Our People

The Spitzer Lab is a group of scientists passionate about improving lives through harnessing the immune system. We take pride in our constantly collaborative approach to science, in our inclusive lab culture, and in celebrating our diversity.

Matthew (Matt) Spitzer, PhD

Associate Professor

Matt completed his training in Immunology at Stanford University in the laboratories of Dr. Garry Nolan and Dr. Ed Engleman. There, he developed experimental and analytical methods to model the state of the immune system using high dimensional single-cell data. This led Matt to develop the first reference map of the immune system, providing a framework into which new data can be integrated and compared for system-wide analysis. At Stanford, he also developed new strategies for inducing powerful immune responses against cancer. Matt moved to UCSF in the summer of 2016 as a UCSF Parker Fellow and a Sandler Faculty Fellow and is now an Associate Professor in the Departments of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Microbiology & Immunology and an investigator of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.

Staff

NaaAshitey
Naa Ashitey

Junior Specialist

BrittanyDavidson
Brittany Davidson

Junior Specialist

Students

CaseyBurnett
Cassandra (Casey) Burnett

PhD Student, Biomedical Sciences

RachelDeBarge
Rachel DeBarge

PhD Student, Biomedical Sciences

SophiaGuldberg
Sophia Guldberg

PhD Student, Biomedical Sciences

MayaLopez-Ichikawa
Maya Lopez-Ichikawa

PhD Student, Biomedical Sciences

ElizabethMcCarthy
Elizabeth McCarthy

PhD Student, Biological and Medical Informatics and MSTP

DemiSandel
Demi Sandel

PhD Student, Biomedical Sciences

JacquelineYee
Jacqueline (Jackie) Yee

PhD Student, Biomedical Sciences

Postdoctoral Fellows

JoelBabdor
Joël Babdor, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

NamWooCho
Nam Woo Cho, MD PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Radiation Oncology Resident

LaurenLevine
Lauren Levine, MD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Medical Oncologist (Melanoma)

TrineLineHaugeOkholm
Trine Line Hauge Okholm, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

MahaRahim
Maha Rahim, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Alumni

BreannaAllen
Breanna Allen, PhD

PhD Student, Biomedical Sciences, 2017-2020

KamirHiam
Kamir Hiam-Galvez, PhD

PhD Student, Biomedical Sciences, 2017-2020

RitaHuang
Meng-Yao (Rita) Huang, MS

Bioinformatics Programmer, 2020-2022

Team-Placeholder
Diana Marquez

Junior Specialist, 2018-2020

SidRaju
Sid Raju

Bioinformatics Programmer, 2017-2019

Team-Placeholder
Avneet Shaheed

Junior Specialist, 2020-2021

IlianaTenvooren
Iliana Tenvooren, MS

Lab Manager, 2016-2022

Interested in joining the Spitzer Lab?

Prospective graduate students interested in joining the Spitzer lab should apply to UCSF for admission into either the Biomedical Sciences or the Biological and Medical Informatics PhD programs.

 

We are always seeking postdoctoral fellows with strong backgrounds in cellular immunology, cancer biology, computational biology/bioinformatics, bioengineering, or a mix of these disciplines. If you are interested in applying to the lab, please send your current CV and a list of three references to Matt.