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
bezawitdana@gmail.com
Bezawit is a fourth year undergraduate student at UCLA majoring in Biochemistry. Her research interests include mitochondrial metabolism, and she is exploring research in biochemistry. She aspires to become a research scientist in the future. 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.
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. Here, he studies 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.
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.
Undergraduate Student
kaitlynnguyen@g.ucla.edu
Kaitlyn is a fourth year undergraduate student at UCLA majoring in Biochemistry. She is currently interested in studying macrophage metabolism, and hopes to pursue a career in research in the future. In her free time, she enjoys eating good food, going to concerts, and picking up new hobbies!
Undergraduate Student
amyr08@g.ucla.edu
Amy is a fourth-year Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology major. She currently studies alternative macrophage activation and hopes to continue researching immunology in graduate school. In her free time, Amy enjoys exploring new restaurants, reading a book at Janns steps, and going to the beach.
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.
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!
Technician
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.
