Principal Investigator
ADivakaruni@mednet.ucla.edu
Ajit has been an Assistant Professor of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine since 2017. He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and attended the University of Arizona on a Flinn Scholarship, where he received his B.S. in Biochemistry and Applied Mathematics in 2006. He then earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Cambridge in 2011 as a Marshall Scholar and NSF Graduate Research Fellow, training in mitochondrial bioenergetics under Dr. Martin Brand. After graduating, he conducted post-doctoral research from 2011 to 2017 at the University of California, San Diego in a hybrid academic-industry postdoc, receiving academic training with Dr. Anne Murphy and working with Seahorse Biosciences to develop applications for the XF Analyzer. When he’s not working, he is probably eating, playing tennis, or stuck on the 405.
Graduate Student
NatalyArias@mednet.ucla.edu
Nataly joined the lab in 2021 as a Ph.D. student in the Molecular and Medical Pharmacology department after receiving her B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from California State University, Dominguez Hills. Before joining the lab, she studied the mechanisms of triple negative breast cancer at Charles R. Drew University and studied progenitor cells in the lung epithelium during regeneration at the University of Southern California. In her spare time, she likes to explore new eating hubs, grow succulents, and go on hiking trips to national parks.
Graduate Student
AndreaBall@mednet.ucla.edu
Andréa joined the lab in 2021 as a Ph.D. student in the Molecular and Medical Pharmacology department. She received her B.S. from Duke University in 2020, majoring in Biology and Spanish. As an undergraduate she studied the role of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 in T cell metabolism. In the lab, she studies macrophage metabolism with a focus on the role of oxidative phosphorylation in pro-inflammatory macropahges. In her free time, Andréa likes to try new restaurants, go to the beach, and watch football!
Undergraduate Student
claricarrillo@g.ucla.edu
Clarissa is a third-year Biology major on the pre-med track. She is interested in studying regulatory pathways to better understand and develop treatments for metabolic diseases. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, going to the movies, trying new restaurants, and shopping at Century City.
Undergraduate Student
lizandrocc18@g.ucla.edu
Lizandro is a fourth-year pre-med student majoring in Biochemistry and Neuroscience. He is currently studying metabolic pathways and transport in the central nervous system. For model systems, he is working with retinal pigment epithelial cells as well as isolated synaptic nerve terminals (synaptosomes). He aims to further explore research at the intersection of metabolism and neurological pathways. In his free time, he enjoys exploring new restaurants, experimenting with cooking, hiking, and creating art.
Undergraduate Student
natfalta@g.ucla.edu
Natalie is a fourth-year Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics major. She is passionate about conducting research that explores biochemical pathways to identify and develop innovative treatments for various diseases. In her free time, Natalie likes to run along the beach, ski, hike, and play pickleball at Sunset Rec.
Graduate Student
amkratochwill@g.ucla.edu
Alex joined the lab in 2024 as a Ph.D. student in the Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology interdepartmental program. She received her B.S. in Biology from Wake Forest University in 2020, with minors in Chemistry and Spanish. Before beginning her Ph.D., she worked as a Research Technician in Dr. Kevin Haigis’ lab at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she studied K-Ras mutants and their effects on signaling and colon pathology. In the Mitochondrial Metabolism and Bioenergetics Laboratory, she studies NAD+ metabolism in the Central Nervous System. In her spare time, she likes to try new workout classes, spend time with friends and family, and explore Los Angeles!
Graduate Student
mmekkittikul@mednet.ucla.edu
Marisa joined the lab in 2022 as a Ph.D. student in the Molecular and Medical Pharmacology program. She received her B.S. in Neuroscience from UCLA, where she also studied traumatic brain injury and mixed dementia at the UCLA-Veterans’ Affairs Easton Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. She primarily investigates brain energy metabolism, particularly in the context of neurodegenerative diseases. In her spare time, she is likely spending time with her friends, pets, or plants.
Graduate Student
AAcevedo@mednet.ucla.edu
Aracely defended her thesis in August of 2023 and is now pursuing a career in teaching. Aracely joined the lab in 2020 as a Ph.D. student in the Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology program after receiving her B.S. degree in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology from UC Santa Cruz and her M.S. degree in Chemistry with an option in Biochemistry from California State University, Los Angeles.
Undergraduate Student
julieahn08140@ucla.edu
Julie graduated from UCLA in 2021 earning a B.S. in Biology. She joined the lab in 2019 and has been working under Graduate Student Anthony Jones to explore the implications of mitochondria on human disease. She is currently applying to dental school, and when she’s not in the lab she loves DJing, hiking, and going to the beach.
Undergraduate Student
amberrbianchi@yahoo.com
Amber joined the lab in 2019 as an undergraduate research assistant and mainly is involved with gene expression studies. She continued as an assistant in the lab after graduating from UCLA with a B.S. in General Biology in 2021. In her free time, Amber likes to workout, spend time with friends and go hiking.
Undergraduate Student
angelcortez98@g.ucla.edu
Angel joined the lab in 2019 as an undergraduate research assistant and was involved in various metabolomics and gene expression studies. He graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Biology in 2021. In his free time, Angel likes to scroll through TikTok, eat out with friends, and go to the beach.
Undergraduate Student
bezawitdana@gmail.com
Bezawit graduated from UCLA in June 2024 after majoring in Biochemistry. Her research interests included mitochondrial metabolism, and she enjoyed exploring research in biochemistry. In her free time, she enjoys binge watching shows, taking a long walk with her mom, and going to a beach to watch the sunset. Bezawit is currently a PhD student at UCSF, and we look forward to all she will accomplish in her future research endeavors!
Technician
brandon.desousa@ucsf.edu
Brandon was born in South Florida and received his B.S. in Biochemistry and Neuroscience from the University of Miami. In the Divakaruni Lab, Brandon worked on development of an ATP production rate assay and used this to understand glioblastoma tumor heterogeneity. Currently, Brandon is a graduate student at UCSF in Dr. Isha Jain’s lab. Outside of the lab, Brandon enjoys discovering new films at independent cinemas, coffee tasting, and chicken tenders.
Postdoctoral Fellow
wayne_hsieh@hotmail.com
Wayne joined this lab as a joint postdoc in 2020 to study macrophage metabolism and activation. Prior to UCLA, he received his B.Sc. in Biology at the University of Toronto before completing his M.Sc. in Genomics and Pathway Biology and Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. He currently works at Emergent Biosolutions, and in his free time, he enoys eating, cycling, building computers from scrap parts, playing badminton, and going to musicals.
Undergraduate Student
neiraibrahimovic01@gmail.com
Neira joined the lab in 2021 as an undergraduate student at UCLA majoring in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and minoring in Mathematical Biology. Being from San Diego, she really enjoys spending time at the beach during her free time. Her other hobbies include dancing, writing poetry, and hiking in nature. She is exploring both academia and industry as potential paths for her career. Her research interests include genetics and metabolism – she feels very inspired by science and the direction it continues to grow!
Postdoctoral Fellow
AEJones@mednet.ucla.edu
Anthony passed his thesis defense, titled “Determining the role of coenzyme A in alternative macrophage activation,” on October 28th, 2022. Anthony joined the lab in 2019 after graduating from Cal State University, Dominguez Hills with a degree in Biochemistry. His research career started with the investigation of antioxidant properties in succulent plants utilizing DPPH free radical scavenging assays. In lab, he studied the role of mitochondrial metabolism during macrophage activation. In his spare time Anthony enjoys listening to classic vinyl records from his favorite reggae artists and watching the Los Angeles Clippers. Anthony is currently a medical student at UCLA.
Technician
Undergraduate Student
kaitlynnguyen@g.ucla.edu
Kaitlyn graduated from UCLA in December 2023 and majored in Biochemistry. While in the lab she studied CAR T-cell and macrophage metabolism. In her free time, she enjoys eating good food, going to concerts, and picking up new hobbies! Kaitlyn is currently working as a research assistant at Cedars Sinai with plans to attend graduate school in the future.
Undergraduate Student
amyr08@g.ucla.edu
Amy graduated from UCLA in June 2024 and was a Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology major. In the lab, she studied alternative macrophage activation. She is currently a graduate student at UCLA, and we are excited to see all she accomplishes as a scientist.
Technician
kristayang20@gmail.com
Krista joined the lab in 2020 as a staff research associate after graduating from UCLA with a B.S. in Psychobiology. She is now a medical student at Virginia Commonwealth University. In her free time, she likes trying new restaurants with friends, exploring Richmond’s bookstores, and petting dogs.
