Siavash K Kurdistani

Siavash K. Kurdistani is a Professor and Department Chair of Biological Chemistry, and Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA. His research focuses on histone functions in biological processes and human diseases, employing interdisciplinary approaches including biochemistry, genetics, and high-throughput methods. He holds dual MD and BS degrees from Harvard Medical School and UCLA, with postdoctoral training at UCLA in Chromatin Biology. Key roles include leadership in chromatin research, cancer epigenetics, and collaborations in stem cell and yeast model systems.

• Education:
• Santa Monica College, AA (1991)
• UCLA, BS in Biochemistry (1994)
• Harvard Medical School, MD (1999)
• UCLA Postdoctoral Fellowship in Chromatin Biology (2004)
• Research Interests: Histone biology, epigenetic regulation in cancer, chromatin structure, cellular metabolism, and evolutionary mechanisms of histones. His lab explores histone roles in disease using cancer cells, stem cells, and yeast models.
• Awards: Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellowships, NIH Innovator Award, Beckman Young Investigator Award, ASCI membership, and numerous prizes.
• Grants & Labs: Leads a lab at UCLA investigating histone enzymatic functions and epigenetic pathways, with funding from HHMI, NIH, and the Keck Foundation. Active in translational research linking chromatin biology to human disease.