The screening judges review the video presentations initially submitted by postdocs and choose the finalists in the Postdoc Slam contest. A separate panel of final judges will determine the prize winners at the live Postdoc Slam event.
David Booth, PhD ’14 is an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at UCSF. Research in the Booth lab includes investigating how cells switch into distinct types in complex environments and what evolutionary changes enable cell differentiation. Booth earned a PhD in biophysics at UCSF, then did postdoctoral work at UC Berkeley with mentor Nicole King. He is recipient of a Packard Foundation Fellowship for Science and Engineering, and was a 2021 John A. Watson Faculty Scholar at UCSF.
Anne Kavanagh, MS is director of editorial strategy for University Development and Alumni Relations at UCSF, where she is editor of UCSF Magazine, which features accessible, authentic storytelling about the biomedical sciences and human health. She has a master's degree in journalism from University of Oregon. Check out the summer 2023 issue of UCSF Magazine.
Melanie Morrison, PhD is an assistant professor in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at UCSF, and a core member of the UCSF-UC Berkeley Joint PhD Program in Bioengineering. She earned her PhD in medical biophysics at the University of Toronto, followed by a postdoc at UCSF with Dr. Janine Lupo, where her research focused primarily on brain tumor projects. Research in Morrison's lab is dedicated to advancing neuromodulation therapies for patients with neuropsychiatric conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and obsessive-compulsive disorder. As a first-generation academic, Melanie is also passionate about mentorship, outreach, and providing equal opportunities for underrepresented trainees. While a postdoc at UCSF, Morrison was a finalist in the 2017 Postdoc Slam, with a talk about pediatric brain cancer and radiation therapy.
Deepto Mozumdar, PhD is a postdoctoral scholar at UCSF, where he works in the Bondy-Denomy and Agard labs to study the molecular underpinnings of the most potent anti-immune mechanism used by jumbo-phages to thwart bacterial defenses. He earned a PhD in chemistry and chemical biology at Yale University, where he was also active in science outreach and communications activities. Deepto was 2nd prize winner at UCSF's 2022 Postdoc Slam, where he shared his fascination with phages in his talk Slaying Deadly Bacteria With Giant Viruses.
Tiffani K. Quan, PhD is program manager of UCSF's Medical Scientist Training Program. Previously, she was a program director for health sciences at UC Berkeley Extension. She was also a longtime core developer/instructor and STEM education consultant with the UC Santa Cruz Institute for Scientist and Engineer Educators (ISEE), where she helped develop research-informed workshops around science and engineering education strategies for use in a lab and classroom setting. Quan received her PhD in molecular, cell, and developmental biology from UC Santa Cruz, and is a UCSF postdoc alum. She is immediate past-president of the UCSF Graduate Division Alumni Assocation.
Alexandra Schnoes, PhD ’08 is a UCSF alum and past president of the UCSF Graduate Division Alumni Association. She is director of career and professional development at iBiology and Science Communication Lab, where she brings online career training to scientists. Previously, she was coordinator of the innovative Graduate Student Internships for Career Exploration (GSICE) program at UCSF, which enables graduate students to do internships outside of academic research. Schnoes received her PhD in biophysics from UCSF, and she later did postdoctoral work here with mentor Patricia C. Babbitt, PhD.
Orion Weiner, PhD ’01, is a professor in the UCSF Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and the Cardiovascular Research Institute and co-director of the Integrated Program for Complex Biological Systems. His lab seeks to define the molecular logic of complex cell behaviors, including how immune cells control their shape and movement and how cells establish their fate during development. Weiner earned his PhD in cell biology at UCSF, followed by a postdoc at Harvard with mentors Marc Kirschner and Lew Cantley.