Postdocs, specialists, and researchers celebrated in symposium 

Postdocs, specialists, and researchers (PSRs) were celebrated as an integral part of the UCSF community in an inaugural symposium at Genentech Hall on April 26, 2024.

The event, which will become an annual gathering, included a panel on career pathways moderated by Su Guo, PhD, a faculty member in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (BTS) who was named inaugural director of the Center for Collaborative Innovation (CCI) in 2023.

Dean Kathy Giacomini, PhD, BSPharm, partnered with Vice Chancellor for Research Harold Collard, MD, MS, to provide funding for the event through the UCSF Office of Research Community-Building Small Grants Program. Keynote speakers and panelists included:

• Cofounder and chief scientific officer of Regel Therapeutics Navneet Matharu, PhD

• UCSF alum and vice president of research at 23andMe Joyce Tung, PhD

• School of Medicine Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine faculty member and Genomics CoLab director Walter L. Eckalbar, PhD

• Chan Zuckerberg Biohub research scientist Xiang Zhao.

“I’m delighted that the Center for Collaborative Innovation organized this special symposium recognizing individuals who are sometimes the unsung heroes of the UCSF research enterprise,” said Giacomini. “Our exceptional faculty, staff, postdocs, specialists, and researchers stepped up to make this event happen, and it was wonderful to showcase their amazing research.”

Seasoned professionals offered valuable advice, perspective, and guidance to help PSRs at the event navigate their journeys, whether they are considering academia, industry, or alternative career paths. PSRs also presented posters and competed for a prize. Winners included:

• Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) and Krogan Lab specialist Rithika Adavikolanu

• BTS and Guo Lab researcher Mathieu Daynac, PhD

• DeGrado Lab postdoc Sagar Bhattacharya

• BTS and Ahituv Lab postdoc Coline Arnould

Shawna McCarroll

Poster winners, clockwise from top left: Adavikolanu, Daynac, Bhattacharya, Arnould.

CCI will expand 2025’s event, for which planning is already underway.

“I was touched by the spirit of this event and am grateful to Su for organizing it,” Giacomini said. “We are all looking forward to many more.”

“I’m grateful for the support that CCI received for this event. Our speakers, poster presenters, and panelists shared with us their outstanding research and invaluable insights,” said Guo. “I am already excited for next year’s event, where we will continue to inspire, collaborate, and innovate.”

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Guo named inaugural director of new Center for Collaborative Innovation