Faculty Spotlight – Tikvah (Tiki) Hayes, Ph.D.

Introduction of yourself 

My name is Tiki, and I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology. Our laboratory opened in September 2023.

Exciting research project or any highlights in your lab

Our laboratory studies the plasticity of aberrant signal transduction in cancer. We focus on two barriers to cancer care, characterizing variants of unknown significance (VUS) and unraveling mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies. 

How did you decide on your focus of research?

I’ve always been interested in understanding how proteins talk to each other and how dysregulation can result in disease etiologies. Cancer is essentially a set of diseases driven by abnormal protein communication.

What brought you to UCLA?

West Coast, best coast! Also, the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and the opportunity to conduct translational research.

Do you have a personal motto?

Try not to miss the forest for the trees.

Do you have any hobbies outside of the lab?

Nature walking, theater, sports, sunsets, and spending time with friends/family