Lisa Chesner, PhD
Education
- BS, 2011, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, WI, Biology
- MS, 2014, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, MN, Pharmacology
- PhD, 2018, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, MN, Pharmacology
Biography
Dr. Lisa Chesner earned her BS in Biology from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and completed her MS and PhD in Pharmacology at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities. Her research career has focused on molecular and genomic mechanisms of cancer. She joined UCSF in 2018 as a postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Felix Feng’s laboratory and transitioned to faculty in 2026. Dr. Chesner’s work integrates functional genomics and molecular biology approaches to better understand the biological mechanisms that drive prostate cancer progression and therapeutic response.
Research Interests
Dr. Chesner’s research centers on uncovering molecular mechanisms that regulate prostate cancer development and treatment response. Her work examines hormone signaling, immune regulation in tumors, and utilizes genome-wide functional genomics approaches such as CRISPR screening to identify novel therapeutic targets. The Chesner lab is particularly interested in how hormone receptor activity affects antigen presentation and immune recognition in prostate cancer, as well as identifying synthetic lethal vulnerabilities in genetically defined tumors, including ATM-deficient prostate cancers.