Lab Alumni

Post-doctoral fellows

Nirmal Kumar Sampathkumar, Ph.D.

Post-doctoral fellow

2018-2019

Education

Ph.D., Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France

M.Sc., Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France

B.Sc., Anna University (Arunai Engineering college), India

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

Nika Vinson, M.D.

UCLA Pelvic Medicine Reconstructive Surgery Fellow

2018-2020

Education

B.Sc., University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
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

B.A., University of Southern California, CA, USA

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

B.Sc., Université of Rochester, NY, USA

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

B.Sc., Université Paris Diderot – Paris VII, Paris, France

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

B.Sc., University of California at Berkeley

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

B.Sc., University of California at Berkeley

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

B.Sc., Université Paris Diderot, Paris, France

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

B.Sc., University of Southern California, LA, USA

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

B.Sc., University of Science and Technology, Beijing, China

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

Lab Manager

Research Lab Technician

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

Lab Manager

Bioinformatics Data Analyst

2018-2020 lab tenure

Education

B.Tech., VTU University, Bangalore, India
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

Research Lab Technician / Lab Manager

(Mouse)

2021-2023 lab tenure

Education

B.Sc., Boston College, MA, USA

Hometown: Cleveland, OH, USA
Favorite non-science activities: traveling, reading
Dream benchmate(s): David Bowie
Birthday:December 22nd
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Tiger

Storm Moya

Research Lab Technician II

12/2022-02/2023 lab tenure

Education

B.Sc., Delaware Valley University, PA, USA

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

B.A. in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California at Berkeley, CA, USA

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

B.Sc., Arizona State University, USA

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

B.Sc., University of Texas at Arlington, USA

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

B.Sc., University of California at Davis, CA, USA

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

B.A., Hamilton College, USA

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

Ph.D. Student (Molecular and Computational Biology Program)

2021 Fall Rotation #1

Education

B.Sc. University of California at San Diego, CA, USA

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

Ph.D. Student (Biology of Aging Program)

2017 Fall Rotation #2

Education

B.Sc. University of Hawaii at Honolulu, HI, USA

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

Ph.D. Student (Molecular and Computational Biology program)
2022 Fall rotation #2

Education

M.Sc., University of California at San Diego, CA, USA
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

B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara, USA

M.Sc., Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, USA

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

B.Sc., University of California at Los Angeles, CA, USA

Hometown: Menlo Park, California
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

B.Sc., University of Arizona, Tucson, USA

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

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

B.Sc., University of California at Riverside, CA, USA

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

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

Hometown: Hawthorne, CaliforniaFavorite non-science activities: Playing guitar, skateboarding, video gamesDream benchmate(s): Peter Parker Birthday: March 30thChinese Zodiac Sign: Dragon

Student Workers

Jomille Jerez

Student Worker (Fish Team)

2023-2023

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