PI
Shaeri Mukherjee
I grew up in Calcutta, India. I started my career in Chemistry (Calcutta University), then did Biochemistry (Calcutta University), Cell Biology (Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY) and finally Microbiology (Yale University, New Haven). Currently, I am interested in understanding host-pathogen interactions. My favorite bug is Legionella, it is a great model: easy to do genetics, easy to infect and study host processes. Most importantly, it manipulates several host cell processes, thus making it a really good tool to study basic cell biology. My other interest in life is photography: I especially like taking landscape shots. I am a big fan of Ansel Adams. I love working at UCSF, it is a truly great place to do science. San Francisco as a city has a great deal to offer, including its proximity to Yosemite National Park. I am currently looking to expand my laboratory. If you are interested in joining us, send me an email with your CV.
Email:Shaeri.Mukherjee@ucsf.edu
Graduate Students
Ady SteinBach
6th Year Tetrad PhD Student
I was born and raised in St. Louis, and studied biochemistry as an undergrad at the University of Chicago. During my time at U of C, I developed fascination with the molecular mechanisms of immune recognition, and pursued this interest as an researcher in Professor Erin Adams’ lab, studying the biophysics of non-canonical MHC-like molecules and their interaction partners. After graduation and a stint as a technician, I pulled up my Midwestern roots and joined the horde of Bay Area transplants to start grad school at UCSF in the Tetrad program. As a Mukherjee lab member, I have enthusiastically come over to the Dark Side and now view human cell biology from the perspective of a clever pathogen. For my thesis work, I am attempting to untangle how Legionella modulates the host endosomal system and cargo sorting to dodge death-by-acid in the lysosome. In my free time, I also spend a lot of time untangling, in this case mostly yarn that I’ve spun, dyed with various bits of plants I find outside or in the kitchen, and/or knit into an elaborate household item. I also enjoy sewing with fabric that I find at post-consumer art supply warehouses or reclaim from worn out thrifted clothing, and growing (with moderate success) vegetables and (you guessed it) fiber producing plants on my back deck.
Email: Ady.Steinbach@ucsf.edu
Postdoctoral Scholars
TOM MOSS
5th year Tetrad PhD Student
I was born in Los Angeles, and lived there until I was 15, and then moved to Virginia Beach. My interest in science began with a fascination with jellyfish and other marine animals, but shifted towards molecular and cellular biology when I started college. I did my undergraduate work at the University of Virginia, where I worked in Eyleen O'Rourke's lab to better understand how lysosomes respond to stress. After graduating, I spent a gap year at the Weizmann Institute in Israel. There, I worked in Tzachi Pilpel's lab, where I tried to differentiate and compare mischarging vs mispairing errors in translation by manipulating the tRNA pool in E. coli, as well as understand why certain tRNA species are evolutionarily 'disallowed'. Here in the Mukherjee lab, I am a bit of a black sheep in that my research is a step removed from Legionella. A former student discovered that a Legionella kinase phosphorylates the chaperone Hsc70 at a specific, conserved residue, and that this globally decreases translation. I have discovered that this also occurs in human cells independently from Legionella infection as part of a DNA damage response. I am attempting to understand the pathway that leads to this phosphorylation, its role in cell biology, and also the biochemical effects this phosphorylation has on Hsc70. Outside of science, I enjoy cooking and baking, hiking, scuba diving, learning languages, reading, and aggressively binge-watching TV.
Email: Tom.Moss@ucsf.edu
SARADINDU SAHA
My hometown is Asansol, the ‘Industrial city’ of West Bengal, India, where I completed my school life at Asansol Ramakrishna Mission High School and then moved to Visva-Bharati University to study B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Zoology. As a true disciple of ‘Gurudev’ Rabindranath Tagore, the great poet and the founder of Visva-Bharati, I wish to carry forward his eternal philosophy in a way that is best described in his own words-
“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free…”
My M.Sc. dissertation on dissecting signaling pathways in cancer cells motivated me further to do a Ph.D. on understanding the modulation of the host signaling pathway by Mycobacterium tuberculosis at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Briefly, I showed that M.tb-secreted virulent kinase-mediated phosphorylation of host factors hinders macrophage altruistic cell death. My thirst to dive deeper into the fascinating world of host-pathogen interaction took me further to the Mukherjee lab at UCSF as a post-doctoral fellow where my goal is to unravel the complex host-pathogen (Legionella) interaction-associated signaling pathways.
I find solace in driving a long way which sheds off the stress and fatigue within me. I am a cheerful person who befriends new folks displacing geographical barriers!
Hit me anytime if you feel I can be of help.
Email: Saradindu.Saha@ucsf.edu
Attinder CHADHA
I was born and raised in New Delhi, the capital of India. I completed my B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from University of Delhi. My Ph.D. was under the supervision of Prof. Krishnamurthy Natarajan at the University of Delhi, India. During my Ph.D., we uncovered the novel role of two different post-translational modifications, namely, NEDDylation and SUMOylation using Mycobacterium tuberculosis as a model organism. While pursuing my Ph.D., I developed a fascination with Host-Pathogen interaction, which forced me to move to Canada for postdoctoral training at the University of Calgary. My post-doc at the University of Calgary led to new findings, wherein we found an intriguing role of inflammatory caspase-1 during Entamoeba histolytica infection. Taking it further, I joined Mukherjee lab in May 2022 as a post-doc, where I aim to understand different strategies deployed by the bacterium Legionella pneumophila that subverts host cell biology. When I’m not in lab, I like to explore new places, and restaurants, listen to music or cook, read a book, or spend time with my pet (I miss him so much!).
P.S. I’m always available for a chat, or if you want to discuss life in general or science, hit me up on my email below. I’d be happy to connect with you on LinkedIn as well.
Email: Attinder.Chadha@ucsf.edu
Manish paul
I was born and raised in a town called Naihati in India. I completed my BS and MS in Zoology from University of Calcutta and West Bengal State University. I pursued Ph.D. in Biotechnology under the supervision of Prof. Hrudayanath Thatoi from MSCB University, Odisha, India. During my Ph.D., I investigated the role of lignocellulolytic microorganisms in the bioethanol production and also worked to improve their efficiency in bioethanol production using different sustainable approaches. During this time, I acquired techniques in advanced microbiology, molecular biology, enzymology, and computational biology. I joined Mukherjee lab in October 2023 as a Postdoctoral research scholar, where my research focus is to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which the bacterium Legionella pneumophila modify host cell biology. I am very fond of visiting new places, listening to music, and enjoying delicious food.
Email: Manish.Paul@ucsf.edu
Undergraduate and Techs
ALEX WOOLdredge (junior specialist)
I grew up in Northeast Ohio and studied biology at Oberlin College in a tiny town outside of Cleveland. My undergraduate thesis in Professor Maureen Peters’ lab examined connections between cell-to-cell communication, stress response pathways, and aging. After graduation, I moved to the Bay Area to study the cell biology of aging as a research associate at the Buck Institute. In the Mukherjee lab, I have the opportunity to combine my interest in how cells cope with stress with an interest in the relationship between pathogens and their hosts, which I developed through undergraduate coursework in immunity and pathogenesis, microbiology, and host-pathogen interactions. I am excited to be working with Tom Moss to study how phosphorylation of Hsc70 at a specific residue, a post-translational modification discovered in the context of Legionella infection, contributes to the DNA damage response. Outside of the lab, I like to spend my time outdoors either biking (preferably in flat places), hiking (preferably not in flat places), or reading (preferably in my hammock).
Email: Alexandra.Wooldredge@ucsf.edu
Chetan mokkapati (junior specialist)
I grew up in Cupertino California, which is about an hour south of San Francisco, so I have lived in the Bay Area my whole life! As an undergraduate, I attended The University of California Santa Barbara, where I received a bachelor of sciences degree in microbiology. At UCSB, I spent 5 months at the De Tomasso Lab, studying the whole-body regeneration process of Botrylloides digensis as it goes from a dormant state to an active state. I graduated from UCSB in June 2023, and my goal is to apply to medical school in the spring of 2024. I am excited to spend my gap years before med school working at The Mukherjee lab, where I can put my micro degree to use by studying ubiquitination patterns that occur when eukaryotic cells are infected with Legionella. Hopefully, these discoveries can help provide more insight into the complex processes that occur inside our cells! Outside of the lab, I'm usually lazy at home watching YouTube or whatever's on Netflix, but when I am feeling more active I like to spend my time weightlifting, backpacking and playing whatever sports my friends and I feel like playing that day, which is usually basketball.
Email: Chetan.Mokkapati@ucsf.edu
Alumni
VARUN BHADKAMKAR- Tetrad Ph.D student (Graduated 2023)
ADVAIT SUBRAMANIAN - Post Doctoral Fellow (2018-2023)
ALLISON PASCHACK- Undergraduate researcher (2023-2023)
KATIE FANG- Undergraduate researcher (2022-2023)
TORI TRAN- 1st-year BMS rotation student (Fall 2021)
ARMANDO MARTINEZ- 1st-year Tetrad rotation student (Spring 2021)
CJ SAN FELIPE - 1st-year Tetrad rotation student (Spring 2021)
BRIAN WANG - 1st-year CCB rotation student (Winter 2020)
CJ SARABIA - 1st-year Tetrad rotation student (Fall 2020)
HANA KIMURA - Post-Doctoral Fellow (2018-2020)
JULIA NOACK - Post-Doctoral Fellow (2017-2020)
NNEJIUWA IBE - Tetrad PhD student (Graduated 2020)
ELIAS TAYLOR-CORNEJO - Post-Doctoral Fellow (2016-2020)
STEVEN MOSS - CCB PhD student - joint with Kevan Shokat (Graduated 2019)
RHOGERRY DESHYCKA - 1st year BMS rotation student (Winter 2018)
LILI KIM - 1st Year Tetrad Rotation Student (Fall 2018)
TANYA KUMAR - Summer Research Training Program Student (Summer 2018)
NATALIE WHITIS - 1st year Tetrad Rotation Student (Spring 2018)
HALEY GAUSE - Junior Lab Specialist (August 2017 - July 2018)
RAMIRO PATINO - 1st Year BMS Rotation Student (Winter 2016)
PHILIPP SCHLAERMANN - Post-Doctoral Fellow (2016-2017)
VERONICA ESCALANTE - 1st Year Tetrad Rotation Student (Summer 2016)
REBECCA LEVIN (AKA BECCA) - CCB PhD student - joint with Kevan Shokat (Graduated 2016)