Justin Sim, BS

I am originally from Canada and am a first-year PhD student in the UCSF Biophysics Graduate Program with a deep interest in RNA biology, gene expression, structural biology, and post-transcriptional gene regulation. My research background spans both wet lab and computational approaches, with prior work focused on nanopore-based RNA sequencing, co-transcriptional splicing mechanisms, and the structure-function relationships of noncoding RNAs.

Before joining UCSF, I earned a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a minor in Bioinformatics from UC Santa Cruz, where I was recognized with the URST and Koret Scholars research awards. I have since contributed to a variety research projects in both academic and biotech settings, including a recent role at Interdict Bio where I led high-throughput assay development and automation.

My experience in RNA transcription and labeling, protein expression and purification, bioinformatics, and machine learning reflects my general interests in molecular biology and I am especially enthusiastic about using structural and statistical models to reveal hidden features of RNA processing and regulation.

Outside the lab, I am happiest in motion—whether surfing, snowboarding, or scaling rock faces!