Postdoctoral Program
Our Current Postdoctoral Fellows
Annika Balraj, PhD
Dunn Lab
Chia Hsiang Chang, PhD
Nachury Lab
Siyuan Chang, PhD
Duan Lab
Kriti Chaplot, PhD
Ullian Lab
An Cheng, PhD
Lakkaraju Lab
Van Duesterberg, PhD
Lamba Lab
Durairaj Duraikannu, PhD
Nair Lab
Valencia Fernandes, PhD
Lakkaraju Lab
Kiran Gangappa, PhD
Nair Lab
Joo Yeun Lee, PhD
Dunn Lab
Pin Yeh Lin, PhD
Duan Lab
Irene Ojeda Naharros, PhD
Nachury Lab
Bamadeb Patra, PhD
Lamba Lab
Vinod Kumar Reddy Lekkala, PhD
Lamba Lab
Wenhao Shang, PhD
Kim Lab
Kenichi Toma, PhD
Duan Lab
Yao Tong, PhD
Lakkaraju Lab
Fei Wang, PhD
Duan Lab
Xiaowei Wang, PhD
Gould Lab
Yixiao Wang, PhD
Duan Lab
Finn Wolfreys, PhD
Chan Lab
Rongshan Yan, PhD
Pasricha Lab
Mengya Zhao, PhD
Duan Lab
Mingli Zhu, PhD
Nachury Lab
Current Awards and Achievements
Joo Yeun Lee
• K99/R00 Award, NEI, 2023-2025
• Paper published, “Inhibition, but not excitation, recovers from partial cone loss with greater spatiotemporal integration, synapse density, and frequency”
• Paper published, “Impact of Photoreceptor Loss on Retinal Circuitry”
• ARVO travel award, 2019
• That Man May See Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2019
• Paper published, “Inhibition, but not excitation, recovers from partial cone loss with greater spatiotemporal integration, synapse density, and frequency”
• Paper published, “Impact of Photoreceptor Loss on Retinal Circuitry”
• ARVO travel award, 2019
• That Man May See Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2019
Kenichi Toma
• The Innovative Genomics Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship, UCSF and Berkeley, 2019
Duan Lab
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Fei Wang
• K99/R00: NIH Pathway to Independence Award, 2024
Duan Lab
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Xiaowei Wang
• UCSF Ophthalmology Research Day – 1st Prize in Trainee Presentations, 2023
• BrightFocus Foundation Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program, 2021-2023
• Alzheimer’s Association Research Fellowship, 2021-2022
• BrightFocus Foundation Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program, 2021-2023
• Alzheimer’s Association Research Fellowship, 2021-2022
Finn Wolfreys
• Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars, 2024
• The Larry L. Hillblom Foundation Fellowship Grant, 2022
• PBBR Sandler Program for Breakthrough Biomedical Research – Postdoctoral Independent Research Grant, 2022
• The Larry L. Hillblom Foundation Fellowship Grant, 2022
• PBBR Sandler Program for Breakthrough Biomedical Research – Postdoctoral Independent Research Grant, 2022
Past Postdoctoral Fellows Awards & Achievements
Kayla Branyan
• Paper published, “Elevated TGFβ signaling contributes to cerebral small vessel disease in mouse models of Gould syndrome”
• F32 Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award, 2018-2019
Gould Lab
Current position: Chief Strategist, Bakar Aging Research Institute (BARI), UCSF
• F32 Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award, 2018-2019
Gould Lab
Current position: Chief Strategist, Bakar Aging Research Institute (BARI), UCSF
Rachel Care
• Paper published, “Mature Retina Compensates Functionally for Partial Loss of Rod Photoreceptors”
• UCSF David and Joyce Copenhagen Award, 2020
• Paper published, “Partial Cone Loss Triggers Synapse-Specific Remodeling and Spatial Receptive Field Rearrangements in a Mature Retinal Circuit”
• F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award, 2018-2019
Dunn Lab
• UCSF David and Joyce Copenhagen Award, 2020
• Paper published, “Partial Cone Loss Triggers Synapse-Specific Remodeling and Spatial Receptive Field Rearrangements in a Mature Retinal Circuit”
• F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award, 2018-2019
Dunn Lab
Corinna Cozzitorto
• Knights Templar Eye Foundation grant for Ocular Anterior Segment Dysgenesis, 2022-2023
• All May See Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2021-2022
Gould Lab
Current position: Senior Postdoctoral Scientist, Institute of Diabetes & Regeneration Research, Helmholtz Diabetes Center
• All May See Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2021-2022
Gould Lab
Current position: Senior Postdoctoral Scientist, Institute of Diabetes & Regeneration Research, Helmholtz Diabetes Center
Genki Hayashi
• F32 Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award, 2018-2019
• American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2017-2018
Gould Lab
Current position: In Vivo Scientist at Neuron23
• American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2017-2018
Gould Lab
Current position: In Vivo Scientist at Neuron23
Sangeetha Kandoi
• Paper published, “Retinal Organoids: A Human Model System for Development, Diseases, and Therapies”
• Emerging Vision Scientist Award by National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR) /Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (AEVR), 2023
• UCSF – Science and Health Education Partnership (SEP) – Alumni Spotlight, 2023
• Paper published, “Disease modeling and pharmacological rescue of autosomal dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa associated with RHO copy number variation”
• All May See Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2023
• Travel Award to attend Tree Shrew Discovery 2023 Meeting
• Bright Focus Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (Macular Degeneration Research Program), 2023-2025
• Paper published, “Characterization of Retinal Development in 13-Lined Ground Squirrels”
• UCSF-Postdoc Slam – People’s choice winner award, 2022
• UCSF Ophthalmology Research Day – 1st Prize in Trainee Presentations, 2022
• Travel Award to attend ARVO 2022 Meeting (Retina Research Foundation/Joseph M. and Eula C. Lawrence Travel Grant)
• Travel Award to attend XIXth International Symposium on Retinal Degenerations (RD2021) and the BrightFocus Macular Fast Track
• Travel Award to attend ARVO 2021 Meeting (American Macular Degeneration Foundation Travel Grant)
• Emerging Vision Scientist Award by National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR) /Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (AEVR), 2023
• UCSF – Science and Health Education Partnership (SEP) – Alumni Spotlight, 2023
• Paper published, “Disease modeling and pharmacological rescue of autosomal dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa associated with RHO copy number variation”
• All May See Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2023
• Travel Award to attend Tree Shrew Discovery 2023 Meeting
• Bright Focus Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (Macular Degeneration Research Program), 2023-2025
• Paper published, “Characterization of Retinal Development in 13-Lined Ground Squirrels”
• UCSF-Postdoc Slam – People’s choice winner award, 2022
• UCSF Ophthalmology Research Day – 1st Prize in Trainee Presentations, 2022
• Travel Award to attend ARVO 2022 Meeting (Retina Research Foundation/Joseph M. and Eula C. Lawrence Travel Grant)
• Travel Award to attend XIXth International Symposium on Retinal Degenerations (RD2021) and the BrightFocus Macular Fast Track
• Travel Award to attend ARVO 2021 Meeting (American Macular Degeneration Foundation Travel Grant)
Lamba Lab
Current position: Bright Focus Foundation-Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Blackshaw’s Lab, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Benyam Kinde
• Marcus Innovative Award in Precision Medicine, UCSF, 2020
Duan Lab, Han Lab
Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University
Duan Lab, Han Lab
Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University
Swanand Koli
• Knight Templar Eye Foundation Grant, 2020-2022
Nair Lab
Current position: Research Specialist, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital
Nair Lab
Current position: Research Specialist, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital
Yao Lu
• That All May See Postdoctoral Fellowship
Kim Lab
Current position: Machine Learning Engineer, Amazon
Kim Lab
Current position: Machine Learning Engineer, Amazon
Peipei Pan
• ARVO travel award, 2020
• Gordon Research Conference (Cornea) – abstract selected for a talk presentation, 2018
Chan Lab
Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesia, UCSF
• Gordon Research Conference (Cornea) – abstract selected for a talk presentation, 2018
Chan Lab
Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesia, UCSF
Hassan Paylakhi
Li Xuan Tan
• UCSF Ophthalmology Research Day best poster award
• Paper published, “Optineurin tunes outside-in signaling to regulate lysosome biogenesis and phagocytic clearance in the retina”
• Paper published, “Analysis of mitochondrial dynamics and function in the retinal pigment epithelium by high-speed high-resolution live imaging”
• All May See Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2021
• Paper published, “Complement activation, lipid metabolism, and mitochondrial injury: Converging pathways in age-related macular degeneration”
• Copenhagen Award for Best Paper in Vision Research, 2019
• Paper published, “Aberrant early endosome biogenesis mediates complement activation in the retinal pigment epithelium in models of macular degeneration”
• Paper published, “Optineurin tunes outside-in signaling to regulate lysosome biogenesis and phagocytic clearance in the retina”
• Paper published, “Analysis of mitochondrial dynamics and function in the retinal pigment epithelium by high-speed high-resolution live imaging”
• All May See Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2021
• Paper published, “Complement activation, lipid metabolism, and mitochondrial injury: Converging pathways in age-related macular degeneration”
• Copenhagen Award for Best Paper in Vision Research, 2019
• Paper published, “Aberrant early endosome biogenesis mediates complement activation in the retinal pigment epithelium in models of macular degeneration”