People

Dr. Dubal directs a team unraveling how pathways of longevity lead to brain resilience. Using synergistic approaches including the study of humans, mouse models of brain disease, and single cells – from the molecular to behavioral levels – her lab is investigating how mechanisms of resilience are paving paths to treatments for aging and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Her discoveries have been profiled in high-impact media such as NPR and the Economist – and are recognized as potential therapies for living longer and better. Awards and honors for her work include the Paul Beeson Career Development Award through the NIA and American Federation for Aging Research, the UCSF David A. Coulter Endowed Chair in Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, and the Grass Neuroscience Award.

Samira obtained her Ph.D degree from the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore where she studied neuroendocrinology and molecular biology. Her studies focused on understanding the mechanism of innate fear and anxiety in rats using Toxoplasma infection as a perturbation system. Samira discovered that the underlying regulatory mechanism of innate fear was different between males and females despite a similar phenotypic expression of fear response. Samira is currently interested in understanding the effect of the parent-of-origin of the active X chromosome on various measures of aging and cognition.

Aside research, Samira enjoys reading, movies and sports.

Lina received her B.A. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of
California, where she studied glucocorticoid function in beige adipocytes. She is
currently a student in the Developmental and Stem Cell Biology program at UCSF.
Currently, her research focuses on investigating liver-derived factors, their interactions with the hippocampus, and how these interactions influence brain aging and cognitive function.

Outside of lab, Lina enjoys cycling, going to concerts, and trying new restaurants in San
Francisco.

Lauren received her B.A.’s in English and Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley in 2011. From there she joined the newly established Dubal Lab as a research associate, where she was first introduced to the fascinating field of sex differences in neurologic disease. She then went on to join the MD/PhD program at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where she obtained her PhD in neuroscience. Her dissertation work was in the lab of Dr. Josh Rubin, studying sex differences in glioblastoma. Specifically, she identified that female glioblastoma cells are more sensitive to radiation therapy than male cells, and that this is mediated through p21 and an increased tendency to undergo senescence. Lauren is thrilled to have returned to UCSF as a neurology resident and to be rejoining the Dubal lab, where she will be investigating how pathogenic tau alters X chromosome gene regulation and whether this contributes to female resilience in neurodegenerative disease.

Outside of the lab and the hospital, Lauren enjoys reading (favorite genres are fantasy/science fiction and mystery), jigsaw puzzles, baking, and hiking with her dog.

Uday received his B.S. in chemistry from the University of Chicago, where he worked with Dr. Michael Rust to study circadian rhythms in cyanobacteria. He then joined the M.D./Ph.D. program at the University of Rochester, where he completed a dissertation in neuroscience in the lab of Dr. Krishnan Padmanabhan. There, he used electrophysiology, calcium imaging, and computational tools to show how the activity of neuronal populations was disrupted in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. Today, as a research-track psychiatry resident at UCSF, Uday is working with Dr. Dubal to understand how parent-of-origin mosaicism in the X-chromosome shapes sex differences in affective behavior.

Outside of research and patient care, Uday enjoys cooking, running, watching movies, and reading books about history.

Claire received her M.Sc. in Pharmacology and Physiology from King’s College London, where she worked with pre-clinical animal models and received training in clinical trials and research. She went on to obtain her Ph.D. degree from the Open University UK, for research undertaken at the Roskamp Institute, where she studied lipid bioenergetics in transgenic Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) mice models and clinical cohorts, interrogating whether APOE polymorphisms affected lipid oxidation. Claire uncovered that changes in lipid biomarkers could be detected pre-clinically in AD and were correlated with brain pathology and further associated with APOE polymorphisms. As a postdoc in the Dubal lab she is now working on uncovering kidney-brain axis mechanisms linked to aging and the rejuvenating factor klotho.

Shruti earned her Ph.D. in 2024 from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, India, where she focused on mouse olfaction. Her research investigated the role of ionotropic glutamate receptors in processing odor information through olfactory subsystems. She also uncovered the role of GAD65 interneurons in pheromonal memory. In 2024, Shruti joined the Dubal Lab, where she is currently exploring the interplay between the body and brain during aging.

Francesca received her B.A. in Neuroscience from Boston University where she used electrophysiology to study learning and memory in Dr. Howard Eichenbaum’s lab. She then moved to Edmund Hollis’ lab at Burke Neurological Institute to evaluate the role of corticospinal neurons in motor learning and spinal cord injury. Using 2 photon calcium imaging, she found that corticospinal neurons are necessary for the performance of a skilled isometric pull task. Currently, she is interested in understanding the role of the X-chromosome in cognitive aging and neurodegenerative disease.

Outside of the lab, Francesca enjoys hiking, playing board games, video games, and reading.

Nilla received her B.S. in neuroscience from UCLA, with minors in biomedical research and history. While there, she studied under Dr. Stephanie Correa to examine estrogen-sensitive hypothalamic control of temperature. She then worked at UCSF in the lab of Dr. Zachary Knight, where she investigated how appetite is controlled by enteroendocrine cells and by the brainstem. She’s interested in how sex differences in behavior and physiology are coded in the brain. As a graduate student in the Dubal lab, she is exploring male vulnerability to age-related cognitive changes.

Outside of the lab, she can be found haunting local libraries, teashops, and movie theaters.

Outside of the lab, Dan enjoys sewing, hiking, and camping.