Hi, I'm Logan Leak. A Cancer Biologist.

I'm a postdoc at UCSF in Trever Bivona's lab studying EML4-ALK+ non-small cell lung cancer. I previously received my PhD from Stanford University in Cancer Biology, where I characterized a new cell death pathway in Scott Dixon's lab. I'm interested in leveraging cutting edge cellular biology techniques and computational pipelines to develop life-saving therapies for cancer patients.

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My PortfolioMy Work

Here is some of my work.

Tegavivint triggers TECR-dependent nonapoptotic cancer cell death

Targeted polymersome delivery of therapeutic agents

Clonal architecture predicts clinical outcomes and drug sensitivity in acute myeloid leukemia

Condensates as a culprit in RAS activation and inhibitor resistance

Surveying the landscape of emerging and understudied cell death mechanisms

Protocol for detection of ferroptosis in cultured cells

Forging a path toward a more sustainable laboratory

Preferential targeting of MCL-1 by a hydrocarbon-stapled BIM BH3 peptide

About memy stats

Information About me

I have been conducting scientific research with a strong emphasis on cellular and molecular biology for over 10 years. I have authored 6 first-author publications and contributed to numerous others. I am also very interested in the biotech startup ecosystem and have completed a life sciences venture capital fellowship, a biotech consulting project, the Nucleate accelerator program, and the NSF I-Corps program.

I also have a history of serving my community - I founded a science outreach organization at UChicago, volunteer for the Science Olympiad organization, and have been involved in multiple climate and racial justice organizations.

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10+

Years of
Research experience

6

First author
publications

1

VC
fellowship

100s

Of hours of
outreach

My Skills

Tissue Culture

Molecular Biology

Computational Biology

Python

R

Git

My Timeline

Feb. 2025 - Present

Postdoctoral Scholar - University of California, San Francisco

Studying EML4-ALK+ non-small cell lung cancer in the Bivona Laboratory with a focus on mechanisms of oncogenic signaling, therapeutic response, and drug resistance.

Pub 1

Sep. 2019 - Dec. 2024

PhD Student - Stanford University

Worked in the Dixon Laboratory to characterize emerging cell death pathways and their relevance to cancer biology and therapeutic development.

Pub 1 Pub 2 Pub 3 Pub 4 Pub 5

Sep. 2016 - Jun. 2019

Student - University of Chicago

Bachelor of Science in Biology with a specialization in Cancer Biology and General Honors.

Jun. 2018 - Sep. 2019

Research Assistant - Comer Children's Hospital

Investigated therapeutic strategies to reactivate apoptosis in cancer cells using stapled alpha helices and targeted nanoparticle delivery systems.

Pub 1 Pub 2

Jun. 2017 - Sep. 2017

Research Assistant - Case Western Reserve University

Studied how extracellular vesicles from HIV-infected T cells promote cancer proliferation, migration, and invasion.

Oct. 2016 - Jun. 2017

Laboratory Technician - University of Chicago

Assisted researchers in the Macleod Laboratory on projects investigating mitophagy and cancer biology.

Aug. 2015 - May 2016

Research Assistant - Case Western Reserve University

Assessed the effects of aging on immune system function using patient blood samples and flow cytometry.

Aug. 2014 - May 2015

Research Assistant - NYU Langone Health

Analyzed clinical data from sepsis patients to support implementation of the APACHE II scoring system.

Connect With MeConnect

Contact me!

Reach out to me for collaborations or professional inquiries.

Email

logan.leak [at] ucsf [dot] edu

Location

San Francisco, California

Education

UChicago BS, Stanford PhD

Languages

English