Undergraduate Research Student Profiles
Get inspired! Read about UC San Diego students who are participating (or have participated) in undergraduate research and are doing amazing things.
Liana Melikian
As part of the Dr. Maryam Ahmadian Summer Research Fellowship Program, Liana Melikian got the opportunity to spend her summer gaining valuable lab experience researching the molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic diseases.
Click below to learn more about Liana’s research!
Meet Liana
Cindy Zhong
Cindy Zhong is an oncology researcher who utilized priceless opportunities through the TRELS Program! With the TRELS Program, Cindy has stepped up as a teacher, shared her research, and connected with the research community!
Click below to learn about Cindy’s experience!
Meet Cindy
Mikaela Kjenaas
Mikaela Kjenaas is a researcher at the UCSD Smith Lab who participated in STARTneuro this summer! She used her time in the program to explore empathetic behaviors in rodents to understand unique neural mechanisms!
Click below to learn more about Mikaela’s research experiences!
Meet Mikaela
Stephanie Ugochukwu
Stephanie Ugochukwu is a STARTneuro scholar who dedicated her summer conducting amazing research on the brain and its effect on cardiovascular disease during her time with the 2024 Genentech Summer Program!
Click below to learn more about Stephanie’s research experiences!
Meet Stephanie
Ray Yin
Ray Yin received the URS Chancellor's Research Scholarship for Social Sciences this summer! He used his scholarship to research the effects of digital devices on children. Ryan gained priceless experience that will help him as he pursues further education!
Click below to learn more about Ray's research experiences!
Meet Ray
Lucia Rejzek
For the past two summers, Lucia has been a researcher in the Summer Research Program, as well as a TRELS Scholar during the academic year! This summer she has focused her research on understanding the effects of COVID 19 on mothers in the United States. Click below to learn more about Lucia’s experiences and research!
Meet Lucia
Andrew Zhang
Andrew Zhang is a 2023 recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship! Andrew has used his experience with the Goldwater Scholarship to inspire his dreams of a future in research while gaining an amazing insight into his field! Click below to learn more about Andrew's experiences.
Meet Andrew
Saba Heydari-seradj
Saba Heydari-seradj is a 2023 recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship! Saba has used her experience with the Goldwater Scholarship to not only support her research but also fuel her excitement for her future career! Saba also enjoys the community the Goldwater Scholarship has introduced her to! Click below to learn more about Saba's experiences.
Meet Saba
Emily Pan
Emily Pan is a 2023 recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship! As a physics major and hopeful PhD student, Emily used her experience with her research sponsored by Goldwater to prepare her for more professional research after she graduates. She also used her involvement to reach out to others in her field and grow her network. Click below to learn more about Emily's experiences.
Meet Emily
Joseph Awad
In the summer of 2023, as a community college student, Joseph Awad was awarded the HIV Institute - Transgender/Gender Non-Binary Community Health Research Scholarship! The scholarship helped him significantly as he made his research journey! Click below to learn more about Joseph's experiences.
Meet Joseph
Sophia Fang
Data Science major Sophia Fang won the Strauss Scholarship for Public Service. With her background in nonprofit work and program management, she created hands-on learning opportunities for UCSD students and provided pro-bono digital design solutions for nonprofit organizations. Click below to learn more about Sophia's experiences.
Meet Sophia
Cameron Manard
As a participant in multiple URH programs, Cameron Manard is passionate about research in psychology. Cameron is currently researching the foundation of social communication deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder for the Winter 2024 TRELS program. Click below to learn more about Cameron's experiences.
Meet Cameron
Rohan Shah
Rohan Shah participated in the Guided Engineering Apprenticeship in Research (GEAR) program. He worked with Professor Nick Gravish on a prototype for sensorless robotic limbs. Click below to learn about Rohan's research experiences.
Meet Rohan
Nhat Pham
Mathematics major and McNair alum Nhat Pham is currently studying abroad through UCEAP and conducting research at Tohoku University's WPI-AIMR in Sendai, Japan, with Professor Hiroshi Suito of the institute's Mathematical Sciences Group. Click below learn more about Nhat's experiences.
Meet Nhat
Jordan Bunch
NanoEngingeering major Jordan Bunch studied the mechanical properties of semiconducting polymers for applications in optoelectronicsis as part of the TRELS, URS, and McNair programs. This fall, she is heading to Stanford University to start the Materials Science and Engineering PhD program! Click below to learn more!
Meet Jordan
Jingyi Chen
Triple URH scholar Jingyi Chen has bridged her background in philosophy and feminist theories to research the impact of gender norms on domestic violence in China. Click below to learn more about her experiences in TRELS, FMP, and UC Scholars!
Meet Jingyi
Kate Jackson
As part of the DBMI Summer Internship Program, Kate Jackson investigated the ability of mouse models to recapitulate human disease. Click below to learn more about her research, advice, and goals!
Meet Kate
Ashley Thorshov
In the summer of 2023, Ashley was awarded the URS Research Scholarship for Physics (Hellman). During this program, she worked on research about inhomogeneous expansion process of materials called Hydrogels using laser interference. Click below to learn more about her experiences and future goals!
Meet Ashley
Adrian Arciniega
Inspired by personal experiences, Adrian conducted research on aging through the MADURA and Genentech Programs. Click below to learn more about Adrian's research experiences.
Meet Adrian
Pansée Elghayati
STARTneuro scholar, Pansée Elghayati, has been researching sexual dimorphic behaviors at the Stowers Lab in Scripps Research. She recently presented her research at SACNAS, a national conference, and won an award! Click below to learn more about her experiences.
Meet Pansée
Merlin and Emma
As part of the 2023 ECE SRIP, Merlin and Emma researched ways to improve the
efficiency and communication of makerspaces at UCSD. Click below to learn about their experience in this valuable and collaborative research program.
Meet Merlin and Emma
Alyson Otañez
RSRI and TRELS alumna Alyson Otañez has been researching the effects of warehousing on the Inland Empire. Her experiences have shown her that research isn't just lab work. Click below to learn more about Alyson and her research experiences.
Meet Alyson
Bernice Lozada
During Bernice Lozada's research career at UC San Diego, so far, she has been a part of the RSRI and FMP. Her research focuses on nanomedicine. Click below to learn more about Bernice's research experiences and aspirations!
Meet Bernice
Matthew Uzelac
Triple URH alum Matthew Uzelac won the Goldwater Scholarship which provides up to $7,500 to sophomores and juniors to support their research project. Click below to learn more about Matthew's experience with applying for this scholarship and his experiences with oncology-based research in the Genentech, URS, and TRELS programs.
Meet Matthew
Alexandra Garcia
In 2023, Alexandra was part of the McNair Scholars Program. Throughout the program, she conducted neuroscience research on social isolation. Click below to learn more about Alexandra's experiences with research and the McNair Program.
Meet Alexandra
Past Spotlights
Learn about students featured students conducting undergraduate research at UC San Diego.
Read Past Profiles
