Lab Manager

Che-Ping grew up in a small island – Penang, Malaysia and graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. degree in Biochemistry. Prior to joining the Verdin lab in 2013 she studied microglia and genetic modifiers of Huntington disease. In addition to managing the Verdin lab, she is currently working on SIRT1 related research. Che-Ping loves animals, especially dogs, and is an avid coffee-holic and foodie. She really enjoys engaging in outdoor activities (especially photography) with her husband.

Email: cng@BuckInstitute.org

Postdoctoral Fellow

I am French and have a terrific accent, which my friendly co-workers have gradually learned to tolerate. I earned my Ph.D at Paris 7- Denis-Diderot, and I joined Eric Verdin's lab in October 2012. Since then, I have been very busy studying the mechanisms that govern HIV latency in primary cells. Besides the lab, I like hanging out with friends, drinking a good glass of wine, reading, skiing, traveling, playing music and so many other things.

Email: EBattivelli@BuckInstitute.org

Postdoctoral Fellow

Emilie got her PhD studying cellular senescence and DNA replication at the University of Montpellier in France. She is interested in the transcriptional regulation of sirtuins and their effects on metabolism and aging. She will also be further characterizing the role of mTOR in the regulation of HIV transcription. Emilie grew up in Normandy in France and had an early interest in understanding how nature works. She lives in San Francisco and enjoys hiking, running, watching movies and TV series, and trying new restaurants. 

Email: EBesnard@BuckInstitute.org

Postdoctoral Fellow

I'm interested in using my structural biology skills to better understand mitochondrial protein acylation and its regulation by sirtuins.  I finished my PhD in Biochemistry in 2013 at the University of Washington under the mentorship of Roland Strong and William Schief, working on protein design and crystallography to study anti-HIV antibodies.  My interest in the biology of aging drew me to the Verdin lab, and I hope to some day continue on to a lab of my own.  When time allows, I enjoy rock climbing, live music, exploring the city, and spending time with the amazing friends I've made in California.

Email: CCarrico@BuckInstitute.org

Staff Scientist, Flow Core Director

I did my undergraduate work in biology at Duke University, and got my PhD in immunology from UC Berkeley, working on the regulation of cell death in T cell development in the laboratory of Dr. Astar Winoto. Since joining the Verdin lab, my main area of focus has been elucidating the immunobiology of histone deacetylase 7, an epigenetic regulator with an essential role in the maintenance of immune self-tolerance. With other members of the immunology group, I’m working to define the molecular mechanisms whereby the TCR-dependent nuclear export of HDAC7 mediates both negative thymic selection and the differentiation of agonist-selected innate-like T cell populations. By understanding the important role of HDAC7 in T cell development, we hope to gain new insights into the regulation of immune self-tolerance, and also to identify novel molecular pathways that can be targeted in autoimmune disease. When I’m not pushing back the frontier of human knowledge one miniprep at a time, I like to cook fabulous food for my friends and family, hike through the many splendid landscapes surrounding the Bay Area, and play at being a suburban farmer.

Email: HKasler@BuckInstitute.org

Assistant Professor

John is a geriatrician physician-scientist who studies how cellular signaling functions of ketone bodies, like regulating gene transcription, can affect aging. Ketone bodies are produced by the body during fasting and exercise, and may mediate some of the health benefits of these activities. John completed a BS/MS at Yale, and then an MD/PhD at the University of Washington, before training in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at UCSF. He is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Geriatrics at UCSF. John is originally from New York, and a lifelong Mets fan. He gets his own exercise playing volleyball.

Email: JNewman@BuckInstitute.org