See 'Join us' for info on how to join our growing team!

Angela Phillips
Principal Investigator
(she/her/hers)

A Florida native, Angela studied chemistry at the University of Florida before shipping up to Boston for graduate school at MIT. During her Ph.D. with Matt Shoulders, Angela revealed that host cell protein folding factors can influence the evolution of viral proteins. This experience sparked Angela’s interest in evolutionary biology, so she moved down the street to Michael Desai’s lab at Harvard, where she developed yeast display methods to map evolutionary landscapes of broadly neutralizing antibodies. At UCSF, Angela is investigating the molecular mechanisms that constrain protein evolution at the host-virus interface. Outside the lab, Angela enjoys running, exploring pizzerias, and sipping good wine.

Photo credit: Scott Eisen/Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Sam Ghaffari-Kashani
Tetrad Graduate Student
(he/him/his)

Born in New York and raised in Iran, Sam eventually ended up at UC Berkeley where he earned his Bachelor’s in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. There, he worked in John Kuriyan’s lab deciphering regulatory mechanisms of proteins, including the clamp loader and Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase. He also became fascinated by the evolutionary history of proteins. He will continue exploring this interest in the Phillips lab, focusing on how biophysical properties of viral proteins mediate their unique ability to rapidly explore sequence space. Outside lab, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, hiking and watching the best soccer team in the world, Manchester United.

Ruth Groza
Tetrad Graduate Student
(she/her/hers)

Ruth hails from Chicago, IL. She received her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Washington, Seattle. There, she worked to develop a CRISPR-guided processive base editing system in the laboratory of Stan Fields. This work sparked a fascination with genetic mutation and its role in evolution. In the Phillips lab, Ruth is exploring the complex interplay between mutation, epistasis, and protein function in influenza virus evolution, with a specific emphasis on understanding zoonosis. Outside of the lab, Ruth enjoys multicultural and historical cooking (medieval pottage is surprisingly good), wildlife photography, and reading. 

Miriam Hood
Postdoctoral Fellow
(she/her/hers)

Miriam was born and raised in Austin, TX. She earned her Bachelor's in Biochemistry and Chemistry and Master's in Biochemistry from Brandeis University where she did research on the evolution of enzyme specificity in Douglas Theobald's Lab. Having developed an interest in the relationship between protein sequence and function, Miriam earned her Ph.D. in Susan Marqusee's lab at UC Berkeley studying how protein unfolding/folding kinetics are encoded in protein sequence. Outside of the lab, Miriam enjoys baking gluten and dairy-free treats, hiking and exploring California nature, and seeing live theater performances.

Hanon McShea
Postdoctoral Fellow
(they/them/theirs)

Hanon is from Durham, North Carolina and studied Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, in particular the deep evolutionary history of nitrogenase enzymes. Hanon's doctoral research in Paula Welander's lab at Stanford University focused on the biochemistry and evolution of terpenoid cyclases, enzymes that synthesize polycyclic lipids such as sterols and hopanoids. They have also worked on the consequences of the effectiveness of selection for the amino acid composition of proteins. In the Phillips lab, they will continue to pursue the nearly neutral theory of evolution at the macromolecular level, focusing on the relationship between protein thermodynamics and population genetic regime. Outside of lab, they enjoy spending time with friends and family, reading broadly, birdwatching, and watching the Sunset sun set.

Cole Tharp
Tetrad Graduate Student
(he/him/his)

Cole was born and raised in eastern Iowa.  He attended Iowa State University where he received his bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry in 2022.  During his time at Iowa State, Cole studied plant natural product biosynthesis in Reuben J. Peters’ lab.  Some of this work involved exploration of plant diterpene synthase evolution, which ultimately led to Cole’s interest in protein evolution and the constraints that guide it across different types of organisms.  Outside of the lab, Cole loves to bike, hike, and explore the Bay Area.

Keith Walcott
Tetrad Graduate Student
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
(he/him/his)

Keith was born across the bay in Oakland; he has a deep interest in pathogens and got his first opportunity to study them as an undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz. Working for the startup Pinpoint Science, he helped develop a rapid point-of-care diagnostic for detecting viral infections. After earning a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology, he joined Anita Sil’s laboratory, where he studied fungal pathogens Coccidioides posadasii and Histoplasma capsulatum and managed the lab’s BSL3 facility. Keith is now pursuing his Ph.D. at UCSF in the Tetrad graduate program. He continues to research the mechanisms underlying host-pathogen interactions. In addition, Keith enjoys exploring film and digital photography as a creative outlet in his free time.

Lab Alumni

Ivan Chavez (Rotation student, 2023, current BMS PhD Candidate)
Jimin Lee (Rotation student, 2023, current Tetrad PhD Candidate)
Karla DeLucas (Rotation student, 2024, current BMS graduate student)
David Gomez Siu (Biophysics, 2024, current Biophysics graduate student)
Ruimin Huang (Junior Specialist, 2022-2024, current UCSF Clinical Laboratory Science Program trainee