Our People

Quinn grew up in Alaska, but has been moving around the United States since undergrad. She did her PhD at University of Wisconsin – Madison researching natural diversity of wild yeast and the evolution of hybrid brewing yeasts. For her postdoc she switched from fungi to animals, using natural hybrids of freshwater tropical fish to study the repeatability of hybrid genome evolution. She’s excited to be stepping into the realm of viral evolution in the Ott lab, where she will be developing computational and machine learning approaches for viral genomes. In her free time she enjoys exploring the microclimates of the bay via hiking and biking and is always on the lookout for a new brewery to try.

Originally from a French tropical island called New Caledonia, Ludivine was educationally trained in Paris where she also obtained her PhD in Infectious Diseases at Institut Pasteur. Her doctoral research focused on SARS-CoV-2 and antibodies. More generally, her research interests encompass viruses and their interaction with the immune system. She joined the Ott lab as a postdoc working on the impact of HIV-1 infection on the gut using intestinal organoids. As hobbies, Ludivine enjoys reading, dancing, and traveling.

Originally a Bay Area native, Maria received her BS in Microbiology from UC San Diego. Previously, she worked making antigenic proteins and aiding in therapeutic antibody discovery and production. In the Ott lab, she is interested in exploring airway organoids and other methods to study SARS-CoV-2 infection and developing therapeutics against viral protein targets. Outside of the lab, Maria enjoys camping, hiking, traveling, and lacrosse.

Francisco (Fran) comes originally from Spain and obtained his PhD in Virology at Hannover Medical School in Germany. His main interests are the dissection of viral entry and host‑pathogen interactions of emerging and re-emerging pathogens using novel proteomics approaches. Outside the lab, he enjoys hiking, camping, playing video games, and tasting a good ol’ brew.

Rachel received her B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Central Missouri, an M.S. in Biology from Missouri State University, and her Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health, where she studied the roles of viruses in sudden cardiac arrest. In the Ott lab, she focuses on the role of factor acetylation in HIV latency and SARS-CoV-2 toxicity in the heart. Outside of the lab, she enjoys running down to the ocean and taking the bus back uphill, playing video games with her cats, and baking cookies.

Yusuke studied basic HIV research and clinical medicine at Kyoto University, Japan.

He then joined the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Japan, where he was involved in the outbreak control of infectious diseases with molecular techniques.

At Ott lab, he is working on research to eradicate diseases caused by HIV and SARS-CoV-2 by studying them from the molecular level.

Outside of the lab, he enjoys participating in marathon races around the world.

Originally from Los Angeles, Irene is a graduate student in UCSF’s BMS program. She is interested in how viruses hijack host transcription during infection.When she isn’t in lab, Irene can be found going off trail in the mountains, eating her way through SF, and taking care of her succulents.