Tien Peng, MD

Principal Investigator

tien.peng@ucsf.edu

Tien grew up in Taiwan and Virginia. He trained in Baltimore, New York, and Philadelphia before moving to California. His favorite hiking trail is the Marin Headland Coastal Trail, but he mostly spends weekends driving his kids to sports activities.

Nancy Allen, MD, PhD

Clinical Fellow

nancy.allen@ucsf.edu

Nancy grew up in San Francisco, California. She completed her MD and PhD at Yale University where she investigated the role of circadian clock genes in controlling heterogeneity of the immune response. She is currently a fellow in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. In her free time her favorite activity is horseback riding.

Tsukasa Kadota, MD, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar

tsukasa.kadota@ucsf.edu

Tsukasa was born in Tokyo, Japan. He completed his M.D. and Ph.D. at The Jikei University School of Medicine, investigating the role of extracellular vesicles in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. In his free time, he jogs, does Karate, and spends a lot of time with his family.

Ritusree Biswas, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar

ritusree.biswas@ucsf.edu

Ritusree grew up in Kolkata, India. She completed her Ph.D. at the Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore, India. During her Ph.D., she investigated the mechanism of how skin stem cells are maintained in the quiescent state and what role mechanotransducers play as a niche factor in this process. Ritusree loves to travel, swim, play badminton, create artworks and dance.

Sang Ho Woo, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar

sangho.woo@ucsf.edu

Sang Ho came from Seoul, South Korea. He completed his Ph.D. at Seoul National University. During his Ph.D., he investigated the role of vascular smooth muscle cells in atherosclerotic calcification and its underlying mechanisms. Outside the lab, Sang Ho enjoys running, playing tennis, and trying a new menu in San Francisco’s restaurant that he never had before.

Andrew Lechner, MD, PhD

Clinical Fellow

andrew.lechner@ucsf.edu

Andrew grew up in Saint Louis, Missouri, though has deep California roots. During his undergraduate time at UCLA, he fell in love with stem cells. He then completed his combined MD/PhD degree at UCSF where he studied the role of the immune system in lung regeneration. He is now a Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (PCCM) Fellow here and hopes to grow new lungs. He is a partner to Narges, a recent UCSF PCCM graduate, and father to 2 beautiful boys, Leo and Aria. He loves soccer, singing, sunshine and reading.

Sophie Phipps

Junior Research Specialist

sophie.phipps@ucsf.edu

Sophie is from Portland, Maine, and a recent graduate of Brown University where she studied neuroscience. At Brown, her research surrounded the molecular mechanisms of synapse formation in Drosophila melanogaster. Sophie plans to pursue a Ph.D. following her time as a technician, with broad research interests across molecular mechanisms of disease, especially as related to the immune system, endocrine system, and cancer. In her free time Sophie loves trying new restaurants, hiking, and photography.

Qian Ren, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar

qian.ren@ucsf.edu

Qian is originally from Guizhou, China. She earned her Ph.D. at the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. During her doctoral training, she focused on the role of immune cells in bone repair and regeneration, and explored how mechanosensation influences the fate commitment of musculoskeletal stem cells. Beyond the lab, she enjoys reading both novels and non-fiction works. She finds pure joy at creative stationary and good vacuum cleaners.

Jessie Sotelo

Junior Research Specialist

jessie.sotelo@ucsf.edu

Jessie is from Brentwood, California. She recently graduated from UCLA where she studied microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics. During her time at UCLA she conducted research at Cedars-Sinai, investigating the diversity of presynaptic composition across neuronal populations, linking it to neurotransmitter release properties and protein homeostasis. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, crocheting and reading.