Stefano Cefalu

Stefano is a second-year student majoring in Mathematics-Computer Science at UCSD. He is interested in this field because he finds beauty in math and enjoys problem solving and the optimization of solutions. Stefano joined the EXPAND Program to gain research experience to see if he would like to pursue research in the future, and to network. During his free time, Stefano spends time with friends and occasionally cooks.

Asmita Bhardwaj

Asmita is a first year student majoring in Mathematics-Computer Science and minoring in ICAM (music) at UCSD. Her interests lie in the applications of mathematics, particularly in the field of computer science and music. She joined the EXPAND program with the aim of getting hands-on research experience, hoping to gaining some insight on what a career in research may look like. She looks forward to continuing her journey of discovery and learning at the undergraduate level, especially through such research opportunities. During her free time, Asmita loves singing, travelling and swimming.

Jessica Gao

Jessica is a second year student studying biochemistry at UCSD. Jessica is interested in pharmacological chemistry and she enjoys doing archery, swim, and painting during her free time. She joined the EXPAND Program because she wanted exposure to computational lab skills and getting experience in a wide array of fields.

Peter Oh

Peter is a fourth-year student studying mathematics-economics at UCSD. He is a first-generation college student and loves to be outdoors. His favorite outdoor activity is throwing frisbee around or playing ultimate-frisbee and tennis. He is interested in diving deep into analysis. He desires to help others through observing data and compiling a solution in hopes that it can draw closer into finding a solution to a problem. Although he has no prior experience in research or data analysis, this led him to join the EXPAND Program in hopes to gain insight and also broaden his knowledge in different fields other than his own.

Xiyu Xie

Xiyu is a second-year student studying Statistics at UCSD. She is a first-generation student in America. Xiyu is interested in applying statistics to different fields and solve real-world problems. Xiyu joined the EXPAND Program because she wants to develop research skills and learn more about a biology system. Doing research is a great opportunity to expand her knowledge in the field she is interested in and satisfy curiosity. In her free time, Xiyu enjoys drawing and playing piano.

Zhenxi Du

Steve is a second-year physics student at UCSD. He has a long interest in the field of physics that stemmed from a fascination of the theoretical. Steve joined the EXPAND Program to learn about the fundamentals of researching and gain a more hands on experience. During his free time, Steve enjoys video gaming and side projects.

Isabella Real

Isabella is a third year student at UCSD studying Mathematics-Applied Science. Some of her favorite things to do include playing guitar and spending quality time with the people she cares about. Isabella is interested in the sciences because she is very curious about how the world around her functions on a fundamental level. Isabella joined EXPAND because she wanted to connect with more people in the science community as well as gain valuable research experience.

Mason Eskandar

Mason is a first-year student studying Pharmacological Chemistry at UCSD. He is a first-generation college student and enjoys listening to music, playing basketball, and working out. Mason is interested in chemistry because the research in this field helps to better the world. His dream is to obtain his PhD to work in research for a university while also teaching as a professor. Mason joined the EXPAND program because he wants to gain experience in a lab while having the help of a mentor to guide him along the way.

Kyle Rich

Kyle is a first year student studying Biochemistry at UCSD. He's interested in the general pharmaceutical industry and neighboring fields because he has a developing interest in the cross section of biology and chemistry and how humans can use chemistry to further understand and enhance biological systems. Kyle joined the EXPAND Program because he wants to gain research experience under guidance of an expert while learning and assisting the mentor in their own project. During his free time, Kyle enjoys snowboarding, exercising, and spending time with friends and family.

Henry Wang

Henry is a first-year student majoring in biochemistry at UCSD. He is an international student from Taiwan but has lived in Singapore for most of his life. Henry is interested in the life sciences and biotechnology field because of its real-world applications to solve issues and enhance the quality of the healthcare industry. He joined the EXPAND program to gain valuable lab work experience while also having the opportunity to network with faculty members. Outside of academics, he enjoys listening to music, rock climbing, working out, and reviewing dining hall food.

Luu Thao Vy Ngo

Keyi Chen

Keyi Chen is a second-year student studying Mathematics - Computer Science at UCSD. Although mathematics will be Keyi’s general focus, she is interested in exploring an interdisciplinary approach involving science as well. As a participant in the UCSD EXPAND program, Keyi is excited to gain valuable experience and knowledge of molecular machine and drug discovery. In her free time, Keyi enjoys traveling, boardgames and building Lego constructions. She is looking forward to the opportunities and challenges that the EXPAND program will provide, and is determined to make the most of this unique learning experience.

Viet Anh Nguyen

Viet Anh is a first-year student studying Pharmacological Chemistry at UCSD. She is a first-generation college student. She enjoys drawing, discovering new places with friends, listening to music, making beverages, and volunteering. Viet Anh is interested in the field of Chemistry and Biochemistry because she wants to study the structures and textures of the universe as well as gain knowledge in the processes of producing vaccines. She joined the DPS Cohort Program because she loves to get connections with people in the same field and shares and listens to other peers' and mentors' experiences.

Zachary Neuschuler

Zachary is a first-year transfer student studying General Chemistry at UCSD. He is a mature transfer student, who, in his free time, enjoys spending time as well as watching anime with his friends, in addition to practicing his cooking skills, spending time with his dog and cat, and playing idle games. He is interested in chemistry because he sees the subject as a puzzle, a game with (fairly) set rules that can be solved through enough patience and understanding. Zachary joined the EXPAND program to diversify his marketable skills, as well as to see if the research life is one that would fit him well.

Emily Munch

Emily is a second year student at UCSD with a major in Physics with a specialization in Material Science and a minor in Mechanical Engineering. She is interested in the field of Material Science because she is passionate about seeing the unseeable molecules that make up our materials and using their interactions to make something new and better. Emily joined the EXPAND program to explore how a real research lab is run and be a part of something that has never been done before. In her free time she volunteers for EnVision makers studio, is an active member of IEEE and enjoys rock climbing.

Emiri Tsubouchi

Emi is a first-year student studying chemical engineering at UCSD. She is the first member of the family to attend undergraduate in the U.S. and major in STEM. Her future career goal is to work as a chemical engineer in the pharmaceutical industry. She is interested in drug discoveries and manufacture of them. Emi joined the EXPAND program because she wanted to gain foundational knowledge in biochemistry and skills necessary for research. As she hopes to become a research and development engineer, she believes that working in a lab with a mentor will help her attain laboratory skills. During her free time, Emi likes to cook Japanese foods, read books, and take walks to the beach.

Thomas Frisch

Bhausaheb Shivaji Rajput

Bhausaheb is currently working as a postdoctoral scholar-employee in Professor Mike Burkart's lab, chemistry and biochemistry department, at the University of California San Diego. His current research focuses on the utilization of easily available renewable resources such as sugar, plant oil, and algae oil for the synthesis of polyester-polyols for various real-world polyurethane applications. He received his Ph.D. in Chemical Sciences (polymer chemistry) at the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India.

Russell D. Marroquin Solares

Russell Marroquin is originally from Guatemala, and received his undergraduate degree from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a first-year graduate student in the Physics department at UCSD, and his work and research interests lie at the intersection of Experimental High Energy Physics and Machine Learning. Currently, he is directly involved in the co-design of a software-hardware machine learning algorithm to be implemented on triggering technologies inside particle detectors like the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in CERN. Some fun things he likes to do are playing soccer, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Anupam Anand Ojha

Anupam is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UC San Diego. His research spans the interdisciplinary field of computational, biological, chemical, and pharmaceutical sciences. He is particularly interested in creating computational tools for drug discovery and development using statistical mechanics, quantum mechanics, machine learning, and deep learning. He is the recipient of the prestigious MOLSSI fellowship for his work in this field. If he is not doing science, you can find him playing the violin, motorcycling, hiking, and writing non-fiction stories.

Zubenelgenubi Scott

Zuben is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Physics department. His research is on the biophysics of transport within the cell, specifically studying the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The ER is an organelle that fills the eukaryotic cell and performs critical biological functions as a transport hub for proteins, lipids and ions. He develops new mathematical and computational approaches to quantifying the dynamics of the ER and particles traveling through the ER. He also conducts quantitative analysis of live-cell imaging data from experimental collaborators to validate these findings.

Saavidra Perera

Saavidra is a postdoctoral researcher working in astronomical instrumentation in the Centre of Astrophysics and Space Sciences at UCSD. Her research work focuses on characterising the limitations of ground based visible/infra-red telescopes and finding ways to correct for them. Saavidra is committed to engaging in outreach and mentorship, with a focus on encouraging people from under-represented groups to engage in STEM subjects and to create a safe space when they do. She hopes to provide productive mentorship through EXPAND, by providing a project that develops key transferable skills, and also use the the opportunity to learn from the program and her mentees. 

Matthew Miyada

Matthew is a second-year Ph.D. student in the UCSD Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. He is interested in the application of chemical tools to investigate metabolic pathways across all forms of life. His current research focuses on the development of fluorescent probes targeting carrier protein-dependent biosynthetic pathways. A California native, Matthew has been interested in chemistry from a young age and hopes to inspire the same passion in a new generation of scientists. He recognizes the importance of scientific outreach and passing on knowledge in a fair, equitable manner. He has particularly enjoyed his experience as part and the EXPAND program and helping undergraduate students take their first steps into the world of research. In addition to EXPAND, he has also volunteered in local science-themed community events to build awareness of chemistry across all ages and demographics. Apart from science, Matthew loves to spend his free time playing piano, doing crosswords, and trying out new board games.

Claudia Espinoza

Wen Ma

Stephanie Lizette Mora Garcia

Stephanie is a 5^th year PhD candidate in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. Her project in the Grassian Lab is geared towards elucidating mechanisms responsible for nitrous acid (HONO) formation from nitrate photolysis in marine relevant solutions. Prior to recent years, the marine boundary layer had not been investigated in the quest to better understand HONO sources in the atmosphere, which is a large gap of knowledge considering that oceans cover 70% of the Earth. Using an in-house made gas spectroscopy instrument, Stephanie studies HONO forming mechanisms relevant in sea spray aerosols to fill in this knowledge gap. Outside of the lab, Stephanie engages in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts throughout campus because she is passionate about making academia a more equitable places for underserved students. In her free time, she likes to workout, spend time in the Sun especially at the beach, take dance lessons, and spend quality time with friends and family.

Grant Domecus

Yuta Moriuchi

Yuta is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Burkart Lab in the Chemistry and Biochemistry department. Yuta's research investigates the protein-protein interactions that occur in the E. coli fatty acid biosynthetic pathway. His research aims to elucidate the regulatory interactions between the enoyl reductase and acyl carrier protein (ACP) through the synthesis of tight binding probes. In his free time, Yuta enjoys running, hiking, and cooking. Yuta joined the EXPAND program wanting to help introduce undergraduate students to the world of research and help them develop valuable research skills. 

Aaron Bruckbauer

Aaron was born in Wisconsin where he received his B.S in Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. Now, he is a second-year graduate student focused on the cultivation of renewable resources with a focus on their downstream process into renewable and biodegradable products. The goal of his work is to redefine approaches to polyurethane plastics and design 100% renewable and biodegradable plastics that match or exceed current petroleum plastics on the market to-date. In his free time, he likes to go surfing, hiking, golfing, volleyball and cooking as well as encouraging the next generation of students in STEM.