Principal Investigator
Martha S. Cyert mcyert@stanford.edu Office: 410B Bass Biology
Martha received her A.B. from Harvard University, Ph.D. from UCSF (Marc Kirschner lab), postdoc at UC Berkeley (Jeremy Thorner lab) and joined the faculty of the Stanford Biology Department in 1992 as an Assistant Professor. She is the Dr. Nancy Chang Professor and A Bass University Fellow in Undergraduate education and has been Chair of the Biology department since September 1, 2020. Martha serves on the council of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and was named an ASBMB Fellow in 2024. TheCyert lab is discovering new functions and signaling pathways for the calcineurin phosphatase by leveraging the identification of calcineurin-binding SLiMs (Short Linear Motifs). Outside the lab, Martha enjoys hiking, taking photographs and hunting for mushrooms.
Research Scientists
Angela Barth angelab@stanford.edu
Angela received her B.S. and M.S. from University of Hamburg and did her Ph.D. at Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Martinsried, Germany working with Profs Gerisch and Abel on cell adhesion in Dictostelium discoideum. She then did postdoctoral work with Profess W. James Nelson at Stanford University and continued working in the Nelson lab as a research scientist studying various aspects of cell adhesion, epithelial polarity and cell signaling. She joined the Cyert lab in 2021, where she is investigating roles for calcineurin in breast cancer and pancreatitis.
Sneha Roy sneharoy@stanford.edu
Sneha received her Ph.D under supervision of Professor Rajiv Bhat from Jawaharlal Nehru University, India. Her research focused on employing biophysical tools to decipher the complex cascades of events involved in aggregation of intrinsically disordered proteins that are known to play key role in debilitating diseases such as neurodegeneration and cancer. In the Cyert Lab, she is working on two projects that aim to identify novel Calcineurin substrates in human proteome, and investigate Calcineurin signaling in acute pancreatitis. Her other major goal in the lab is to investigate the role of Calcineurin signaling in the regulation of biomolecular condensates formed by liquid-liquid phase separation of substrate proteins. In her leisure time, she unwinds by dancing, traveling, reading her fiction novels or spending quality time with her pup and family.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Kimberly Vish kimvish@stanford.edu
Kimmie completed her B.S. in Biochemistry at Siena College and PhD at Yale University in the lab of Titus Boggon. During her doctoral work she investigated the structural and biochemical properties of signaling molecules associated with cerebrovascular development namely p120RasGAP, a negative regulator of Ras activity, and MEKK2, a MAP3K that activates the ERK5 signaling cascade. In the Cyert Lab Kimmie is interested in how calcineurin signaling is regulated by the microprotein C16orf74/CLBM. Outside of lab Kimmie likes to read and play the clarinet.
Yvette Moreno rymoreno@Stanford.edu
Yvette received her Ph.D under the supervision of Professor Y. Jessie Zhang from the University of Texas-Austin. Her doctoral research focused on uncovering how phosphorylation of the RNA Pol II C-terminal domain (CTD) regulates transcription, shaping gene expression in processes like cancer. In the Cyert Lab, she is working to define how C16orf74 directs calcineurin signaling at membranes through lipidation and phosphorylation dynamics while uncovering new interactors that shape its role in cancer. In her free time, she likes reading novels and being outside in nature
Graduate Researchers
Prerna Lavania (Pre) prerna23@stanford.edu
Prerna earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Nagoya University in Japan, where she spent over three years conducting research on mTOR signaling in mammalian cells. Her work specifically focused on how calcium/calmodulin regulates mTORC2 signaling in mammalian cells. In the Cyert lab, Pre is currently working on a unique calcineurin CNß1 isoform and investigating its role in membrane-based signaling in pancreatic cancer. In her free time, Pre enjoys singing, playing sudoku and badminton. Fun fact: Pre can speak and understand five languages.
Undergraduate Researchers
Jaston McClure jastonm@stanford.edu
Jaston graduated from Stanford in 2025 and received a firestone medal for his research in the Cyert lab. Currently he is working as a research technician in the Attardi lab at Stanford School of Medicine and wrapping up some last experiments on roles of calcineurin in nuclear transport.
Mihjalo Stojkovic mstojkov@stanford.edu
Mihjalo is a bioengineering major and Stanford class of 2026. He is working on the role of calcineurin in acute pancreatitis.
Luna Romero lunarom@stanford.edu
Luna is a member of the Stanford class of 2028 majoring in Biology. She is working in the Cyert lab as part of Stanford's Biology Summer Undergraduate Research Program.
Bio 45 Course Instructor
Daria Hekmat-Scafe
Administrative Associate
Kelly Cosmas kcosmas@stanford.edu
Laboratory Assistant
Maria Mercedes Curlionis
Lab Pups
