Lab Alumni
Post-doctoral fellows
Nirmal Kumar Sampathkumar, Ph.D.
Post-doctoral fellow
2018-2019
Education
Hometown: Arakkonam, India
Favorite non-science activities: Cooking, Singing (Terribly), Resistance training
Dream benchmate(s): Dexter and Dee Dee
Birthday: June 24th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Earth Snake
Bryan Teefy, Ph.D.
Post-doctoral fellow
2020-2023
Education
Ph.D. University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
Hometown: Marion, MA, USA
Favorite non-science activities: Camping, Weight-lifting, Cooking
Dream benchmate(s): Tom Brady
Birthday: November 24th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Goat
Nika Vinson, M.D.
UCLA Pelvic Medicine Reconstructive Surgery Fellow
2018-2020
Education
M.D., University of Illinois Chicago COM, Chicago, IL, USA
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Favorite non-science activities: Just Dance, baking, climbing
Dream benchmate(s): Pikachu
Birthday: August 10th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Wood Rabbit
Master students
Shelby Brown
Master Student (Master of Science in Gerontology)
Internship (2019-2020)
Education
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Favorite non-science activities: Baking
Dream benchmate(s): Beyoncé
Birthday: December 5th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Earth Goat
Yilin Chen
Master Student (Master of Science in Nutrition, Healthspan, and Longevity)
Graduate Research Assistant (2018-2022)
Education
Hometown: Shanghai, China
Favorite non-science activities: trampoline, hiking
Dream benchmate(s): Tom Hiddleston
Birthday: June 19th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Fire Rat
Alexandre Goumba
Master Student (Master of Genetics)
Visiting Scholar, Université Paris Diderot (spring 2018)
Education
Hometown: Saint-Denis, France
Favorite non-science activities: reading, drawing
Dream benchmate(s): Batman!
Birthday: April 18th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Fire Rat
Jane Jung
Master Student (Master of Science in Gerontology)
Internship (spring 2020)
Education
B.Sc., University of California at Los Angeles, LA, USA
Hometown: Los Angeles, LA
Favorite non-science activities: read, binge-watch TV shows
Dream benchmate(s): Hermione Granger
Birthday: September 24th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Earth Dragon
Kelly Koh
Master Student
Master of Science in Gerontology Program
(Internship – 2022/2023)
Education
B.Sc. University of Southern California, CA, USA
Education
Hometown: Santa Clara, California
Favorite non-science activities: Cooking, trying new restaurants, going to cafes, and skateboarding
Dream benchmate(s): Hermione Granger
Birthday: January 12th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Dragon
Rochelle Lai
Master Student (Master of Science in Nutrition, Healthspan, and Longevity)
Graduate Research Assistant (2017-2019)
Education
Hometown: Arcadia, California
Favorite non-science activities: Calligraphy, teatime, traveling
Dream benchmate(s): Nicholas Cage
Birthday: October 29th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Wood Pig
Matthew Malone
Master Student (Master of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine)
Spring 2021-Summer 2022
Education
B.S. University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
Hometown: Annapolis, MD
Favorite non-science activities: weightlifting, DnD, podcasting
Dream benchmate(s):Troy Barnes and Abed Nadir
Birthday: February 14th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Wood Pig
Séverine Nozownik
Master Student (Master of Genetics)
Visiting Scholar, Université Paris Diderot (spring 2019)
Education
Hometown: Ermont, France
Favorite non-science activities: Singing, Netflix, Basketball, Spend time with my friends and my family
Dream benchmate(s): Penelope Garcia (Criminal Minds)
Birthday: October 25th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Fire Rat
Emily Wang
Master student (Master of Science in Gerontology)
Spring 2019-Fall 2021
Education
Hometown: Los Angeles, LA
Favorite non-science activities: Making playlists, Mario Kart
Dream benchmate(s):Gandalf the Grey
Birthday: December 27th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Wood Dog
Hanwen Zhang
Master student (Master of Science in Gerontology)
Spring 2018
Education
Hometown: China
Favorite non-science activities: watching movies, playing the piano
Dream benchmate(s): Ryan Lu
Birthday: February 15th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Water Rooster
Technicians
Chan Boriboun
2020-2021 lab tenure
Education
B.A., Greenville College, IL, USA
Hometown: Seminole, FL
Favorite non-science activities: tennis, fishing, camping
Dream benchmate(s): Rihanna
Birthday: January 3rd
Chinese Zodiac Sign:
Prakroothi S. Danthi
2018-2020 lab tenure
Education
M.Tech., VTU University, Bangalore, India
Hometown: Bangalore, India
Favorite non-science activities: Singing, Dancing
Dream benchmate(s): Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (Founder of Biocon)
Birthday: May 25th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Metal Horse
Kristen Mehalko
Summer/Fall 2023 lab tenure
Education
B.Sc., S. N. D. T. Women’s University, Mumbai, India
M.Sc., University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE, USA
Hometown: Mumbai (Bombay), India
Favorite non-science activities: Travelling, Exploring cafes and restaurants, Yoga
Dream benchmate(s): Hayao Miyazaki, Phineas and Ferb
Birthday: November 27th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Fire Rat
Kristen Mehalko
2021-2023 lab tenure
Education
Hometown: Cleveland, OH, USA
Favorite non-science activities: traveling, reading
Dream benchmate(s): David Bowie
Birthday:December 22nd
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Tiger
Storm Moya
12/2022-02/2023 lab tenure
Education
Hometown: East Stroudsburg, PA
Favorite non-science activities: Hiking, Camping, Writing Poetry/Art and Reading
Dream benchmate(s): Steve Irwin
Birthday: February 24th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Rabbit
Rotation students
Emily Arnold
Ph.D. Student (Molecular and Computational Biology program)
Fall 2022 – Rotation #2
Education
Hometown: Berkeley, California
Favorite non-science activities: Yoga, scuba diving, listening to audiobooks
Dream benchmate: Michael Scott
Birthday: January 2nd
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Rat
Maxim Averbukh
Ph.D. Student (Biology of Aging program)
Spring 2022 – Rotation #2
Education
Hometown: Moscow, Russia
Favorite non-science activities: Hiking, travelling
Dream benchmate(s): Barry Allen
Birthday: October 25th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Tiger
Brandon Butler
Ph.D. Student (Neuroscience Graduate program)
2018 Fall Rotation
Education
Hometown: Haltom City, TX
Favorite non-science activities: Reading
Dream benchmate(s): Charles V. Roman
Birthday: September 27th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Earth Snake
Nadeja Butova
Ph.D. Student (Molecular Biology program)
2021 Spring Rotation #1
Education
Hometown: Encinitas, California
Favorite non-science activities: tennis, hiking, and photography
Dream benchmate(s): Hange Zoe (from Attack on Titan)
Birthday: March 24th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Earth Tiger
Serban Ciotlos
Ph.D. Student (Biology of Aging Program)
2017 Fall Rotation #2
Education
B.Sc. University of California at Santa Cruz (USA)
Hometown: Bistrita, Romania (Transylvania)
Favorite non-science activities: hiking, camping, playing/watching soccer, live shows
Dream benchmate(s): Carl Sagan
Birthday: July 20th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Earth Snake
Erin Donahue
Ph.D. Student (Neuroscience Graduate program)
2018 Winter Rotation
Education
Hometown: Palos Verdes Estates, CA
Favorite non-science activities: movies and tv, playing volleyball, going to the beach
Dream benchmate(s): Hubert J. Farnsworth (Futurama)
Birthday: May 23rd
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Fire Rat
Lauryn Higginson
Education
Hometown: Duarte, California
Favorite non-science activities: visiting amusement parks, dancing, working out
Dream benchmate(s): Dr. Anthony Fauci
Birthday: December 7th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Tiger
Angelina Holcom
Education
Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii
Favorite non-science activities: watching TV/movies, going to the beach, hiking
Dream benchmate(s): Dr. Krieger (from Archer)
Birthday: June 10th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Wood Pig
Runtian [RT] Jiang
2022 Fall rotation #2
Education
B.Sc., University of California at San Diego, CA, USA
Hometown: Tianjin, China
Favorite non-science activities: Drawing, gaming, watching anime/ manga
Dream benchmate(s): Motoko (from Ghost in the Shell)
Birthday: August 31st
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Earth Rabbit
Taekyu Kang
Ph.D. Student (Biology of Aging Program)
2017 Fall Rotation
Education
B.Sc. University of California in Los Angeles (USA)
Hometown: Placentia, California
Favorite non-science activities: reading, fishing, hiking, playing around with computers
Dream benchmate(s): Dexter (from Dexter’s laboratory)
Birthday: December 10th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Wood Dog
Sanjana Rajeev
Ph.D. Student (Molecular Biology Program)
2021 Spring Rotation #2
Education
B.E., B.M.S College of Engineering, Bangalore, India
M.S., University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA
Hometown: Bangalore, India
Favorite non-science activities: Roadtrips/traveling, hiking, playing board games, painting and cooking
Dream benchmate(s): Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute (From The Office)
Birthday: June 7th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Dog
Lewis Randall
Ph.D. Student (Biology of Aging Program)
2019 Fall Rotation
Education
B.Sc., University of North Carolina at Greensboro, USA
Hometown: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Favorite non-science activities: backpacking, bicycling, bassoon
Dream benchmate(s): Lt. Commander Data
Birthday: May 6th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Water Rooster
Zeferino Reyna
Ph.D. Student (Molecular Biology program)
2021 Spring Rotation #1
Education
Hometown: Baldwin Park, California
Favorite non-science activities: swimming, drinking wine with cheese
Dream benchmate(s): Rebel Wilson
Birthday: October 6th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Snake
Rebecca Stark
Ph.D. Student (Neuroscience graduate program)
2021 Spring Rotation #2
Education
Favorite non-science activities: hiking, gardening and cooking vegetarian food
Dream benchmate(s): Rita Levi-Montalcini
Birthday: May 1st
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Wood Pig
Daria Timonina
Ph.D. Student (Biology of Aging program)
2019 Spring Rotation #2
Education
Hometown: Mesa, AZ
Favorite non-science activities: snowboarding, painting, reading
Dream benchmate(s): Walter White (Breaking Bad)
Birthday: August 20th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Water Rooster
Undergraduate students
Lois Angelo
Undergraduate research assistant
(Gerontology Major)
2019-2021
Hometown: Culver City, California
Favorite non-science activities: Guitar, Ultimate Frisbee
Dream benchmate(s): Eric Clapton
Birthday: September 22nd
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Fire Snake
Sheehan Tiffany Belleca
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Volunteer [CSULA] – Summer 2022
Hometown: Manila, Philippines
Favorite non-science activities: Painting, Playing Mario Kart, Sleeping
Dream benchmate(s): Wanda Maximoff
Birthday: June 13
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Earth Tiger
Allison [Jisoo] Chae
Undergraduate research assistant
2018-2019
Hometown: Ilsan, South Korea
Favorite non-science activities: Singing, Traveling
Dream benchmate(s): Marie Curie
Birthday: July 24th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Earth Tiger
Thea Grauer
Undergraduate research assistant
Neurosciences Major
Fall 2022
Hometown: Libertyville, Illinois
Favorite non-science activities: Dance, traveling, yoga
Dream benchmate(s): Harry Potter
Birthday: July 5th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Horse
Astoria Ho
Undergraduate research assistant
2018-2019
Hometown: Mountain View, CA
Favorite non-science activities: baking, boxing, browsing Petfinder.com
Dream benchmate(s):Shuri (Black Panther)
Birthday: November 7th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Earth Rabbit
Katelyn Hsu
Undergraduate research assistant
Human Biology Major
2021-2023
Hometown: Diamond Bar, California
Favorite non-science activities: Running, creative journaling, exploring nature
Dream benchmate(s): Lin Manuel Miranda
Birthday: December 2nd
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Water Goat
Trang Hua
Undergraduate research assistant (UC Davis)
ADAR program (summer 2018)
Hometown: Vietnam
Favorite non-science activities: Playing tennis
Dream benchmate(s):The Flash
Birthday: June 7th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Fire Ox
Amy Huang
Research assistant volunteer
Summer 2018
Education
Hometown: Alhambra, California
Favorite non-science activities: drawing and traveling
Dream benchmate(s): Dr. Emmett Brown (from Back to the Future)
Birthday: March 25th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Fire Rat
Catherine Kim
Research assistant volunteer
Spring 2020
Hometown: Denver, CO & Irvine, CA
Favorite non-science activities: Cafe hopping, Yoga, Traveling, Singing
Dream benchmate(s): Tom Holland
Birthday: September 20th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Earth Dragon
Sumiya Naksi
Undergraduate research assistant
Neuroscience Major, Gerontology Minor
Summer/Fall 2023
Evelyn Navar
Undergraduate research assistant (UC Davis)
ADAR program (summer 2019)
Hometown: Salinas, California
Favorite non-science activity: Watching stand-up comedy and going to concerts
Dream benchmate(s): Dwight Schrute from “The Office”
Birthday: January 31st
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Earth Tiger
Sanjana Paye
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Neuroscience Major
2019-2023
Hometown: San Diego, California
Favorite non-science activities: Tennis, Cooking, Hiking
Dream benchmate(s): Dwight from The Office
Birthday: May 21st
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Fire Snake
Sonja Shahriar
Undergraduate Research Assistant
GEMSTEM Scholar
Human Biology Major
2022-2023
Hometown: Aurora, Illinois
Favorite non-science activities: playing ukulele, painting, hiking
Dream benchmate: Dr. Spencer Reid
Birthday: September 9th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Dragon
Courtney Shen
Undergraduate research assistant
2018-2019
Hometown: Diamond Bar, CA
Favorite non-science activities: playing piano, cooking
Dream benchmate(s): Dr. Atul Gawande
Birthday: January 11th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Fire Rat
Eric Wang
Undergraduate research assistant
Human Biology Major
2019-2022
Hometown: New York, NY
Favorite non-science activities: nature walks, vintage photography, trying new cuisines
Dream benchmate(s): Doctor Strange
Birthday: February 25th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Earth Dragon
Wyatt Webb
Undergraduate research assistant
Health and Human Sciences Major
Summer 2022
Student Workers
Jomille Jerez
Student Worker (Fish Team)
2021-2023
Hometown: Bronx, New York
Favorite non-science activities: Spending time with friends
Dream benchmate(s): Any Black woman who paved the way that led me here
Birthday: February 3rd
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Metal Snake
Isabel Ollerton
Student Worker (Fish Team)
2021-2023
Hometown: Hemet, CA
Favorite non-science activities: swimming, exploring, spending time with my cat
Dream benchmate(s): Spencer Reid
Birthday: February 11th
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Metal Snake