Dr. Heather Christofk is Associate Director of Basic and Translational Research at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is a Professor of Biological Chemistry at the David Geffen School of Medicine and Co-Director of the UCLA Metabolomics Center. Dr. Christofk earned a B.S. at UCLA in 2001 and a Ph.D. at Harvard in 2007. Her research focuses on metabolic transitions in cancer, tissue stem cells, and development, with the goal of developing novel treatment strategies. She is a Searle Scholar and recipient of the Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award from the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, the NIH Director's New Innovator Award, and an American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award.
Along with Drs. Bill Lowry and Mike Jung, Dr. Christofk cofounded Pelage Pharmaceuticals, a company developing metabolism based treatments for alopecia. She serves on the Editorial/Advisory Boards for Cell, Cell Metabolism, Cancer Discovery, PLOS Biology, and iScience, and on the Scientific Advisory Board of Faeth Therapeutics. Beyond her passion for science, Dr. Christofk enjoys trail running, reading, and spending time with her husband, kids, and Bernese Mountain Dog.
Chris is a MD/PhD student from San Francisco, CA. He received a B.S. in Biology at the University of Chicago where he studied hypoxia and cancer biology in the lab of Dr. Marsha Rosner. As a PhD student, Chris is exploring the mechanisms by which alterations in nucleotide metabolism affect a variety of human diseases. He hopes to apply a broad foundational training in metabolism and biochemistry to future translational research and surgical practice. Outside of lab, Chris enjoys spending time with his wife, cooking, singing/music, and spending time outdoors (running, hiking, and skiing) or in the gym.
Norah is a UCLA undergraduate from Goleta, California, majoring in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology. She is working with Sara Frigui on developing methods to characterize intestinal and stem cell metabolism in pregnancy. In her free time Norah enjoys student run theatre and exploring Los Angeles with friends.
Sam is a UCLA undergraduate from Bergen County, New Jersey, majoring in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology. He is working with Chris Dann to study how dietary purine levels influence tumor growth and metabolic dependencies in FH-deficient kidney cancer (HLRCC). Outside the lab, Sam enjoys spending time with friends and family, playing with his dog, watching football, playing piano, going to the gym, and cooking.
Jaydee is a UCLA undergraduate from Downey, California, majoring in Biochemistry. She is working with Dr. Julia Peloggia de Castro in understanding developmental metabolism and maternal-fetal signaling. Outside the lab, she likes to read, play video games, and watch interesting TV shows. When she visits her family on the weekends, she plays with her cats, dogs, and chickens.
Angie is the current lab manager of the Christofk Lab. She received a B.S. in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology from UCLA and was part of the Biomedical Research Minor class of 2025. She conducted research under the mentorship of the Nicholas lab at UCI (summer 2023), which studies immunoendocrinology focusing on PCOS and diabetes; she was also part of the Correa lab at UCLA, identifying the anatomy of the thermoregulatory neural circuit in the hypothalamus (Fall 2023- Summer 2025) . Her research interests include metabolism, immunoendocrinology, and women’s health. When not in lab, she enjoys taking care of her plants, cooking, watching sci fi movies, and playing Roblox.
Sydney received a B.A.'s in Biological Sciences and in Chemistry from Cornell University, where she started her research career working with C. elegans in the Schroeder Lab. She went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology at the University of Pennsylvania in the laboratory of Dr. Kathryn Wellen. Sydney's thesis work focused on understanding how pancreatic cancer cells maintain UDP-GlcNAc levels under nutrient restriction. In the Christofk Lab, she studies nutrient regulation of tissue repair and carcinogenesis, particularly in the liver and pancreas. When not in the lab she can be found trying out new fitness activities or watching HGTV and knitting with her two cats.
Sara is an MD/PhD student from Louisville, KY. She received her B.S. in Chemistry at Stanford where she studied the molecular mechanisms of the Hedgehog Signaling Pathway in the lab of Dr. Rajat Rohatgi. As a PhD student in the Christofk lab, she works on developing methods to characterize intestinal and stem cell metabolism in the context of systemic metabolic changes, such as diet and pregnancy. Outside the lab, she enjoys filling up her phone storage taking pictures of her cat, running, lifting, playing claw machines, and consuming new Ninja Creami concoctions daily.
Abby's research focuses on nutrient sensing and the interconnection between metabolism and cell signaling. Prior to starting her post-doctoral research, Abby completed her B.S. and PhD at UCLA.
Arissa is a rheumatology fellow in the Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) program at UCLA. She obtained her MD from Tufts University School of Medicine and completed an internal medicine residency at Vanderbilt University. During her residency she worked in Jeffrey Rathmell's lab investigating lipid metabolism in CD4+ T cells. As a PhD student in the Christofk lab, she will be studying the adipocyte-to-mesenchymal-transition that has been implicated in the development of skin fibrosis in systemic sclerosis. Outside the lab, she enjoys spending time with her husband Alex and her daughter Adalyn, hiking, spinning, traveling, and trying new restaurants.
Houfu received his B.S in Medicine and Science with Honours, and a M.S. of Medical Sciences degree from the University of Hong Kong. Then, he went on to pursue his PhD in Clinical Medicine at the University of Oxford in the UK, with supervision from Prof. Katja Simon (FMedSci). In the Christofk Lab, with the knowledge and experience from bedside to bench, he studies broadly investigating the role of diet and metabolism in bone cancer and cancer bone metastases, as well as studying metabolism in bone marrow niche development. In his spare time, he likes to swim, watch movies and travel across the country.
Melissa is a UCLA undergraduate from Stockton, California majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. She is currently working with Dr. Arissa Young to study the progression of fibrosis in various organs in a mice model of systemic sclerosis. In her free time, Melissa loves spending time outdoors, working out, baking, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family.
Alumni
Francesca Day
Graduate Student, Stanford University
César Pérez
Consultant, McKinsey & Company
Blake Wilde
Assistant Professor, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Michayla Gee
Undergraduate Student, UCLA
Andrew Pfeiffer
Medical Student, UCSD
Nedas Matulionis
Staff Research Associate, UCLA
Stephanie Hernandez
Animal Research Committee Coordinator
Nishma Chakraborty
Medical Student, Duke University
Andrew Cicchetto, PhD
Research Scientist, Poseida Therapeutics
Pete Mullen, PhD
Assistant Professor, University of Southern California
Sarah Jobbins
Graduate Student, University of Texas, South Western
Berfin Seyran
Post Doctorate Fellow, UCLA
James Ch'ng, PhD
Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist, MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach
Ernst Schmid
Graduate Student, Harvard
Shivani Thaker
Internal Medicine Resident, Massachusetts General Hospital
Lisa Situ
Graduate Student, Harvard
BJ Sullivan, PhD
Life Sciences Specialist, L.E.K. Consulting
Wen Gu, PhD
Postdoctoral fellow, UT Southwestern, Ralph DeBerardinis Lab
Katie Machado
Nursing Student, UCSF
Candice Hong, PhD
Lecturer, UCLA
Taylor Brown
Graduate Student, UCLA until December 2019 (resting in peace and in our hearts forever)
Carolina Espindola
Medical Student, A.T. Still University
Minh Thai, PhD
Senior Scientific Researcher, Genentech
Daniel Braas, PhD
Scientific Director, UCLA Metabolomics and Proteomics Center
Marco is a UCLA undergraduate from Baldwin Park, California, majoring in biology. He is working with Dr. Sydney Campbell to investigate the effects of dietary ascorbate on the pathological features of progressive Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD). In his free time, Marco enjoys going out for runs, watching baseball, learning how to cook new dishes, and drawing.
Julia is from São Paulo, Brazil. She went to the University of São Paulo for her undergrad, where she worked on the role of mitochondria in skin aging. She then moved to Kansas City, MO, to get her PhD at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, where she studied zebrafish development with Tatjana Piotrowski. In the Christofk lab, she is interested in developmental metabolism and maternal-fetal signaling. Outside the lab, Julia enjoys cooking, reading, binge-watching series, and as an avid coffee enthusiast, she likes exploring different coffee shops around LA.
Emily is an undergraduate student at UCLA from Woodland Hills, CA. She is currently majoring in Human Biology and Society with a minor in Biomedical Research. In the Christofk lab, Emily is working with Dr. Sydney Campbell to study the mechanisms of cell differentiation upon liver tissue damage and to understand the impact that nutrient deficiencies have on tissue repair. Outside the lab, Emily loves spending time with her friends and family, trying out new meal prep recipes, and being involved in theatre in any way she can.
