Our People
We are a closely integrated group of researchers driven by a common goal, to accelerate the discovery of effective cell therapies for cancer patients. As a new lab situated within the highly collaborative Gladstone-UCSF Genomic Immunology Institute, we benefit from exciting partnerships with other labs combined with an agile team-oriented approach to accelerate the trajectory of our work.
Julia Carnevale
Julia Carnevale, MD, is an affiliate investigator at Gladstone Institutes. She is also an assistant professor of hematology and oncology in the Department of Medicine at UC San Francisco (UCSF), and an attending in the UCSF GI Oncology Clinic. During her postdoctoral training in oncology at UCSF, Dr. Carnevale pioneered new methods to perform large-scale CRISPR screens in primary human T cells. This established the foundation for her current research focused on reprogramming immune cells to use as cancer therapies. Dr. Carnevale uses the unbiased screening approaches she developed to identify key genes in immune cells that control their ability to kill both solid tumors and blood cancers.
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Assistant Investigator, Gladstone Institutes
Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UC San Francisco
Julia Carnevale, MD, is an affiliate investigator at Gladstone Institutes. She is also an assistant professor of hematology and oncology in the Department of Medicine at UC San Francisco (UCSF), and an attending in the UCSF GI Oncology Clinic.
During her postdoctoral training in oncology at UCSF, Dr. Carnevale pioneered new methods to perform large-scale CRISPR screens in primary human T cells. This established the foundation for her current research focused on reprogramming immune cells to use as cancer therapies. Dr. Carnevale uses the unbiased screening approaches she developed to identify key genes in immune cells that control their ability to kill both solid tumors and blood cancers.
Dr. Carnevale completed her bachelor’s degree at Stanford University and her medical training at Harvard University, with research training at the Dana-Farber Cancer institute. She completed her internal medicine residency, oncology fellowship, and postdoctoral training at UCSF. She is the recipient of a number of notable awards, such as an NIH/NCI K08 award, a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award for Medical Scientists, a CIRM DISC 2 Award, and a Damon Runyon Physician-Scientist Training Award, and an AACR-Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Young Investigator Translational Cancer Research Award.
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Postdoctoral Fellows & Trainees
I grew up in China and moved to Northern California to study Nutritional Sciences with a focus in Physiology & Metabolism at UC Berkeley. During my time there, I developed a strong interest in understanding cellular and molecular biology, particularly in how they relate to disease mechanisms. This interest led me to work in the Titov Lab on a research project investigating the effects of the ATP/ADP ratio on cell physiology, health, and lifespan using bacterial F1-ATPase. I’m excited to apply my skills to studying the intersections of immunology and disease within a collaborative research environment. Outside of the lab, you can find me knitting, fishing to feed my cats, or exploring and snapping photos around the city.
Research Associate
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Ph.D. Biomedical Science, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Ph.D. Biomedical Science, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; B.S. Molecular Biology, B.S. Cells & Systems Biology, University of Toronto.Prior research: TCR-TIL Lab and Laboratory of Immunology & Infectious DiseasesIn co-mentorship with Professor Julia Carnevale, my research centers on improving the quantitative and functional persistence of engineered CAR/TCR-T cells in solid tumors using humanized cancer-engrafted mouse models.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine at the University of Padua
Camilla Valente is a postdoctoral scholar in the Spitzer and Carnevale labs at UCSF, where she has been working since September 2023. She earned her M.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of Padua, Italy, during which she spent a year at Imperial College London through the ERASMUS+ program, studying the epigenetic regulation of Friedreich’s ataxia in Prof. Richard Festenstein’s lab. Camilla then completed her Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine at the University of Padua in Prof. Stefano Piccolo’s lab, where she worked on the development of a cell-based vaccine for breast cancer. In the Spitzer Lab, her research focuses on understanding how dendritic cells become functionally impaired during tumorigenesis and how to reverse this process using genome engineering.
Postdoctoral Fellow
B.S. in Biology from UC San Diego
Research bio:
I grew San Diego and earned my B.S. in Biology from UC San Diego. Prior to startingat UCSF, my work at The La Jolla Institute for Immunology focused on studyingcomplex immune cell signaling pathways, with an emphasis on utilizingPTM-centric base editor screens to assess phosphorylation site functionality inhigh throughput. In 2024, I began my Ph.D. studies in UCSF’s BiomedicalSciences program.
Currentfocus:
In co-mentorship with Dr. Harish Vasudevan, my research integrates T with biochemical approaches to investigate the role of RASA2 in theimmune system. I also utilize base editor screens to identify critical domainsand residues within gene targets, with the broader goal of enhancing T celltherapeutic efficacy.
Outsideinterests:
Outside the lab, I enjoy staying active, attending concerts, exploring new restaurants, and living life to the fullest.
BMS Graduate Student
B.S. in Biology from Northeastern University in Boston, MA in 2021
Research bio:
I grew up in the Bay Area and earned my B.S. in Biology from Northeastern University inBoston, MA in 2021. Prior to starting at UCSF, I worked at various biotechcompanies in the Boston area focused on developing immunotherapies for cancer.Most recently, I worked at Tango Therapeutics, a precision oncology companyleveraging synthetic lethality to develop therapeutics for cancer. There, Idesigned and executed enCas12a combo CRISPR screens to discover gene pairs inwhich loss of both genes renders cancer cells sensitive to immune-mediatedkilling. In 2024, I started graduate school as a part of UCSF’s BiomedicalSciences program.
Currentfocus:
In co-mentorship with Dr. Greg Allen, I aim to integrate functional genomics and synthetic biology approaches to design better T cell-based therapies for solid tumors.
Outsideinterests:
Outside of lab, you can find me running or hiking, exploring coffee shops with friends, reading books, or doing various crafts like knitting or scrapbooking.
BMS Graduate Student
B.S. in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics from Univeristy of California Los Angleles, in 2024
Researc Bio:
I am a second-year PhD graduate student in the lab working on myeloid cell engineering. I graduated from UCLA in 2024 with a B.S. in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, where I spent time working in the laboratory of Dr. Donald Kohn on various gene therapies targeted towards pediatric immunodeficiencies. Following graduation, I worked as a research technician at the University of California, Irvine in the laboratory of Dr. Yongsheng Shi, where I worked on independent projects dealing with protein reconstitution and alternative polyadenylation. I started my studies at UCSF in the Fall of 2025, and I have been a member of the Carnevale Lab since the summer of 2026.
BMS Graduate Student
Ph.D at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Seoul, South Korea
I was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, and completed my Ph.D at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). My doctoral studies mainly focused on developing a novel phagocytic fusion protein targeting beta-amyloid highly associated with Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Currently, I am a postdoctoral scholar, co-mentored by Dr. Alex Marson and Dr. Julia Carnevale, with a primary objective of expediting the discovery of effective cell therapies for cancer patients. My research interests primarily lie in using Cas9/Base editor screening in monocytes/macrophages to identify critical genes related to the tumor microenvironment.
Outside of the lab
I love spending time with my family, playing tennis with friends, and watching soccer matches at home
Postdoctoral Fellow
Ph.D. from the laboratoriesof Dr. Xuemei Tong and Dr. Bin Li at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Research Bio:
I was born in China and earned my Ph.D. from the laboratoriesof Dr. Xuemei Tong and Dr.
Bin Li at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. During mydoctoral studies, I delved deeply into the intricate relationship betweencellular metabolism and Treg cell fitness, particularly within the contexts ofautoimmune diseases, cancer, and obesity. My overarching interest lies inuncovering potent adoptive T cell therapies through the metabolic rewiring ofhuman T cells. Currently, I am a joint postdoc at the Marson lab and Carnevale lab. In my present work, I am employing innovative CRISPR screening approaches to identify novel therapeutic targets for genetic engineering aimed at enhancing T cell metabolic resilience against suppression by solid tumors.
Outside the lab:
I enjoy cooking, hiking, playing tennis, badminton, and Mahjong.
Postdoctoral Fellow
M.D. from Goethe University's School of Medicine in Frankfurt in 2018
Research Bio:
I grew up in Bavaria, Germany, and earned a medical degree from Goethe University's School of Medicine in Frankfurt in 2018. My MD thesis explored integrin-mediated cell death in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Since 2020 I've been a postdoctoral researcher at UCSF, where my curiosity about immunology and hematology continues to inform my perspective as a scientist and clinician. Eventually, I want to find viable treatment options for relapsing and refractory blood cancers.
Current Focus:
I am currently working to develop new methods to measure the effects of gene perturbations on long-term effector function in T cells . I am also engineering more persistent CAR-T cells to reduce relapse in patients with multiple myeloma.
Outside Interests:
Outside of the lab, I enjoy bouncing between novel restaurants, coffee shops, and breweries in the Bay Area or hopping on a plane to explore new horizons.
Postdoctoral Fellow
BS in Microbiology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2017
Research Bio:
I grew up in San Francisco, and earned my BS in Microbiology from UC Santa Barbara. Prior to starting graduate school at UCSF, I was a Research Associate in the Marson Lab at UCSF/Gladstone Institutes. My research efforts were dedicated to enhancing CRISPR editing efficiency in primary immune cells, investigating SUVs found in Primary Immunodeficient patients, and exploring novel genes linked to Primary Immunodeficiency. In 2021, I embarked on a new chapter in my academic journey as a BMS PhD student focused on the fascinating field of cancer immunology at UCSF.
Current Focus:
Developing a genetic interaction map of the kinome in Primary Human T cells
Outside Interests:
I enjoy exploring new food and places with friends and family. In my free time, I like to build things (eg. Lego sets, tiny house displays) and painting.
BMS Graduate Student
B.S. from UC Berkeley, 2022
Prior research:
I am a recent graduate from UC Berkeley with a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology. I have previously done research with Dr. Jeremy Chien at UC Davis investigating the key signaling pathways in cancer cells that contribute to their intrinsic and acquired resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy.
Current focus:
I am interested in advancing our understanding and increasing the efficacy of cell and gene therapies. I am currently investigating how modulating key target genes in different immune cells to be incorporated into more effective living cancer treatments.
Outside Interests:
Outside of the lab, I enjoy watching movies, youtube, and sports, reading books, taking walks, playing with my dogs, eating good food, and listening to music.
Junior Research Specialist
MS in Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Houston Clear Lake, TX, USA, 2016
Research Bio:
In 2015, I moved to United States to pursue MS in Cell and Molecular Biology from University of Houston Clear Lake, Texas. I then worked for two years in the laboratory of Dr. Maria Soledad Sosa at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where my work focused on genes that regulate cancer cell dormancy. I moved to California in 2019 and started working in Ashworth lab on generating and validating CRISPR libraries in different cell lines.
Current focus:
I am using CRISPR engineering techniques like SLICE to edit Primary Human T cells to examine effects of gene targets on key T cell phenotypes. I have been investigating how targeting genes that regulate key biological processes, such as kinase signaling and chromatin remodeling affect T cell behaviors. I am also using new preclinical in vivo mouse models of adoptive T cell therapy to test our top gene targets.
Outside Interests:
Outside of the lab, I enjoy traveling, hiking, playing and watching soccer, and badminton.
Lab Manager, Associate Research Specialist
B.S. from UC Berkeley in Molecular Cell Biology
M.S. from SF State in Biomedical Lab Science.
Research Bio:
Jon obtained an undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley in Molecular Cell Biology and a master's degree from SF State in Biomedical Lab Science. During his undergrad, he volunteered at a UCSF lab that focused on the genetics of neurological disorders where he worked in a core facility that provided sequencing and genotyping services to the UCSF community. Eventually, he became the manager of the facility but had to find another avenue of financial funding after Sanger sequencing and microsatellite genotyping were considered obsolete analysis platforms. Jon joined a lab that stayed on the forefront of new techniques and assay adoption as the lab manager for the Marson Lab.
Current focus:
After many exciting years, Jon transitioned to an Institute Manager at the joint Genomic Immunology Institute, providing operations support to all the labs.
Outside Interests:
Outside of the lab, he aims for board game sessions, any game, any length.
Institute Manager
Alumni
Interested in working at Carnevale Lab?
We encourage UCSF graduate students to come do a rotation with us. We’re seeking postdoctoral fellows with a strong background in cellular immunology.
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