Bhairavi (Vivi) Tolani is an Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics in UCSF's School of Medicine. Her role as the Head of Biology at the LGR is to work with the Biology Team and UC collaborators to leverage cell-based models and disease-relevant assays for CRISPR functional genomics screening platforms.

Previously, Dr. Tolani's research was focused on developing targeted therapies for lung and other types of cancer. Using a CRISPRi screen, she identified the target and mechanism of a small molecule drug candidate for KRAS-driven lung, pancreatic and colon cancers. Prior to joining the LGR, she was research faculty at UCSF for ~9 years and spent 3 years in the biotechnology industry and the National Cancer Institute.