Nelli Khudaverdyan is a fifth-year PhD candidate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BCMB) and Founder and President of the BcMBGSA. She studies chromatin regulation and epigenetic mechanisms underlying gene silencing, with a focus on the structural and biochemical characterization of chromatin-modifying enzymes in Dr. Jikui Song’s lab. She holds a B.S. in Biochemistry and Neuroscience from the University of California, Riverside and is actively involved in graduate student leadership, outreach, and science policy initiatives. Outside the lab, she enjoys mentoring students, reading, writing, and spending time outdoors with her dog Oliver.

Matthew is a sixth-year PhD candidate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BCMB). Matthew studies translational control mechanisms in eukaryotes in Dr. Seán O’Leary’s lab. Matthew is a saxophonist and musician and loves to spend his free time with his cats. 

Mimi is a 5th year PhD Candidate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with research in Bioengineering, and acting Vice President of Internal Affairs & Co-Secretary of BcMB GSA. Mimi obtained her B.S. in Biology and M.Sc. in Biochemistry in University of California, Riverside. Her research focuses on synthesizing derivatives of bioinspired red-wine chromophore dyes, pyranoflavyliums, and studying their photophysical and photochemical properties for potential applications for dye sensitized solar cells or fluorescent imaging.

Sol is a 2nd year Master’s student in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She is a student in Dr. Jikui Song’s lab, studying tetranucleosome binding with DNA modifying proteins, such as DNA methyltransferases. Sol obtained her B.S. in Biochemistry in 2024 from University of California, Riverside, where her undergraduate research on electron transfer of flavoprotein, the relationship between protein structure and function. In her free time, she likes to hang out with her friends, discover new restaurants, and sleep.

Xinyi Chen is a fifth-year PhD candidate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BCMB), and acting co-Founder and Vice President of Finance of BcMB GSA. She is a student in Dr. Jikui Song’s lab, where she studies epigenetic regulation. In her free time, she enjoys hiking.

Briana is a second year PhD student in the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology program. She is a student in Dr. Megan Norris’s lab, where she studies the mechanisms behind RNA localization in development and disease. Briana obtained her B.S. in Forensic Science in 2023 from the University of New Haven in Connecticut, where she learned how modern science and good, old-fashioned detective work can go hand-in-hand to uphold the pillars of the criminal justice system. In her free time, she loves to run, swim, and read countless romantasy books.

Allie is a fourth-year PhD student in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology program in Dr. O’Leary’s lab, where she studies the mechanism of translation initiation in eukaryotes. Allie obtained her B.S. in Biology from Santa Clara University in 2021. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time with her cat.

Anusha is a fifth year PhD candidate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Dr. Adam Norris’ lab.  She studies RNA binding proteins in the context of gene expression in neurodegenerative/neuromuscular disease.  Anusha earned her BSc in Molecular Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2019, where she worked on transcription factors and chromatin remodeling in Drosophila.  In her free time she enjoys reading, gardening and cooking.

Avrie is a PhD student in the Botany & Plant Sciences department, where she studies the biosynthetic pathway of cardiac glycosides in Apocynaceae under Dr. Adam Jozwiak. Avrie obtained her B.S. in Biology from Louisiana State University, Alexandria, where she found her love for research, botany, and biochemistry. Outside of the lab, she likes to paint, read, attend live music events, and travel.

Kevin is a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program. He is in the laboratory of Dr. Russ Hille and works on gaining a biophysical understanding of ancient energy conservation mechanisms, focusing on those involving FAD cofactors known as Flavin-Based Electron Bifurcation. Work in the laboratory involves a myriad of spectroscopic and kinetic approaches involving stopped-flow, electron paramagnetic resonance, and UV/Visible spectroscopy. Outside of lab, Kevin loves photography, finding new places to eat, and going to the beach for some good sushi. 

Monoswi is a second-year PhD student in the Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics (GGB) program in the Synthetic Biology Laboratory of Prof. Ian Wheeldon. His multidisciplinary research combines systems biology, statistical genomics, GenAI/ML, and high-throughput gene editing to understand polygenic stress adaptation in non-model yeasts. His overarching goal is to develop a robust yeast chassis for sustainable biomanufacturing. He holds a dual Master’s degree from the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology, India, and an undergraduate honors degree in Biotechnology. He was also an undergraduate fellow of the Indian National Academy of Sciences. Born and raised in India, Monoswi is a first-generation immigrant who is passionate about academic service, student advocacy, and inclusive science education. He serves as an Academic Affairs Officer to strengthen cross-program communication and enhance the BcMB graduate experience. He aspires to a career in academia, leading a research laboratory while mentoring the next generation of scientists. Outside of science, he enjoys music, literature, and traveling.

Megan is a first-year Master’s student in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a strong interest in the molecular mechanisms that underlie human health and disease. She is currently rotating in Dr. Song’s lab, where she participates in research on DNA methyltransferases. She earned her B.S. in Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics from UC Santa Cruz, where her undergraduate research focused on antibiotic resistance. In her free time, she enjoys reading novels, swimming in the ocean, and spending quality time with loved ones.

Daniel is a second-year PhD student in the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology program. He is in Dr. Jikui Song’s lab studying DNA methylation by de novo methyltransferases using structural biology techniques. Daniel obtained his B.S. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from UC Santa Cruz, where he did research on cell-cycle progression and competed in the 2023 iGEM Synthetic Biology competition, addressing algal blooms using synthetic biology techniques. Some of his hobbies include taking strolls in nature, looking for new restaurants, and playing video games with friends.

Carlos is a first-year PhD student in the Biophysics program, born & raised in S.Central LA. He is currently rotating in the lab of Dr. Jernej Murn, investigating pseudouridylation in tRNA and its impacts across different neuronal cell types. Carlos earned a B.S. in Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics from UC Santa Cruz, where he conducted research on spliceosome inhibition in a “humanized” yeast strain developed in the Ares Lab at the UC Santa Cruz RNA Center. An enthusiast of music, biochemistry, and engineering, Carlos explores the intersection of these interests by creating electronic music using biofeedback from fungi and plants in his free time. Needless to say, he can engineer more than just genomes…_

Cameron Zappetta is a second year masters student on the thesis track in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology department at UCR. He is investigating the venom of the parasitoid emerald jewel wasp (Ampulex compressa) and how it “zombifies” the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) to act as a host for its young by performing non-targeted small molecule metabolomics via mass spectrometry and pharmacokinetics on host receptors. Additionally, he is investigating a transcriptional factor required as part of a sequence of neuroendocrine releases associated with maturation and behavioral changes in Dr. Michael Adams lab within the MCSB and Entomology departments. He graduated with an associate's degree in biology, chemistry, and psychology from Antelope Valley College, where he was student body president and vice president of club affairs, and then earned a bachelor's of neuroscience with a minor in psychology from UCR. In his free time, he enjoys reading, crochet, visiting museums, and playing board games.

Jorge Salazar is a first-year PhD student in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology department at UCR. He is currently rotating in Dr. Pei Su’s lab, working on modifications to nano-DESI workflows and instrumentation to increase sampling throughput. As an undergraduate, Jorge worked in an analytical aerosol chemistry lab under Dr. James Davies, where he worked to understand the effects of phase morphology in binary and ternary droplet systems on molecular diffusion as a function of various relative humidity conditions through single particle levitation techniques. During his master’s degree, Jorge worked under Dr. Daniel Petras to redesign a previously developed microfractionator, with which he and his undergraduate, Andres Cortes, developed the microfluidic adapter cassette (housing custom fabricated micro-paper analytic devices). The cassette was designed to be readily integrated into existing fraction collectors (instead of being reliant on custom-fabricated fractionation instrumentation), enabling a high-throughput, lower-cost alternative for screening extracted metabolites against bioreporters for elucidation of bioactive metabolites (namely, antibiotics). In Jorge’s free time, he enjoys cooking, spending time with his wife and two dogs, complaining, and enjoying craft cocktails, wine, and coffee.