Maya Kotas

Dr. Maya Kotas is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep, Allergy and Sleep Medicine at UCSF. She holds MD and PhD degrees from Yale University, completed her Internal Medicine residency at Columbia University Medical Center, and a Pulmonary & Critical Care fellowship at UCSF. Her research focuses on the innate immune system's role in airway epithelium biology during allergic diseases, using mouse models and patient samples to identify therapeutic targets.

Education & Training

• BA in Biomedical Engineering, Yale University (2005)
• PhD in Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine (2013)
• MD, Yale University (2013)
• Residency in Internal Medicine, New York Presbyterian - Columbia University (2015)
• Fellowship in Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, UCSF (2018)

Research Interests

Dr. Kotas investigates how innate immunity shapes airway epithelial cells in allergic diseases like asthma and nasal polyposis. Key focus areas include tuft cell biology, type 2 immunity pathways, and immune-epithelial interactions. Her work bridges basic science and clinical applications, aiming to develop novel therapies.

Grants & Funding

• Principal Investigator: Francis Family Foundation (2022-2025)
• Principal Investigator: Nina Ireland Program in Lung Health (2022-2024)
• Principal Investigator: A.P. Giannini Foundation (2020-2022)

Labs & Teams

Her lab (Kotas Lab) is part of UCSF’s Pulmonary Division. Collaborations include UCSF Women in Pulmonary and UCSF Women Physician-Scientists initiatives.