Meet the Incoming School of Medicine PhD Students

Posted: 2024-09-30

Source: Graduate Studies

News Type:

Introducing the newest cohort of 36 PhD students in Biomedical Sciences for Fall 2024. These students will conduct research under the guidance of their advisors in one of our five PhD degree-granting departments: Anatomy & Neurobiology, Biological Chemistry, Experimental Pathology, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, and Physiology & Biophysics.

Anatomy & Neurobiology

Zeina Elrachid

Zeina received her B.S. in Molecular Cell Biology & Physiology with a minor in Chemistry from Cal State Long Beach. In her undergraduate lab, she assisted in researching the structure-function relationship of apolipoprotein A-I, where she developed a passion for studying proteins. After finishing her B.S. degree, she earned a Certificate in Biotechnology during a 10-month California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) internship in Dr. Aileen Anderson’s lab at UC Irvine. Zeina is now a doctoral student in the Anderson Lab where her research focuses on investigating molecular mechanisms underlying neural stem cell behavior in the spinal cord injury microenvironment.

Isabella (Bella) Fleming

Bella received her B.A. in Neuroscience at Scripps College where she developed an interest in studying behavioral neuroscience and neuropharmacology. After graduating, she took a position at Genentech working on generating and studying lung organoids, where her work resulted in a co-authored paper published in Cell. After arriving at UC Irvine, she joined Dr. Momoko Watanabe’s Lab studying neurodevelopment and stem cell biology, using hSC’s to generate brain organoids to study the pathways and mechanisms contributing to Fragile X Syndrome.

Waka Hisamura

Waka grew up in Fukuoka, Japan, and received her M.D. from Jikei University School of Medicine in 2024. After graduation, she briefly worked as a medical doctor in Japan. As an undergraduate, she studied the neuropathology of oral bacteria associated with carotid artery stenosis in the laboratory of Dr. Hirokazu Koseki. She entered UC Irvine in 2024 through the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program and joined the laboratory of Dr. Kei Igarashi. Her research focuses on elucidating the entorhinal-hippocampal circuit involved in associative memory and its connection to Alzheimer's disease.

Jorge Mendoza

Born and raised in Santa Ana, California, Jorge stayed local to earn his B.S. in Neurobiology at UC Irvine. He then went to the National Institute on Drug Abuse to pursue a post-baccalaureate research position to gain more experience researching motivation circuits. He returned to UC Irvine to complete his doctoral training in the Dr. Tallie Z. Baram lab to understand the mechanism of how corticotropin-releasing hormone-positive neurons are involved in altering motivation circuits during early life adversity.

Matt Sandoval

A southern California native, Matt completed his B.A. degree in Cell and Molecular Biology at Occidental College in Los Angeles. While at Occidental, Matt conducted research in the lab of Dr. Kerry Thompson lab, focused on developing a novel neuronal transplant treatment for Parkinson’s disease. After graduation, he remained close to home and joined the lab of Dr. Javier Diaz Alonso as a lab assistant/manager, where he transitioned from clinical to basic science research. For nearly three years he studied the developmental, synaptic, and circuit-wide functions of a set of enigmatic cell adhesion molecules, MDGA1 and MDGA2, via a variety of cellular and molecular techniques. After his first year of Ph.D. study through UC Irvine’s Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Matt joined the Diaz Alonso lab, where he will continue to give new understanding to these proteins.

Biological Chemistry

Nick Bradbury

Nick received his B.S. in Microbiology from UC Davis in 2018 and subsequently worked as a lab assistant in the Department of Dermatology at UC San Diego. He earned his M.S. in Biotechnology at UC Irvine in 2023, conducting research on the role of primary cilia in psoriasis under the mentorship of Dr. Scott Atwood. Nick is now a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Biological Chemistry at UC Irvine, under co-mentorship with Dr. Xing Dai and Dr. Scott Atwood. While continuing work on primary cilia with Dr. Atwood, Nick is also exploring the importance of Ovol1 in hair cycling with Dr. Dai.

Camille Brzechffa

Raised in New Jersey, Camille Brzechffa attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA and received her B.A. in Cellular and Molecular Biology in 2020. Post-graduation, she worked in the lab of Dr. Ken Cadwell at New York University, studying the release of extracellular vesicles, also known as exosomes, in response to bacterial toxins. Now entering her third year in UC Irvine’s M.D./Ph.D. program, Camille joined Dr. Angela Fleischman’s lab, where she will conduct research on the impact of a high unsaturated fat-plant based diet on ameliorating clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) and CHIP-associated atherosclerosis development.

Gabriella (Gabby) De Robles

Gabby completed her B.S. in Genetics and M.S. in Systems Biology at UC Irvine. With Dr. Dequina Nicholas as her mentor, she studied the PCOS mouse model to analyze inflammation and hormone dysregulation in the pituitary at a single-cell level. She was accepted into Dr. Marcus Seldin’s lab while continuing to work closely with Dr. Nicholas. Her project continues to focus on understanding how miscommunication between the immune and neuroendocrine systems contribute to the pathophysiology of PCOS. More specifically, the role of the prolactin hormone in reproductive and metabolic health.

Cameron Hom

Cameron received her B.S. in Molecular and Medical Microbiology from UC Davis in 2023. As an undergraduate, she did research in Wolf-Dietrich Heyer’s lab understanding how mismatch detection proteins prevent multi-invasion recombination outcomes using model organism S. cerevisiae. Now, she is excited to continue her journey in DNA repair as a Ph.D. student in the Pannunzio Lab to better understand the effect of mismatch repair deficiency on cancer predisposition. When not in the lab, she enjoys growing plants, fishing, dancing, and cooking.

Amber Lewis

Amber completed her B.S. in 2021 at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a focus on molecular and cellular biology. She then worked as a lab technician for two years in the lab of Dr. David Kranz at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studying the efficacy of CAR T cells in treating ovarian cancer. In 2023, she began her Ph.D. studies through the UC Irvine Cellular & Molecular Biosciences Program. As a second year doctoral student in the lab of Dr. Selma Masri, she is working to understand circadian control of anti-tumor immunity.

Angie Nguyen

Angie received her B.S. in Genetics from UC Irvine in 2021. During undergraduate years, she completed her honors thesis on the composition and phylogeny of nitrogen-fixing bacteria on a global scale in Dr. Adam Martiny’s Lab. She is now entering her third year in UC Irvine’s M.D./Ph.D. program and first year of Ph.D. studies. Angie’s interests are in using computational methods to study microsatellite instability and circadian rhythm disruptions in colorectal cancers. She is co-mentored by Dr. Nick Pannunzio and Dr. Selma Masri.

Christy Nguyen

Christy received her B.S. in Biochemistry from CSU Long Beach, where she studied apolipoprotein E3 reconstituted high-density lipoprotein (HDL) nanodiscs as a targeted drug delivery vehicle for lysosomal storage diseases in Dr. Vasanthy Narayanaswami’s lab. She then began her Ph.D. studies at UC Irvine through the Cellular and Molecular Biosciences program. Under the guidance of Dr. Marcus Seldin and Dr. Dequina Nicholas, she is investigating the genetic and molecular mechanisms involved in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Gisselle Santiago

Gisselle received her B.S. in Human Biology and Global Health from UC San Diego in 2022. During her last year of undergraduate studies, she joined the B.S./M.S. Biological Sciences program at UC San Diego and obtained her M.S. in Biology in 2023. Her master’s thesis focused on the identification of ZIC1 as a novel causative gene for Isolated Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism. Gisselle is starting her second year of Ph.D. studies at UC Irvine in Dr. Rémi Buisson’s lab. Here, she will be studying innate immunity systems in response to viral infection.

Kiku Yoneda

Kiku earned her B.S. in Developmental and Cell Biology from UC Irvine in 2023. As an undergraduate, she studied protein interactions in the MAPK signaling pathway. Kiku joined Dr. Peter Kaiser’s lab after her first year of Ph.D. studies in UC Irvine’s Cellular & Molecular Biosciences program and is currently investigating methionine dependency of cancer cells.

Experimental Pathology

Michael Colwin

Michael Colwin grew up in Southern California. He attended UC San Diego and earned a degree in Neurobiology. He is conducting Ph.D. research in the lab of Dr. Albert La Spada. Michael enjoys sports and studying about neurodegenerative diseases.

Blake Krisko

Blake received his B.S. in Biochemistry with a minor in Spanish Studies from the University of Minnesota in 2023. He entered UC Irvine through the Cellular and Molecular Biosciences gateway program. Throughout his academic career, Blake has utilized proteomics technologies to investigate the roles of post translational modifications, such as ubiquitination and glycosylation, in human disease. Blake is entering his second year of Ph.D. studies, working in the newly established lab of Dr. Haik Mkhikian to uncover lectin glycoprotein interactions and profile their functional outcomes. Outside of the lab, Blake enjoys going to sporting events and spending time with his dog.

Justine Silva

Justine graduated from Buffalo State University in 2019 with a B.S. in Forensic Chemistry and a B.A. in Biotechnology. She went on to work as a brain donation coordinator for the UC Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (UCI MIND). She began her graduate studies through the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program and joined the lab of Dr. Elizabeth Head. Her current research focuses on investigating white matter degeneration as an early Alzheimer’s disease biomarker in people with Down syndrome.

Zoe Treadwell

Zoe received her B.A. in Psychology from Hampton University. Currently, she is a graduate student in Dr. Elizabeth Head’s Lab where she studies Alzheimer’s disease in Down syndrome and canine models. Her research interests include neurodegenerative disorders and therapeutic development.

Microbiology & Molecular Genetics

Neha Joshi

Neha completed her undergraduate studies in Chemistry and Masters in Biochemistry in India. She then received a second Masters (Cancer Research) from Newcastle University, UK. She worked on determining the role of cell cycle proteins cyclin B1 and CDK1 in cancer cell survival as part of her dissertation. After completing her studies, she worked for 2 years at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK on generating a physiologically relevant biobank of patient-derived cancer organoids and further using CRISPR/Cas9 to generate gene knockout cancer organoid models. She joins Dr. Nick Baker’s lab in Fall 2024. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring new places, going on long walks and reading books.

Audrey Loaiza

Audrey received her B.S. in Biological Sciences from UC Davis in 2021 where she studied molecular mechanisms underlying leaf development as an NSF CAMP Fellow. She then completed an NIH PREP Post-Baccalaureate Program at the University of Missouri, Columbia where she found an interest in virology while studying SARS-CoV-2 mutations and HIV transport. Audrey is currently a Ph.D. student in Dr. Orkide Koyuncu’s lab investigating Herpes Simplex Virus 1 neuroinvasion using neuronal infection and latency models.

Khanh Luong

Khanh obtained her B.S. in Microbiology & Immunology from UC Irvine. She was a research assistant in Dr. Koyuncu’s lab for 3 years where she studied alphaherpesvirus (α-HV) interaction with host peripheral neurons. Khanh then became interested in α-HV infection in central neurons and its contribution to neurodegenerative diseases. She continues exploring this host- pathogen relationship under Dr. Koyuncu’s guidance.

Christina Pantoja

Christina received her B.S. in Biological Sciences from UC Irvine in 2019. After graduating, she worked for Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica where she became intrigued with both neurology and virology in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Christina continued to graduate education and received a M.S. degree in Biological Sciences from California State University, Long Beach. She worked on researching “kick and kill” approaches for HIV latency reversal with Dr. Peter Ramirez. Currently, Christina is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Orkide Koyuncu’s lab researching alpha herpesvirus infections. Christina is primarily focused on investigating the molecular mechanisms of HSV-1 latency establishment using a compartmented primary neuron culture model.

Zachary Pope

Zach earned his B.S. in Biology with an emphasis in Physiology from San Francisco State University in 2020. He then pursued a M.S. degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology at San Francisco State University, where he wrote his thesis, “A low-cost and reversible protein purification method based on optogenetic tools.” He is now a Ph.D. student in Dr. Minji Byun’s lab, where he is incorporating dTAG to study DNA methyltransferase 3A mutations.

Marie Strauss

Born in America, Marie spent the majority of her life in southern Kazakhstan until her family uprooted and moved to Turkey where Marie attended high school. She then returned to the country of her birth and attended Biola University in La Mirada, CA, graduating with a degree in Biochemistry. Marie is now a first year graduate student, starting to explore epigenetics, immunology, and bioinformatics in Dr. Minji Byun’s lab.

Jonathan (Jon) Van Duong

Jon is a first-generation student who completed his B.S. in Public Health Sciences in 2020 and M.S. in Pharmacology in 2022 both from UC Irvine. During his master’s program, he worked as an Associate Specialist for 3 years under Dr. Alan Barbour in the UC Irvine School of Medicine where he studied host- pathogen interactions of P. leucopus (deermouse) and B. burgdorferi (Lyme’s disease) to answer the question: why doesn’t the deermouse get sick? He has been directly admitted into the Ph.D. program in the Microbiology & Molecular Genetics department under Dr. Barbour. Jon’s current research involves the differential innate immune response of deermice to infection and other inflammatory stimuli both in vivo and in vitro.

Physiology & Biophysics

Peter Ellsworth

Peter received his B.S. in Genetics, Genomics, and Biotechnology from Brigham Young University in 2023. He worked for four years in a lab where he researched adipose tissue and islet function in the context of type 2 diabetes. He entered UC Irvine through the Cellular & Molecular Biosciences gateway program and joined Dr. Qin Yang’s lab. Peter also works with Dr. Wei Li to fully elucidate the role of alternative polyadenylation in the beta cell for individuals who suffer from type 2 diabetes.

Yiwei Gong

Yiwei received her B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences at UC Irvine, where she developed her interest in mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases, with a focus on hypertension, in Dr. John Longhurst’s laboratory. She worked as a specialist at the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute for two years studying the autonomic regulation of blood pressure. Yiwei Is an incoming Ph.D. student in Dr. Shaista Malik’s laboratory in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics.

Lauren Hitchcock

Lauren earned her B.S. degree from the University of Washington in Biological Sciences and graduated with her M.S. in Biomedical and Translational Sciences at UC Irvine. Her previous research focused on cancer immunology where she and her colleagues created a CAR-T cell that attacks castration resistant metastatic prostate cancer. Her work in immunology led her to UC Irvine where she worked in the Infectious Diseases Division performing immunological assays involving SAR’s-CoV-2.

Kasandra Khiev

Kasandra earned her B.S. in Biochemistry from California State University, Long Beach. There, she was a NIH RISE fellow and worked in the laboratory of Dr. Vasanthy Narayanaswami, where she studied the conformational reorganization of apolipoprotein AI during cholesterol efflux. Currently, Kasandra is an incoming graduate student in Dr. Lan Huang’s lab, and her research will focus on utilizing cross-linking mass spectrometry to study protein-protein interactions. Outside of the lab, she enjoys exploring new cafes, pickleball, and going to the beach.

Elaine Lai

Elaine earned her B.S. in Biochemistry from CSUF in 2022. Prior to joining the Cellular & Molecular Biosciences program, she worked as a research assistant at UC Irvine, where she studied neurodevelopment using brain organoids. Now a second-year graduate student in Dr. Asuka Eguchi’s lab, Elaine is developing a gene therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy with a specific focus on the heart.

Sherry Fang-Shiuan Leung

Sherry received her B.S. in Biological Sciences from UC Davis in 2018. In her undergraduate studies, she explored various research fields, including wound healing, behavioral studies, and mouse genetic engineering. She spent over four years as an Assistant Specialist at UC San Francisco, where she focused on morphogenesis and signaling in craniofacial and foregut development. She provided technical support for generating gene-edited mice. In 2023, She began her Ph.D. in Genetics and Genomics at Baylor College of Medicine, joining Dr. Rui Chen’s lab. The Chen lab relocated to UC Irvine where she is a second-year Ph.D. student studying the mechanisms of the ABCA4 gene in macular degeneration and the development of gene therapy for inherited retinal diseases. Sherry served as the President of the Bay Area Taiwanese Biotechnology Association in 2023.

Yuan (Chris) Li

Yuan graduated with a B.S. in Psychology from UC Irvine in 2023. A few months before graduation, he embarked on the journey with the Beier lab as an undergraduate researcher. Over time, he transitioned into a research technician role while also admitted as a Ph.D. student. His research endeavors are centered around unraveling the intricate neural circuitry implicated in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, alongside exploring the ramifications of substance abuse on diverse neuronal populations. During his downtime, you might catch him soaring through the skies in a wingsuit—a passion he has been eager to revisit. Additionally, he relishes the opportunity to immerse himself in nature by camping or hiking.

Arjun Nair

Arjun joined the Wagar lab as a Ph.D. student in Summer 2024. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management as a University Scholar Fellow. Arjun holds a B.A. in Biology from the College of Arts and Sciences and a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of Business. Earlier, Arjun worked as an investment banker and consultant to the biotech industry at Locust Walk Partners. He earned his M.S. in Biomedical Sciences from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. His thesis, under the guidance of Dr. Andrew Ji, focused on the role of fibroblasts in skin diseases. Arjun is particularly interested in immunology and using advanced genomic tools to understand protective vaccination determinants and B/T cell receptor diversity. Beyond academics, he enjoys sports, the outdoors, and learning about music production.

Mariella (Mari) Soto

Mari received her B.S. from the Honors College at Florida State University with a minor in Chemistry. After completing an Honors Thesis focused on investigating strategies to increase knock in efficiency through CRISPR protein engineering, she worked at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology as a laboratory technician. Now, Mari is a second year Ph.D. student in Dr. Shivashankar Othy’s lab. Mari is participating in a Mechanoimmunology research program, studying the role of the mechanosensing ion channel, Piezo1, in CD8+ T cells.

Theresa Vu

Theresa received her B.S. in Biological Sciences from UC Irvine in 2020. She went on to work at the National Institutes of Health in Dr. Charles Bradberry’s laboratory focusing on opioid addiction in non-human primates. After the NIH, she worked at a start-up biotech company, Aracari for two and a half years. At Aracari, she worked on microfluidic devices and grew “Organ-on-a-Chip.” Theresa is entering her first year in Dr. Barbara Jusiak and Dr. Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk’s labs.

Mengyu Zhang

Mengyu received her B.S. in Biological Science and M.S. in Environment Science from Tsinghua University. For her master’s project, she used mice as models to evaluate the risk of endotoxin in wastewater and the effectiveness of different water disinfection methods, like ozone and other combined disinfections. She entered UC Irvine through the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program program in 2024 and will join the lab of Dr. Vladimir Kefalov. Her future studies will focus on retinal disease.