graduate Student - MSTP, BMS Programs
Where they are now: Julia is currently a resident in Pathology at UCSF. Julia was an MD/PhD student at UCSF from 2010-2019. She graduated from Harvard College in 2010 with an A.B. in Molecular and Cellular Biology, and she joined the Blelloch lab in 2012, defending her thesis in 2017. Julia studied the post-transcriptional regulation of cell fate transitions into and out of pluripotency for her graduate studies. In her spare time, she runs a high school science research program and plays the violin in a community orchestra. She also enjoys practicing yoga, drinking boba, and watching reality TV. Linkedin
Betty Zhao
Current Position: Scientist
Previous Position: Technician
Where they are now: Betty joined the lab in 2015 in technical support. She has moved on as a scientist in a local biotech firm. Linkedin
Xin Zhou
Current Position: Postdoc/Resident at Department of Pediatric Dentistry, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University
Previous Position: Graduate Student - Visiting Student
Where they are now: Xin was a visiting scholar from Sichuan University where she was a PhD candidate in a DDS/PhD program. She studied miRNA control of pancreatic beta cell biology for her doctoral thesis in the Blelloch Lab from 2013-2017. She returned to Sichuan University where she is now a Post-doctoral fellow and Resident at the West China Hospital of Stomatology. LinkedIn