Al-Sady Lab

My scientific journey started with interest in how plants sense their light environment, in particular via red light receptors. How red light remodels a vast portion of the transcriptome within 30min captured my imagination about the regulation of gene expression at the chromatin level. Inspired by this, I jumped ship and completed a postdoc on the biochemistry and biophysics of heterochromatin assembly by “reader” and “writer” proteins. When I am not grant-writing, I continue to enjoy bench science, leveraging either the awesome power of yeast genetics or chromatin biochemistry. Outside of science, I enjoy spending time with my 8 year old son, running, playing the piano and attending classical or jazz music performances in SF. I love our great Pacific Coast and wine country and enjoy visiting when I can.

Early on because of where I was born and raised in East Africa (Sudan), I discovered my passion in observing animals and to be in nature. Hence, I decided to join the sciences faculty, zoology department. Later on, I felt fascinated by Evolution in action & the power of using yeast as an experimental evolution model to address various scientific problems. I completed my graduate studies in Taiwan in Dr. Jun Yi Leu lab, where I was trying to understand mitochondrial DNA quality control mechanisms via experimental evolution. I am excited to be joining the Al-Sadylab where I will be involved in exploring the evolution of heterochromatin spreading.Outside of science, I enjoy outdoor activities: cycling, hiking, and to be in nature.

My name is Daniel Darling and I am originally from Mountain View CA. After graduating from NYU in the spring of 2021, I continued at NYU as a post-bac in the Smith Lab where I studied biases of ribonucleotide incorporation and removal in the yeast genome. My developmental path within biology has let me explore a variety of different subfields from myogenic differentiation to wine fermentation which together have refined my research interests towards the role of chromatin structure in regulatory networks. This has led me to pursue a PhD at UCSF within the TETRAD program where I am currently in my first year. Outside of research I am an illustrator across a variety of mediums, but currently am working mostly with watercolor. I also love climbing and am looking forward to doing some outdoor bouldering in the bay and beyond.

Hi all! My name is Can, and I’m from Istanbul, Turkey. I graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in Molecular&Cell Biology, where I worked in Dr. Oskar Hallatschek’s lab studying biofilm formation and organization in V. cholerae. Afterwards, I worked as a tech in the Al-Sady lab resolving the dynamics of heterochromatin spreading and the evolution of a key heterochromatin protein, Swi6/HP1. Now, I am a joint graduate student between the Al-Sady and Buchwalter labs and exploring the role of an inner nuclear membrane protein, lamin B receptor, in heterochromatin and gene regulation. Outside of lab, I enjoy skiing, finding cool hiking spots in the Bay Area, jamming on the guitar, and playing board games..

A bay area native, I completed my undergraduate degree in biochemistry & chemistry at UC Santa Cruz. There I was introduced to telomerase & RNA research in the Stone lab. Furthermore, working in the Pinney lab for a summer introduced me to protein kinetics and enzymology research. Now working in the Al-Sady lab, I hope to continue to learn about protein biochemistry through the lens of heterochromatin spread using single molecule microscopy and preparing for graduate school. Beyond school I love paddling, keeping up with basketball and football (the real one), watching anything about food/cooking, being outdoors, and spending time with friends.

I'm Amit, a third-year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology with an emphasis in Medical Biology and Physiology, and minoring in Data Science. Through the Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP) program under Eric Martin, I am excited to further my experience with stem cells and to extend my research into the epigenetic sector. Outside the lab, I enjoy watching sports, playing soccer, and listening to music.

Hi, I’m Dana! San Francisco has been a special place to me. I received my Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at San Francisco State University in 2017. While there I worked in Dr. Raymond Esquerra's lab studying the structure-function relationship of hemeproteins. When I came to UCSF for grad school I got excited about the dynamic architecture of DNA on nucleosomes. In the Al-Sady lab I study the mechanisms underlying heterochromatin formation and maintenance using yeast genetics as well as biochemistry and biophysical techniques. When I'm not in the lab I love to be outside with friends and family, going to live music shows, and thrift shopping.

I'm Eric Martin, a postdoctoral researcher in the Al-Sady and Buchwalter labs. I received my B.S. in MCD Biology from UC Santa Cruz. I moved to San Jose and started a career in developing and implementing purifications of bacterial toxins from their native organisms. After a couple of years, I went back to school to get my Masters of Biotechnology and participated in the CIRM Bridges stem cell training program at San Jose State University. I came back to UC Santa Cruz to earn my Ph.D. studying how chromatin dynamics regulate differentiation during hematopoiesis in the lab of Camilla Forsberg. Outside the lab, I enjoy being outdoors, mountain biking, skiing, camping, kayaking, and hiking with my family.

Hi! I am Alma Razavilar, and I am a first-year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley, studying Molecular and Cell Biology with an emphasis in Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology. Throughout high school, I was heavily involved in research within the Pogliano Lab at UC San Diego, studying the structure and biochemical functions of bacteriophage proteins. I was excited to join the Al-Sady Lab through the Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP), where I could build upon my previous research experiences while gaining a fundamental understanding of heterochromatin. Outside of science, I enjoy long-distance running, surfing, reading classic novels, and baking.

I am Farzad Yousefi, as postdoctoral I am working on the biochemistry biophysics and enzymology of the mammalian G9 and GLP histone methyltransferases in the Al-Sady lab since Jun 2022, I received my MSc and PhD in Biochemistry at the Tarbiat Modares University. My graduate work was on protein engineering and folding, synthetic biology, mechanistic Enzymology, and protein structure-function relationships. I Have Bachelor’s degree in medical laboratory Science. I have worked in medical laboratory for several years. I have experience working as a CEO and technical assistant in a research production company since 2018 to 2022. I really enjoy studying and researching proteins.

Beyond research, I enjoy spending time with my 5 year old son, swimming, running and playing soccer. I really enjoy studying and researching proteins.

Although I have lived in a country with beautiful nature, the beauty of San Francisco really impresses me.