Arshad Desai

Arshad Desai is a Professor and Chair in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of California, San Diego. His research focuses on understanding molecular mechanisms of cell division, particularly chromosome segregation and genome inheritance accuracy in cancer and developmental contexts. Using C. elegans embryos as a model, his lab investigates kinetochore-microtubule interactions, centromere epigenetics, and checkpoint pathways. He holds a PhD from UCSF and has received awards such as the Damon Runyon Scholar Award. His work bridges basic science and translational research through collaborations targeting cancer therapies. Lab members include Karen Oegema, and his team explores topics like spindle assembly, cytokinesis, and neurodevelopmental roles of mitotic machinery.

Education: PhD in Cell Biology from UCSF; postdoctoral training at EMBL and Max Planck Institute. Awards include American Society for Cell Biology Early Career Award. Current lab projects include mechanistic studies of mitotic regulation, high-content embryonic screening, and centrosome biology. Collaborations focus on developing Plk4 inhibitors for cancer treatment and understanding mitotic memory effects on cell proliferation.