People

Associate Investigator, The J. David Gladstone Institutes
Member of UCSF’s AIDS Research Institute (ARI) Executive Committee
Member of UCSF's Center for Reproductive Sciences (CRS)

Nadia obtained a B.A. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from U.C. Berkeley, and a Ph.D. from Harvard Medical School where she characterized T cell responses to the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis in a mouse infection model. She then conducted a postdoctoral fellowship at the J. David Gladstone Institutes, where she identified factors in human seminal plasma that potently enhance HIV infection and studied their mechanism of action. Currently, her lab uses ex vivo tissue models and high-parameter single-cell analysis approaches to study HIV transmission and persistence, T cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2, and reproductive health. Nadia is a member of the BMS and Immunology programs at UCSF. Outside the lab, Nadia enjoys the arts, being active, and traveling to faraway places.

Julie obtained a M.S in Cellular biology from University of Rennes. This was followed by an internship in the lab of Dr. Riteau at the University of Lyon 1 in France, where she studied how the Annexin-1 protein helps spreading Influenza virus infection. To deepen her background in virology, she started conducted a PhD at the IRSET Institute, in Rennes, under the supervision of Dr. Nathalie Dejucq-Rainsford. Her research focused on deciphering the mechanisms of transmigration of infected seminal leukocytes across the colorectal mucosa, and the modulatory effect of the seminal plasma on this transmission. She also worked on the phenotypical characterization of seminal leukocytes. In 2019, she joined the Roan lab where she will be working on using single-cell approaches to characterize cells productively- and latently-infected with HIV in different tissues. Outside the lab, Julie enjoys travelling around the world and discovering new places, spending some time with friends and family, and sports to clear her mind!

Ashley obtained a B.S. from Humboldt State University, where she majored in Biology with an emphasis in Cellular and Molecular Biology. This was followed by an internship sponsored by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) in the lab of Dr. Linda Giudice at UCSF, studying human endometrial mesenchymal stem cells and endometriosis. She then obtained a Ph.D. from Rutgers University where she tested the lactocrine hypothesis for maternal programming of postnatal uterine development and adult endometrial function in pigs. In 2018, she joined the Roan lab, where she is using mass cytometry to characterize the molecular basis of intrinsic cellular permissivity of CD4+ T cells to HIV in the context of the restrictive or permissive environment of the female reproductive tract. Outside the lab, Ashley enjoys reading and spending time with friends and family.

Xiaoyu obtained a B.S. in Biotechnology from Sichuan University in China, and a PhD from the University of North Texas Health Science Center where she studied the HIV Nef protein and HIV latency in astrocytes in the lab of Dr. Johnny He. After graduation, she joined Dr. Warner Greene’s lab at Gladstone Institutes and conducted her postdoctoral fellowship studying HIV pathogenesis in tissue CD4+ T cells. In 2022, she joined the Roan lab as a staff research scientist, where she is using single cell multiomics technologies and computational approaches to characterize HIV reservoir cells and understand HIV persistence. Outside the lab, Xiaoyu is a digital drawing artist and plant lover. She also enjoys cooking, hiking, and traveling (especially in search of good food).

Tongcui obtained a M.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Shantou University in China, and a Ph.D. from Wuhan University in China where she identified several naturally occurring anti-HIV products, including Soybean-derived Bowman-Birk Inhibitor and Kunitz Inhibitor. She then conducted a postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Dr. Jianxin You at University of Pennsylvania, where she studied host immune responses to the tumorigenic DNA virus, Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), and how DNA viruses modulate host immune response to achieve latent infection. She then joined the Roan lab, where she is identifying biomarkers of HIV reservoir size and time-to-rebound during analytical treatment interruption (ATI). Outside of the lab, Tongcui enjoys traveling, being active and spending time with family.

Jason obtained a B.A. from U.C. Santa Barbara, where he majored in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He conducted research in the Vaccines Department at Chiron, corp. (now Novartis, Inc) from 1990 to 2000, studying adjuvant formulations and vaccine candidates for herpesvirus. He then joined the lab of Dr. Warner Greene at the J. David Gladstone Institutes where he studied the viral determinants of HIV transmission. Since joining the Roan lab, he has been characterizing the phenotypic properties of genital mucosal cells and is using CyTOF to characterize the phenotypic properties of latent cells from the blood and tissues of HIV-infected individuals. Outside of the lab, Jason enjoys his wife's cooking. He also takes long, mushroom hunting walks with his son and appreciates the antics of Peppa Pig with his daughter.

Kailin obtained a B.S. from Peking University, where he majored in molecular biology and biochemistry. He then obtained a Ph.D. from Peking University in the lab of Dr. Wang Yuedan, where he studied tumor-associated antigens. He then conducted a postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Dr. Chengqi Yi, during which he conducted research on RNA epigenetics. In 2020, he joined the lab of Dr. Wang Likun at the Institute of Biophysics researching endoplasmic reticulum stress using ribosome profiling. In 2021, he joined the Roan lab, where he will be characterizing immune responses to HIV and SARS-CoV-2. Outside the lab, Kailin enjoys playing badminton and computer games like Dota2.

Kyrlia received her B.A. in Biology, with a focus in Cell and Molecular Biology, at Occidental College in Los Angeles. During her undergraduate studies, she worked under Dr. Cheryl Okumura to develop a method to isolate and purify Group A Streptococcus-infected phagosomes in order to determine what proteins are associated with immune evasion and intracellular survival in macrophages. After graduating, she then joined Dr. Emily Goldberg's lab at UCSF and led a project investigating the mechanisms underlying oxidized low-density lipoprotein uptake and retention in neutrophils in the context of atherosclerosis. Since joining the Roan Lab in 2021, she has been working on research projects aimed to better understand the crosstalk between T cells and RNA viruses, and to identify signatures of inflammatory diseases affecting women. In her free time she enjoys cooking, baking (and especially eating) goods from new recipes, hiking, and traveling anywhere and everywhere.