School of Medicine
Showing 1-25 of 25 Results
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Amirsaman Ashtari
Postdoctoral Scholar, Radiation Biology
BioI am a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University, jointly supervised by Ash Alizadeh MD/PhD and Mohammad Shahrokh Esfahani PhD. I developed several AI solutions for the Computer Vision and Computer Graphic domains during my PhD studies at KAIST and ETH Zurich. My PhD research outcome was recognized by winning the Young Researcher Award, and I was eager to apply all those AI techniques to biological data for cancer therapy. In the Alizadeh and Esfahani labs, I will develop AI solutions and computational tools to better understand the tumor microenvironment. Outside of my research, I enjoy loving my family, playing the piano, and listening to music.
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Laura Attardi
Catharine and Howard Avery Professor of the School of Medicine and Professor of Genetics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur research is aimed at defining the pathways of p53-mediated apoptosis and tumor suppression, using a combination of biochemical, cell biological, and mouse genetic approaches. Our strategy is to start by generating hypotheses about p53 mechanisms of action using primary mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs), and then to test them using gene targeting technology in the mouse.
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Richard Frock
Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology (Radiation and Cancer Biology)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe are a functional genomics laboratory interested in elucidating mechanisms of DNA repair pathway choice and genome instability. We use genome-wide repair fate maps of targeted DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) to develop pathway-specific models and combinatorial therapies. Our expertise overlaps many different fields including: genome editing, ionizing radiation, cancer therapeutics, V(D)J and IgH class switch recombination, repair during transcription and replication, and meiosis.
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Amato J. Giaccia
Jack, Lulu and Sam Willson Professor, Professor of Radiation Oncology, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDuring the last five years, we have identified several small molecules that kill VHL deficient renal cancer cells through a synthetic lethal screening approach. Another major interest of my laboratory is in identifying hypoxia-induced genes involved in invasion and metastases. We are also investigating how hypoxia regulates gene expression epigenetically.
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Lu Ji
Postdoctoral Scholar, Radiation Biology
BioDriven by the enthusiasm and curiosity about life science and human disease, I have been working on cancer research for more than 5 years. I focus on developing novel therapeutic targets from tumor microenvironment and uncovering mechanisms of tumor progression, especially with expertise in gastrointestinal tumor biology and tumor microenvironment analysis. Now I'm digging into a field about finding a way to empower immunotherapy by appropriately utilizing radiation therapy.
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Micah Kelly
Radiation and Cancer Biology Administrative Programs Lead, Radiation Oncology - Radiation Biology
Current Role at StanfordAdministrative Associate to Drs. Erinn Rankin, Richard Frock, and Ted Graves
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Ananya Pradhan
Affiliate, Radiation Oncology - Radiation Biology
BioMy research sits at the intersection of deep learning, computational analysis, and understanding high-dimensional biological data to create a positive impact for patients. I am deeply fascinated by computer science and have experience working with generative networks and deep neural networks.
Currently, I am working with Dr. Seraphina Shi in the Esfahani Lab. My research focuses on analyzing epigenetic features of cfDNA fragments to develop deep learning architectures for early lung cancer detection. My prior independent research involved using variational auto-encoders and optical coherence tomography data to detect Alzheimer's disease at an early stage.
Outside of research, I enjoy student leadership and debate, and I’m always happy to have great conversations. I also love movies and spending time in nature. If any of these topics interest you, feel free to reach out! -
Mohammad Shahrokh Esfahani
Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology (Radiation and Cancer Biology)
BioI lead a computational oncology laboratory that develops machine learning and statistical methods for high-dimensional genomics, with particular expertise in Bayesian and uncertainty-aware modeling to integrate prior biological knowledge with large-scale datasets.
Our research centers on liquid biopsy analytics—especially cell-free DNA (cfDNA)—to noninvasively quantify genetic and epigenetic states relevant to cancer detection, monitoring, and tumor evolution. We developed EPIC-seq, a fragmentomics-based method that uses cfDNA fragmentation patterns to infer regulatory activity and gene expression programs, providing a scalable framework for epigenetic profiling from blood.
A core methodological focus of the lab is enabling reliable inference in extremely low signal-to-noise settings that are typical of cfDNA and early-stage disease. We build robust, interpretable models and benchmarking frameworks that support clinical translation, with the long-term aim of democratizing access to sensitive, minimally invasive cancer diagnostics. -
Junming Seraphina Shi
Postdoctoral Scholar, Radiation Biology
BioI am a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, jointly mentored by Dr. Mohammad Shahrokh Esfahani and Dr. Md Tauhidul Islam. My research focuses on developing robust statistical machine learning methods for noninvasive, cost-effective cancer diagnostics, with applications in early detection, treatment monitoring, and precision oncology.
I received my Ph.D. from UC Berkeley, where my dissertation centered on advancing biostatistical machine learning approaches for complex biomedical challenges. My work addressed causal inference for continuous treatments, bias and measurement patterns in ICU electronic health records, and deep learning–based biclustering and prediction of cancer-drug responses. Across these projects, I developed interpretable and scalable tools for analyzing high-dimensional, multimodal clinical data.
At Stanford, I continue to build novel statistical learning frameworks tailored to real-world clinical needs—particularly through the analysis of liquid biopsy (cell-free DNA) and cancer imaging data. My current work aims to improve cancer detection and monitoring, with a focus on noninvasive, accessible, and clinically meaningful solutions to pressing challenges in oncology. I enjoy interdisciplinary collaborations and working across fields to drive innovation in biomedical research. Deeply committed to cancer research, I aim to bridge rigorous computational methodology with patient-centered impact by designing tools that are scalable, equitable, and translational. -
Man Zhao
Postdoctoral Scholar, Radiation Biology
BioMy research primarily focuses on the molecular mechanisms, signaling pathways, and therapeutic targets underlying cancer metabolism, particularly the m6A demethylase FTO. I am also actively exploring the interplay between tumor metabolism and tumor immunity, with the goal of identifying novel metabolic vulnerabilities for cancer treatment.
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Tianyu Zhao
Postdoctoral Scholar, Radiation Biology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsHow p53 affects the tissue homeostasis in lung cancer and injury.
