People

Dr. Clelland is a physician scientist. As a neurologist she treats patients with cognitive symptoms and dementia in the UCSF Memory & Aging Center. As a scientist she is devoted to developing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and the patients she sees in clinic, and mentoring trainees and students. She is parent of two young children.

Dr. Clelland grew up in a small town in Oregon. She graduate from the University of Portland with a BA in biology and a BS in Philosophy. She completed her PhD through an international collaboration she established between Rusty Gage's lab at the Salk Institute and Roger Barker's lab at the Cambridge Centre for Brain Repair. She then went on to medical school at UCLA and residency at UCSF in neurology. Her graduate work was funded by a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Fellowship for high achieving low-income students and a Marshall's Scholarship from the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission.

About science she says: “Understanding the human brain is the next great scientific frontier. Our lab thrives in the Bay Area surrounded by our collaborators and fellow leaders in CRISPR technologies and dementia research, the rich biotech and venture culture, and from the dedication of the amazing trainees that strive to further our shared vision of curing diseases of the brain."

Sally is originally from Sweden, though has lived in the UK (Scotland and England) for many years. She carried out her PhD work in the Isaacs lab at UCL, with a scholarship from the UK Medical Research Council, investigating C9orf72-associated ALS/FTD mainly in patient-derived iPSC-motor neurons. After completing her PhD in June 2022, Sally started a postdoctoral position in the Clelland lab and has chosen to work on therapies for FTD associated with genetic mutations, such as GRN.

The closely connected and collaborative scientific and clinical communities at UCSF attracted Sally, since she aspires to conduct neuroscience research with high clinical impact, and to work more closely with families affected by neurodegenerative diseases. Outside of work, she enjoys travelling, hiking and exploring, home microbiology (e.g. making sourdough bread and kombucha) and creating and experiencing art preferably together with others.

Sally is also a talented artist. Check out her neuron art! https://innercinema.co.uk/

Qiujian was born in Kunming, China. She acquired two master’s degrees, one from Kunming Medical University (China) and one from Newcastle University (UK). She completed her PhD at Fudan University, China. She is a licensed practicing physician with the specialization in the field of Neurology since 2019. She provided care at the No. 1 Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University before coming to the US. She has started researching Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive disorders since 2013. She began working with Dr. Clelland from February 2023.

Besides experimental research, she likes drawing and working out in the gym. 

Her favorite quote to motivate herself: "To be a hero has its price."

Greg was born in Georgia but has had the opportunity to live in many parts of the United States. Greg received his bachelor's in Microbiology from Brigham Young University where he developed a new class of influenza inhibitors. He completed his PhD at UCSF in Martin Kampmann's lab. In the Kampmann lab, he studied how the V337M tau mutation perturbs differentiating  iPSC-derived neurons. Greg is thrilled to work with the Clelland lab to develop new methods for screening nanoparticle delivery of gene editing therapies.  

 Outside of the lab, Greg enjoys spending time with his amazing wife and three young daughters, playing tennis (and pickleball), and hiking.

San-Hae was born in Seoul, South Korea. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in the Division of Life Sciences (interdisciplinary with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST)) at Korea University (KU). During his undergraduate research, he gained experience with aptamer-based diagnostics in Professor Gu’s lab. After graduation, he developed a passion for the field of nanotechnology. San-Hae completed his PhD in Professor Chung’s lab at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), where he focused on nanoparticle-based gene therapeutics. In particular, he studied CRISPR/Cas9 and mRNA delivery through conjugates and lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). Currently, as a postdoctoral scholar in the Clelland lab at UCSF, San-Hae is expanding his expertise by developing delivery systems for CRISPR-based therapies to treat neurodegenerative diseases. He enjoys designing experiments and is always eager to explore new research ideas, which motivates him to push the boundaries of his research in this cutting-edge field.

Outside of work, San-Hae enjoys playing tennis and gaming with friends. He also loves traveling to nearby countries and discovering great restaurants to share with others.

Check out his recent scientific work here:
 https://nature091002.github.io

Can (Chelsea), originally from China, spent over six years in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she earned her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. During her studies, she explored the fundamental science of auditory sensation in C. elegans as a visiting student and honed her expertise in CRISPR techniques in these model organisms. Driven by a passion for gene therapy and a commitment to translating basic science into clinical treatments, she is thrilled to join the Clelland lab, where her work will focus on validating gene-targeted therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. A phrase that has recently resonated with her is, "The world is your oyster."

Outside the lab, Chelsea enjoys traveling, hiking, and relaxing at home as a self-proclaimed "couch potato." As a newcomer to California, she looks forward to exploring the state’s beautiful trails and natural landscapes.

Cerianne was born and raised in Cupertino, California. She earned her bachelor’s in biochemistry from Case Western Reserve University in addition to a bachelor’s in bassoon performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music. During her undergrad, she joined the Burberry lab studying the role of the immune system in ALS where she discovered her passion for biomedical research. Eager to continue her research career, Cerianne joined the Nicolls lab at Stanford University after graduating, researching the molecular mechanisms behind lymphedema and pulmonary hypertension. She was drawn to the Clelland lab for the opportunity to work on translational research, and she is very excited to contribute to developing CRISPR strategies to treat ALS in patients.

Outside of the lab, Cerianne enjoys playing the bassoon, volunteering at a local cat rescue, and eating brunch on the weekends. Her favorite brunch spot is Caffe Central in Burlingame.

Runvir grew up in Manteca, California. He compelted his undergraduate degree at the University of California Santa Cruz. After graduating college, he decided to move closer to San Francisco and take a deeper dive into the field of biological research in the Clelland lab. Runvir is now focused on creating a platform which allows the testing of several different nanoparticles that will carry the CRISPR machinery into neurons, bypassing the blood brain barrier. Runvir enjoys working in the Clelland lab because the research being conducted is on the forefront of biological research and all lab members are always eager to help each other.

Outside of science, Runvir enjoys exploring the greater Bay Area. He has the goal of visiting every pier by the end of the year and going to a Warriors game – across the street at Chase stadium! – during basketball season. When he’s not in lab, he enjoys indulging in his new-found favorite restaurant, Spicy House, and then going to the gym to burn off the extra calories. With his time in San Francisco, Runvir wants to try to conquer his fear of being on a boat in the middle of the ocean with no land mass around.

Katie grew up in Novato, California. She attended UC Berkeley where she studied Molecular and Cell Biology with an emphasis in Neurobiology. She has always loved science but found a passion for research during her undergrad. At Berkeley, she worked on various projects from plant biology to lizard morphology. Katie also interned for Vitalant Research Institute, where she optimized a panel of antibodies for multicolor flow cytometry. She is very excited to join the Clelland Lab and contribute to the exciting and innovative research on neurodegenerative diseases. 

Outside of the lab, Katie enjoys hanging out with friends and visiting new places in the Bay Area. While at Cal, Katie began playing rugby and it turned out to be one of her favorite experiences in college. She plans to continue playing with a club in Berkeley and remains involved in the rugby community by holding a position with the local league administration.

Patrick was born and raised in Los Angeles County. He considers North Hollywood his hometown but loved living in Downtown LA as an adult. He graduated with a BA in Computer Science and Data Science from the University of California, Berkeley in 2023. During his senior year, Patrick worked with Claire, Isabelle and Tanya to develop a Precision Genome Therapy Toolkit that won the UC Berkeley Data Science Discovery Program’s Data Science Insights Award in the Spring of 2023.

Patrick became interested in bioinformatics after somebody close to him, with a family history of CADASIL, was accepted into a research program that aims to use contemporary methods to diagnose and cure rare diseases. He’s interested in anything that can be used to draw inference from large amounts of data, such as data platforms, data engineering and visualizations.

Outside of science, Patrick has many interests spanning the arts, such as music and film. He loves to go on long walks and explore his surroundings, so he’s glad to be surrounded by a new urban landscape.

Tanya grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She studied Molecular and Cell Biology - with an emphasis on Neurobiology and Computer Science at UC Berkeley. As an undergraduate, she joined the Dipoppa Lab where she created computational simulations of the desynchronization of excitatory neuron firing, a phenomenon observed during development. Her research also focused on the absence of this synchronization, which has implications in Fragile X. She also worked in the Harland Lab, where she modeled the decentralized nervous system of the jellyfish Cassiopea. Tanya came to the Clelland lab eager to work on therapies that could directly impact patient lives and appreciates the supportive camaraderie in the lab. She hopes to continue to research neurodegenerative diseases in the future, in graduate school.

Outside of the Lab, Tanya enjoys reading, running and sketching. She also loves going to new cafes. Her current favorite cafe is the Hidden Cafe in Berkeley for its peaceful environment.

Growing up on a college campus, Ariella has always been drawn to places of learning and knowledge. Ariella completed her bachelor with a double major in Neuroscience and Chemistry (focus: Biochemistry) at UCSC. Working in Prof. Bin Chen’s lab as an undergraduate, Ariella discovered a passion for gene regulation while researching developmental neuroscience and cortical development questions using murine models. Ariella then pursued her MPhil at the University of Cambridge, UK (St. John’s College) where she gained translational neuroscience experience addressing the role of inflammation in human neurodegenerative diseases. Ariella was drawn to the Clelland lab at UCSF because the group works at the intersection of her passion for epigenetic regulation combined with clinical applications. She is working on projects using CRISPR technology to address neurodegenerative diseases. 

When not working in the lab, you can find Ariella on road trips singing along to tunes or going on long walks with her dog, Korben. She loves both the snow and the sun, frequently going to the beach or Tahoe. She especially loves visiting friends and family in Europe and learning Italian. 

Christian grew up most of his life in Burlington, Vermont, but after graduating high school, he and his family moved to Portland, Oregon. He received his B.S. in Neuroscience and Biology with a minor in Biotechnology from Santa Clara University in 2023. Here, he was able to discover a passion for science while studying the molecular mechanism of vulval morphogenesis in C. elegans at the SCU Miller Lab. After graduating, he spent three months working in Nakuru, Kenya as a clinical lab technician at a rural hospital. He returned with a drive to work in translational research and eventually pursue a career and graduate degree in neuroscience. Christian found the Clelland lab as a great opportunity to do impactful research while exploring CRISPR-based therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. He is currently working on CRISPR strategies to treat MAPT-associated FTD. 

Outside the lab Christian enjoys many outdoor activities like skiing, backpacking, and surfing. He also loves going to live music around the Bay Area and cooking for his friends.

  Brynn grew up in the tiny town of Michigan, North Dakota. She received her bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from Brown University. As an undergraduate, she worked on the development of a novel neuroprotective therapeutic for the treatment of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. She also interned in the Clelland lab for a summer where she helped develop novel ddPCR assays to quantify MAPT RNA isoforms in FTD patient-derived neurons. She is excited to be returning to the Clelland lab and to contribute to the exciting research into neurodegenerative diseases.

Outside of the lab, Brynn enjoys reading, crocheting, and playing board games with her friends. She is also excited to explore the Bay Area. She hopes to find her new favorite restaurant and explore all the museums in San Francisco while she is here.

Felix grew up in Vohwinkel, a small town in the west of Germany. In 2022, he concluded his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at the Free University Berlin, where he joined the Hiesinger Laboratory for developmental neurogenetics to study brain morphogenesis on the Drosophila model. What started out as a bachelor thesis continued into a three-year research project, illuminating the effects of gravitational perturbation on the developing brain.

Besides his deep curiosity for neuroscience, Felix's enthusiasm for photosynthesis led to numerous collaborations with the Nürnberg Laboratory for molecular biophysics. Inspired by the potential of phototrophy, Felix founded a government-funded research initiative (LivingTechnology.net) dedicated to the development of biologically inspired carbon capture technologies, based on the clonal water-fern genus Azolla. For his academic achievements, Felix was awarded two excellence tutorships by the Berlin University Alliance, and in the spring of 2023, he was elected a scholar and lifetime member of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation.

All the way on the other side of the planet, Felix is excited to learn more about the merger of bioengineering and medical nanotechnology; hoping to challenge the current limits of neurological therapy through the development of novel interdisciplinary solutions.

Aside from the sciences, Felix has a deep passion for music, with a particular weakness for Jimi Hendrix. On the weekends, he is very easily persuaded to join a challenging hike, a calm sunset surf, or a good game of chess.

Ankita is originally from Delhi, India, but considers herself a global citizen. After completing her master’s in biotechnology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, she moved to Heidelberg, Germany to pursue her PhD. She completed her PhD in Professor Jaeschke’s lab at Heidelberg University, where she focused on developing genetically-encoded tags for imaging RNA in live cells using RNA aptamers. She then joined the Weinberg lab at UCSF for her postdoc, collaborating with Moderna on a project utilizing non-cap-based translation initiation methods to increase mRNA half-life. She became interested in neurobiology during her second postdoc in Taliaferro lab at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, where she investigated the regulatory language governing RNA transport in neuronal cells. As an associate specialist in the Clelland lab, she is excited to work at the crossroads of basic and translational research and dive into developing CRISPR therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases.

When not in the lab, Ankita enjoys traveling (appreciates tips for offbeat destinations), hiking, baking (loves the Great British Bake Off), and reading (genres no bar). She believes that for science to thrive, scientific knowledge must expand beyond labs to patients, decision-makers, and the public — fueling her interest in science communications, outreach, and science policy. Check out her writing clips here: https://muckrack.com/ankita-arora-phd

Dayanne is originally from Manaus, Brazil, and having the Amazon rainforest as her backyard has always influenced her to study biology.

She earned her bachelor's in Biological Sciences from Maringá University Center, Brazil. In her home state, she had experience in undergraduate research projects in biological control of the Dengue Virus at the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA). Her second research project was in epidemiology at Amazonas Health Surveillance Foundation (FVS), where she statistically analyzed cases of violence against women.

        However, in her initial encounter with Molecular Biology in school, she became fascinated and mesmerized by its complexities and possibilities. This passion only intensified when she learned about induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and their promise in regenerative medicine, especially in the neurosciences. Determined to work with stem cell technology, she enrolled in the Biotechnology Work Program at City College of San Francisco.

        Being a CIRM intern at the Clelland lab is crucial in her research career. Her ultimate dream is to contribute to advancing the human life span and ending neurological diseases like Alzheimer's. She is committed and dedicated to becoming a specialist and pursuing a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology soon.

        Outside the lab, she loves activities that help recharge her mind, such as contortion, ballet, rock climbing, and reading Brazilian Portuguese literature. She also loves DJing for her friends. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and cannot wait to have pets.