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.
Iyanna Brooklyn Kennedy
Iyanna Brooklyn Kennedy is a student at Spelman College who participated in the STARS Program over the Summer of 2024! During the Summer, she researched the development of a cognitive mechanism, specifically, whether children exhibit the same bias as adults.
Click below to learn about Iyanna’s experience!
Meet Iyanna
Grisha Tamazyan
Passionate about solving real-world challenges in medicine and life sciences, Grisha joined the Summer TRELS Program in 2024. During his time in the program he gained invaluable hands-on experience and is now interning at a collaboration project between NASA, SpaceX, and Sanford Stem Cell Institute!
Click below to learn about Grisha’s experience!
Meet Grisha
Bianca Lopez
Over the summer, during her time with the Eureka! Scholarship, Bianca designed genetically encoded tools for local cytoskeleton disruption, specifically in plant cells. She used her research to understand how the cytoskeleton is involved in the formation of the pores in plant leaves.
Meet Bianca
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
Past Spotlights
Learn about students featured students conducting undergraduate research at UC San Diego.
Read Past Profiles