People

Wallace Marshall, Principal Investigator

Description of project: I'm an electrical engineer by training, but I got interested in how cells solve engineering problems, which I view as fundamentally interesting but also potentially as the key to learning how to harness cells for engineering purposes. My main focus is on how geometry arises within cells, as well as how cells perform computations and behaviors.

Ask me about: Weird unicellular organisms, Quantitative Cell Biology
 
When I'm not doing science, I enjoy: Reading, trying to play the piano, machining, electronics and robotics
 
For more, follow me on Twitter @WallaceUCSF

Hiroaki Ishikawa, Postdoctoral Fellow

Description of project: My general interests are in understanding how cells control the size of their organelles. As a model system for size control, I study cilia/flagella of both cultured mammalian cells and the unicellular green alga, Chlamydomonas using quantitative live-cell imaging and analysis.

Ask me about: Cilia and flagella. Chlamydomonas. Most of general molecular biology, biochemistry and cell biology experiments.
 
When I'm not doing science, I enjoy: Reading, cooking, walking, taking photos, and playing with my son.
 
For more, visit: Linkedin, Google Scholar, Twitter

Mary Mirvis, Postdoctoral Fellow

Description of project: How is the cellular interior organized? I want to understand how the spatial and mechanical interactions between organelles contribute to cytoplasmic patterning in yeast using image-based modeling and biophysical simulations.

Ask me about: (your scientific expertise/interests) - organelles, cytoskeleton, confocal microscopy, live cell imaging, image analysis, cell biology/systems biology

When I'm not doing science I enjoy: reading all kinds of things, yoga, trail running & hanging out in the woods, learning astronomy & stargazing, trying and failing to teach my cat tricks, bullet journaling and calligraphy

For more, visit: TwitterLinkedin, PubMed

Ben Larson, Postdoctoral Fellow
 
Description of project: How do cells control shape and movement to properly execute complex behaviors? To answer this and related questions, I am investigating the coordination of locomotor activity in various ciliates (primarily the unicellular walker Euplotes) and amoebae.
 
Ask me about: protists, microscopy, image analysis, quantitative and exploratory data analysis, biophysics, evolution, cellular biomechanics, cellular behavior, morphogenesis
 
When I'm not doing science, I enjoy: Fishing, playing and listening to music, cooking, and being outside in general
 
 

Ambika Nadkarni, postdoc (joint with Sindy Tang Lab, Dept. Mechanical Engineering, Stanford)

Description of project: mechanism of wound healing in Stentor

 

Ashley Albright, postdoc 
Description of project: ... Stentor
i like weird cells and i cannot lie postdoc
@WallaceUcsf | @SF_IRACDA scholar | PhD @BerkeleyMCB @mbeisen | #FirstGen | UG @UNC_Biology | she/her

 

Ulises Diaz, Tetrad Graduate Student

Description of project: I use imaging and micromanipulation techniques to study dynamics of the cytoskeleton and cytoplasm.  I'm interested in mixing driven by amoeboid motility as well as turnover and re-use of cytoskeletal proteins during Stentor growth and regeneration.  

 

Connie Yan, Tetrad Graduate Student

Description of project: I study the molecular basis of pattern formation and regeneration in Stentor, with a focus on the role of SFI1 proteins and the E2F pathway in controlling the spatial and temporal process of rebuilding cellular structure

Gabriel (Gav) Sturm, Bioengineering Graduate Student

Description of project: How can we improve our mental models of biology with the aid of computer graphics? I am interested in applying the latest 3D modeling softwares developed by the video game and film industries to simulate the structure and dynamics of organelles. Perhaps hidden in the geometry and movements of organelles lies the information that ultimately generates the emergent properties of cells and tissues!
 

Ask me about: animation science, mitochondrial networks, complex-systems theory, energetic scaling laws, and all the ways art can help us do better science.
 

When I’m not doing science I enjoy: rollerblading, meditating, and ruminating about climate change.
 

For more, visit: Twitter, Linkedin, PubMed

Deepa Rajan, MD/PhD student

Description of project: exploring the basis of cognition in cells using Stentor

Jamarc Allen-Henderson, Masters student

Description of project: role of microtubule motor proteins and mitochondria in Stentor regeneration

Raphael Mostov, Undergrad student

Description of project: using graph theory and abstract algebra to understand mitochondrial network geometry

 

 

 

 

Lab Alumni

Former Postdoctoral Fellows

Shigenori Nonaka
Associate Professor, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki Japan

Susanne Rafelski
Deputy Director, Allen Institute for Cell Science (formerly, Assistant Professor of Developmental and Cell Biology, UC Irvine)

Juliette Azimzadeh
Group Leader, Institute Jacques Monod, Paris, France

Nan Tang
Associate Professor, National Institute of Biological Science (NIBS), Beijing, China

Prachee Avasthi
Cofounder and CSO, Arcadia Science (formerly, Associate Professor of Biology, Dartmouth University)

Mark Chan
Assistant Professor, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA

Guillermina Ramirez-San Juan
Assistant Professor, EPFL (formerly assistant professor, Dept. Biology, Brandeis University)

Sarah Reiff
Data curator, 4D Nucleome Data Coordination and Integration Center, Harvard Medical School

Pranidhi Sood
Computational Biologist, Calico

Tatyana Makushok
Computatinal scientist - Altos Labs

Former Graduate Students

Jessica Feldman
Associate Professor, Dept. Biology, Stanford University

Benjamin Engel
Assistant Professor, University of Basel, Switzerland

Will Ludington
Assistant Professor, Dept. Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Baltimore MD

Mark Slabodnick
Assistant Professor, Dept. Biology, Knox College

Lani Keller
Wu Tsai Endowed Chair of Science, Bishops School, La Jolla,CA

Zachary Apte
Founder and CSO of uBiome

Kim Wemmer
Senior Scientist, Zymogen

Elisa Kannegaard
Former Grad Student

Jacob Kimmel
Founder and Head of Research, NewLimit

Amy Chang
Computational Biologist, UC Laboratory for Genomics Research, San Francisco, CA

Athena Lin
Staff Scientist, Lucira

David Bauer
Software Developer, Image Analysis, BioRad

Nathan Hendel
Software engineer, Bio-rad

Rebecca McGillivary
Postdoc, UC Davis, Starr/Luxton group

Karina Perlaza
Staff Scientist, Chan Zuckerberg Biohub

Erik Navarro
Computational Biologist, Altos Labs

Greyson Lewis
Computational Biologist, UC Laboratory for Genomics Reseach

 

Former post-bac students

PhD Student, UCSF
 
Masters Student, SFSU
 
PhD Student, UC Davis
 
PhD Student, University of Michigan
 
Christopher Baker
PhD UCSF, now Scientist II, Amyris