Current Lab Members
Principal Investigator
I was born and raised in Florence, Italy from an Italian/Argentinian mother and a French/Armenian father. I studied and trained in Italy, Australia, Switzerland (PhD) and USA (Postdoc). I lead an academic laboratory at the Gladstone Institutes/UCSF which studies gene regulation in heart disease. I teach theater at Improv at UCSF, a non-profit association that trains scientists to develop their communication skills, spontaneity and leadership through improvisational theater. In my free time, I love to enjoy the wonderful San Francisco with my family and friends.
Yuqian An
Postdoctoral Scholar
I received my PhD from Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China (2016-2022), where I studied neuroinflammation and senescence in Alzheimer’s disease and found novel drugs. I joined the Alexanian Lab in 2023, where I am studying immunometabolism and neuroinflammatory pathways in cardiovascular diseases. I also want to detect cell-cell connection including muscle, immune and vascular cells in cardiovascular disease.
Vee Xu
Research Engineer
I worked in international co-production film and media technology before migrating back to a science research journey. To ensure a smooth transition and to improve scientific literacy, I interned at UCSF through the CCSF biotechnology program, working on protein screening and single-cell microfluidics. I completed my undergrad in engineering and economics from Smith College and Graduate Certificates in Film Studies and Big Data Analysis from Beijing Film Academy and UIBE. I am very excited to be a part of the Alexanian Lab as a research engineer.
Junedh Amrute
Visiting Scientist
I am a cardiovascular physician-scientist in training interested in reverse translation and mechanistically guided therapeutic discovery at the intersection of inflammation, epigenetics, and fibrosis in cardiovascular disease. I studied bioengineering at Caltech and am currently a MD-PhD student at the Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine. During my PhD with Kory Lavine/Nate Stitziel I studied immune-fibroblast cross-talk in heart failure and cardiac recovery and mapping human genetic variants in coronary artery disease. Moving forward, I am interested in using multi-omic technologies, computational tools, and animal models to study immune-fibroblast cross-talk in heart failure, epigenetic regulators of inflammation and fibrosis, and mapping genetic variants to causal pathways in CVD for drug discovery.
Rangarajan Nadadur
Postdoctoral Scholar
Rajiv grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, where his career aspirations eventually led him to pursue a path as a physician-scientist. After earning his undergraduate degree at MIT, he joined the MD/PhD program at the University of Chicago, completing his PhD in Dr. Ivan Moskowitz’s lab. His research focused on transcription factor interactions, gene regulatory networks in cardiac conduction, and their role in arrhythmias.
Following his training, Rajiv moved to UCSF for Internal Medicine Residency and Cardiology Fellowship. Now, as a member of the Alexanian Lab, he combines functional genomics with molecular and physiological approaches to investigate the role of inflammation and fibrosis in heart failure. He is passionate about translating these insights into novel therapies and advancing patient care.
Haiwei Zhang
Research Associate
I am Haiwei Zhang, and I’m originally from Shanghai, China. I recently graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology, where I developed a strong interest in transcriptional regulation and the powerful genetic tools used to study such mechanisms. I’m excited to investigate gene regulation in the context of heart failure as part of the Alexanian Lab.
Outside the lab, I enjoy climbing, hiking, exploring new foods around the Bay Area, and chilling with my cat.
Brindha Rathinasabapathi
Graduate Student - DSCB Program
I’m a PhD student in the Developmental and Stem Cell Biology program, with a particular interest in understanding molecular mechanisms that drive disease states. I’m originally from Gainesville, FL and moved to Boston, MA to complete my B.S. in Biology at MIT. As an undergraduate researcher in the Boyer Lab, I studied the role of histone variants in cardiac development. I’m excited to continue my study of the heart in the Alexanian Lab, focusing on the epigenetic regulation of cardiovascular disease & fibrosis. Outside of work, I enjoy making music, reading, and exploring the city!
Emma Straight
Administrative Associate
I am a recent graduate from Santa Clara University, where I studied Psychology and Public Health. Throughout college, I gained valuable experience working as an RA in a psychology lab and serving as a student assistant for the public health department and school of law. Outside of work, I have a passion for film photography, live music, surfing, exercise, and travel.
Alumni Lab Members
Vivek Nalluri, Student Intern | Current role: Student, UC Berkeley
Kirsten Auclair, Lab Manager | Current role: Administrative Assistant @ MIT Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research
Ada Zhu, Research Associate | Current role: Student at MIT
Stephen Wu, CIRM Intern
The Collaborators
The absolute most fun part of being a scientist is the enormous possibility to develop collaborative work at various institutions across the word. Our lab is strongly committed to a culture of collaboration and we feel honored to work with such creative scientists both in academia and industry.
