Lab Members

nia.adeniji (at) ucsf.edu

My name is Nia Adeniji, and I am currently a second-year oncology fellow at UCSF in the Gordan and Huang Labs. I received my undergraduate degree from MIT, where I studied biological chemical engineering before receiving a Masters in Bioengineering. I then took my process-oriented training and mindset with me to Genentech, where I developed antibody-drug conjugates in the Early- and Late-Stage Pharmaceutical Development departments for 6 years. Because I found myself drawn to the oncology clinical trials that I was supporting, and the patient outcomes on those trials, I decided to pursue a medical degree, which I obtained from Stanford University. There I discovered both a clinical and investigational research interest in hepatobiliary oncology.

My research interest is in understanding the ways in which the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) drives tumor development, progression, recurrence and treatment response. My ultimate goal is to provide a tissue-specific algorithm that can better direct clinical management for the large number of intermediate stage patients with HCC. I am currently looking to identify the unique immune compartments and signatures that influence HCC recurrence risk using multiplex imaging and spatial transcriptomics.

Lucille Ferret, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

lucille.ferret (at) ucsf.edu

I am a French researcher, I obtained my PhD in 2024 from the University of Paris-Saclay, in the laboratory of Professor Guido Kroemer. My research focused on the role of lysosomes in cancer resistance to RNA polymerase I inhibitors.
 

I first joined the Gordan lab in 2021 for my Master’s internship and returned in early 2026 as a postdoctoral fellow to work on a project investigating KRAS/PIK3CA co-mutated colorectal cancer. In my free time, I enjoy walking my dog and exploring San Francisco and its surroundings.

Weicheng Li, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

weicheng.li (at) ucsf.edu

I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Gordan Lab, focusing on targeted therapies for Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) and Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). With a PhD in Biophysics from the Mark Foster Lab and a 3-year postdoc in Chemical Biology from the Jon Ostrem Lab, I am particularly interested in the intersection of oncology and AI-driven drug discovery, leveraging AI x bioinformatics to identify and validate new therapeutic leads. Outside the lab, you can usually catch me at hackathons in the city, a Buckeye football game somewhere, running marathons across the Bay Area, or as an occasional photographer wandering the world.

huatchye.lim (at) ucsf.edu 

My work in the Gordan lab involves using computational genomics techniques to investigate the pathophysiology of hepatocellular carcinoma associated with hepatitis B virus infection. Outside the lab, I’m a hematology/oncology fellow at UCSF, where I also completed internal medicine residency. Before moving to San Francisco, I attended medical school at the University of Washington, and prior to that I worked as a software engineer and product manager at Amazon and Microsoft. When not working, you can often find me chasing my highly energetic young children around.

jose.montano (at) ucsf.edu

I was born and raised in the Inland Empire (the “I.E.”) and studied chemistry at UC Riverside. There, I worked in Dr. Joseph Genereux’s lab where I studied the Hsp40 family of co-chaperones and helped develop mass spectrometry (MS)-based methods to enable stress-induced Hsp40-client protein capture and identification. After graduating, I packed my bags and moved to Frederick, MD to begin a post-baccalaureate research position in Dr. Jordan Meier’s lab in the Chemical Biology Laboratory at the National Cancer Institute. While there, I worked on the design, synthesis and proteomic characterization of peptide-based chemical probes for N-alpha-acetyltransferases. Building on both of these formative research experiences, I decided to pursue my doctoral work at the UC San Francisco as part of the Chemistry and Chemical Biology program. As a graduate student in Dr. Balyn Zaro’s lab, my work focused on the development and optimization of cysteine-reactive covalent inhibitors and the study of context-dependent cysteine reactivity.

Now, as a postdoc in the Gordan Lab, I am applying multi-omic approaches to help better understand the ways in which mutants of protein kinase A (PKA) alter native PKA function. Through this work, we hope to gain actionable insight that can aid the future development of mutant-specific small molecule inhibitors for the treatment of rare cancers. In my free time, I like to listen to music, cook food for my friends, go to Giants games and go for runs around the Presidio.

kasturi.nayak (at) ucsf.edu

I was born and raised in India, and completed my PhD work at Institute of Life Sciences Bhubaneswar, India. Before moving to UCSF, I worked as a post-doctoral fellow at SUNY, Buffalo where I have studied the role of SOX15 in head & neck squamous cell carcinoma. My work in the Gordal Lab will focus on developing small inhibitors targeting KRAS/MAPK pathway in colon cancer. Outside the lab I love to travel and explore new places. I also like to watch sports like tennis & cricket.

Clarise Rivera

Junior Specialist

clarise.rivera (at) ucsf.edu

I was raised in the Bay Area/Wine Country and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a BA in Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology. As an undergraduate, I studied the dependency of Heat Shock Protein 90 (Hsp90) in regulating protein-folding stability of Src-family Kinases in John Kuriyan’s lab at both UC Berkeley and Vanderbilt University. Now, as a Junior Specialist in the Gordan Lab, I am super excited to branch my research into understanding Hsp70/Hsp90 linking adaptor protein, STIP1, and its impact on stability, activity, and mobility of mutant Protein Kinase A (PKA) in rare cancers. Apart from my research, I enjoy going to the gym, playing the violin, and going on hikes.

Rigney Turnham, PhD

Specialist

rigney.turnham (at) ucsf.edu

I was raised in New Mexico and attended university at NMSU. I then obtained my PhD in 2018 at the University of Washington in the laboratory of John D. Scott, where I studied fibrolamellar carcinoma and the oncogenic signaling of the fusion kinase, DNAJ-PKAc. In the Gordan lab, I am studying a variety of oncogenic and tumor suppressive signaling mechanisms and supporting projects in fibrolamellar, hepatocellular, and colorectal carcinoma. Additionally, I am also interested in identifying genomic markers of response and resistance to therapy in cholangiocarcinoma, and modeling their effects in vitro. In my free time, I like to eat my way through the Presidio, and run and bike around San Francisco.