Aaron Diaz, PhD
Research Interests: Brain-tumor evolution, single-cell and spatial genomics, lineage tracing, computational biology, tumor immunity, translational therapeutics.
Aaron A. Diaz, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at UCSF and a member of the UCSF Brain Tumor Center. Trained in applied mathematics, computer science, human genetics, and genomics, he develops experimental and computational approaches to study brain-tumor evolution and therapeutic resistance.
His laboratory integrates longitudinal clinical specimens, single-cell and spatial genomics, genetic lineage tracing, machine learning, and functional models. Dr. Diaz’s work has helped define cellular-state transitions in glioblastoma, tumor–immune interactions, mechanisms of resistance in pediatric brain tumors, and methods that connect molecular phenotype to clonal evolution.
Dr. Diaz serves as an Associate Editor for Genome Medicine and Neuro-Oncology. His honors include the UCSF Brain Tumor SPORE Career Development Award and the Society for Neuro-Oncology Adult Basic Research Award in 2016 and 2020.
1997: BS, Mathematics, New York University
2003: MS, Computer Science, Cornell University
2003: PhD, Applied Mathematics, Cornell University
2010-2014: Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute for Human Genetics, UCSF
2003-2010: Assistant Professor, Dept. of Mathematics, Santa Clara University
2014-Present: Assistant Professor, Dept. of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, UCSF
2015-2020: Assistant Professor, Dept. of Neurological Surgery, UCSF
2020-present: Associate Professor, Dept. of Neurological Surgery, UCSF
2020-present: Editorial board, Neuro-Oncology
2020-present: Editorial board, Genome Medicine
2020: Society for Neuro-Oncology Adult Basic Research Award
2016: Society for Neuro-Oncology Adult Basic Research Award
2015: Brain Tumor SPORE Career Development Award
2010: BCATS Plenary Talk Award
2008: Santa Clara University Dean's Award
2003: Santa Clara University Technology Innovation Award
1997: Cornell University Sage Fellowship
1997: Institute for Advanced Study Research Fellowship
National Library of Medicine R01: An informatics framework for single-cell multi-omics from clinical specimens.
Sandler Foundation: The co-evolution of glioblastoma and the local immune response under therapy
Dabbiere Family Foundation/UCSF project: Optimization of mutant-IDH inhibitor therapy in IDH-mutant glioma
- Longitudinal glioblastoma and tumor-microenvironment studies with investigators across the UCSF Brain
Tumor Center, neuropathology, neuro-oncology, neurosurgery, radiation oncology, and computational
programs - Pediatric and young-adult high-grade glioma atlases through Project HOPE and related national networks
- Pediatric medulloblastoma oncolytic-virus studies through PNOC005 and associated laboratory
collaborations - Diffuse midline glioma therapy-resistance studies with Javad Nazarian and international pediatric neuro-
oncology collaborators - Tumor-wide RNA-splicing neoantigen studies with Hideho Okada, Joseph Costello, Arun Wiita,
Christopher Klebanoff, and colleagues - AAV immuno-gene therapy studies with Nicole Paulk, Lauren Kelly, Nathalie Clément, Joanna Phillips,
and collaborators - International brain-metastasis and atlas development with Lin Wang and participating institutions; publish
final initiative names only after confirmation