Diego Calderon

Principal Investigator

Diego received his B.A. from Wesleyan University and then did his Ph.D. research on the genetics underlying complex traits at Stanford University. Intrigued by massively parallel molecular biology, he then went on to become a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington, where he led projects involving the computational analysis of large-scale single-cell data and developed new massively parallel reporter assays to investigate gene regulation. In 2024, Diego joined UCSF as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences.

Outside of lab, Diego can be found jogging and engrossed in his latest audiobook, while liberally sending kudos on Strava. Currently, he’s finished listening to ‘Dawnshed’, and is starting ‘Rhythm of War’, which are both part of Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive series. He’s also has started the first few pages of ‘The Eight Day of Creation’ and just finished ‘The Ministry of Time’.

Kina Atkin-Yamaguchi

Lab Manager

I am the Lab Manager at the Calderon Lab and a Junior Specialist in the PROPEL Program at UCSF. My responsibilities in the lab include general lab operations and research. I obtained my General Biology (B.S.) Degree from the University of Washington in 2024 and worked as a Laboratory Technician at the Shendure Lab in the Department of Genome Sciences during my time there. I conducted plant genetics research at Hokkaido University in the Miwa Lab as a Special Auditor in the Department of Biology. My goal is to attend graduate school to obtain a PhD in a field related to genetics and genomics.

In my free time, I love to run, hike, read at coffee shops, bake, and spend time with my friends and family. My favorite place to visit is Japan!

Madeline Chertkow

PhD student (BioE)

I am a Ph.D. student in the Bioengineering joint program between UC Berkeley and UCSF. My research interests include understanding how oncogenic progression impacts cell state. I am building a tool that we can use to investigating whether the consequences that stem from titrated oncogeneic events can be encoded within a cell’s “memory”. I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics from UCSC. I am a 2023 UCSF SRTP alumni. Outside of lab, I enjoy trying new food, expanding my wine palette, reading, cooking, and exploring the city.

Rashad Reid Jr.

PhD student (BMI)

I am a Ph.D. student in the Biological and Medical Informatics program at UCSF. I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Temple University. As an undergraduate, I conducted research in Dr. Vincent Voelz’s lab in the Department of Chemistry, where I worked on several projects revolving around the main protease of SARS-CoV-2. I also participated in a summer research experience at UC Santa Cruz in Dr. Russell Corbett-Detig’s lab, where we used phylogenetic trees to identify mutations associated with the extinction of viral lineages. When I’m not doing science, I enjoy walking, hiking, and playing video games.

Peter Lu

Purchasing Analyst and Asset Custodian

I am a Purchasing Analyst and Asset Custodian for Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences. I also provide administrative support for Dr. Calderon, Dr. Ahituv and Dr. Giacomini/Chen.

In my free time, I like fishing and biking around the city.

Erin Ahern

Rotation student (BioE) Spring 2026

I am a first-year PhD student in the Joint Bioengineering Program at UCSF and UC Berkeley. I earned my B.A. in Biophysics from Columbia University in 2024. As an undergraduate researcher and postbaccalaureate fellow in the Glasgow Lab at Columbia, I worked on computational protein design projects, where I developed an interest in engineering binder proteins for therapeutic applications. In the Calderon Lab, I am excited to pursue a computational genomics project using machine learning to integrate MPRA and cell context data to predict enhancer activity of cis-regulatory elements. Outside of research, I enjoy running, hiking, and biking!

Uma Paithankar

Rotation student (BioE) Spring 2026

I am a PhD student in the UC Berkeley – UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering. I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with my B.A. in Biology: Genomics and Computational Biology.

Following graduation, I worked in Dr. Shannon Stott’s laboratory at Mass General Cancer Center. In the Stott Lab, I employed microfluidic methods for isolating extracellular vesicles (EVs) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from biofluids to investigate their utility as biomarkers for cancer monitoring. I also took on analyses of EV RNA sequencing data in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection, exploring how EV cargo may reflect patient clinical outcomes.

For my PhD, I am broadly interested in applying microfluidic and single-cell multi-omics tools to uncover novel biological insights with implications for human health. Outside lab, I enjoy the New York Times puzzles, discovering new cafes, chasing Bay Area sunsets, and spending time with friends and family.

Teerithveen Pasricha

Rotation student (BioE) Spring 2026

I am a first-year Ph.D. student in the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Bioengineering program. I received my B.S. in Bioengineering and Biochemistry from Northeastern University. While in Boston, I worked under Dr. Hao Wu at Harvard Medical School studying structure-function relationships in the NLRP3 inflammasome during innate immune responses and later gained industry experience at Sigilon Therapeutics and Takeda Pharmaceuticals. After graduating, I joined Tevard Biosciences, where I developed in vitro screening strategies to identify suppressor tRNA sequences capable of bypassing premature termination codons. My graduate research interests relate to gene therapy, with the goal of designing programmable systems to modulate gene expression profiles that correct genetic disorders. Outside of research, I enjoy dancing, weightlifting, and reading.

Shona Park

Laboratory Assistant

I am a Laboratory Technician in the Calderon Lab and a sophomore undergraduate student at UC Berkeley, majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology. In my role, I support ongoing research by assisting with day-to-day laboratory operations, including preparing reagents, maintaining lab organization, and carrying out experimental tasks essential to data collection and analysis. Through this position, I hope to strengthen my technical skills, deepen my understanding of experimental design, and gain hands-on exposure to the research process in a collaborative scientific environment.

In my free time, I enjoy reading, traveling, exploring new coffee shops, and taking Pilates classes.

Join our team!

The lab is looking to recruit talented inviduals interested in joining our science community. If the following roles don’t apply to you, and you’re still interested in joining, feel free to reach out and we’ll figure something out.

Graduate students. Applicants should be accepted through one of UCSF’s graduate programs. Still, I encourage you to reach out before submitting an application because I can I advise you on what might be the most relevant program. Potential rotation students should contact Diego to discuss. A typical ~10 week rotation, will include:

• A rotation project that we collaboratively choose to blend your interests with the interests of the lab, along with mentor availability.
• An initial short lab meeting (5 min) to introduce yourself and your rotation project.
• Scheduled weekly meetings with Diego to update him on your research and career.
• A final lab meeting presentation.

Postdocs. Reach out to Diego with a bit about yourself and your science interests, along with a CV or resume. Promising postdoc candidates will be expected to provide contact information for references. We are happy to submit any paperwork on behalf of the lab for any postdoctoral fellowships.

Environment. Our lab aims to be composed of a unique mix of smart, interactive people from a wide range of personal backgrounds and scientific backgrounds, including genetics/genomics, biology, and quantitative fields like CS/math/stats. My goal is that everyone should have the resources and support that they need to be successful.