RESEARCH INTERESTS
Ana’s research interests lie at the intersection of biochemistry, immunology, and engineering. She hopes to use her background in both biology and chemistry to modify biomaterials for effective drug delivery and immunotherapy technologies.
EDUCATION
PhD, Biochemistry, Stanford University - Expected 2026
MS, Chemistry, UC San Diego - June 2021
BS, Human Biology, UC San Diego - March 2017
ANA NEJATFARD
HONORS, AWARDS, and SCHOLARSHIPS
Stanford Graduate Fellowship, Stanford University, 2021-2024
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, UC San Diego, Sept 2019 - June 2021
Research Advisor: Prof. Sonya E. Neal
Initially serving as Lab & Safety Manager for Dr. Neal, Anahita later joined the MS program to elucidate both the role of E3 ligase Hrd1 as well as the role of derlin rhomboid pseudoprotease Dfm1 in the retrotranslocation of misfolded membrane proteins, shedding light on the highly conserved Endoplasmic Reticulum Associated Degradation (ERAD) protein quality control pathway.
Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research Institute, June 2015 - Oct 2018
Research Advisor: Prof. Richard Lerner
Initially serving as Lab Assistant, Anahita assisted several post-docs on projects ranging from assembling a 250-member cytokine library in a lentivirus phage display vector to screen for cytokine drug targets to developing a prostaglandin receptor reporter cell line for FACS screening of a peptide library for discovery of anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. Further, Anahita independently demonstrated IFN-y is a potent checkpoint inhibitor of osteogenesis.
ABOUT
Ana grew up in sunny San Diego, California, where she pursued a BS in Human Biology at UC San Diego. Initially a pre-med student, her experiences as a Lab Assistant and Lab Manager unleashed a love of scientific research, leading her to pursue a MS in Chemistry and now a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Stanford. Outside of lab, Anahita enjoys cooking, developing new hobbies (the current one being how to crochet), reading fiction, watching tv shows & movies, and spending time with her loved ones.