Kamariza Lab

Lilith is a Chemistry PhD student on the chemical biology track at UCLA. She has a B.A. in chemistry and a minor in music theory from Vassar College. At Vassar, Lilith studied bacterial proteins involved in transferring antibiotic resistance genes. Following her interest in antibiotic resistance and infectious diseases, Lilith is interested in developing point of care diagnostics and drug susceptibility assays in the Kamariza lab. Outside the lab, Lilith sings in the UCLA Chorale and enjoys cooking/baking fun recipes, reading queer literature, hiking, and playing the piano!

Austin is Bioengineering PhD student at UCLA and has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UC Irvine . The recent COVID-19 pandemic and his work experience in blood glucose monitoring has led to a keen interest in developing powerful diagnostic tools for streamlining healthcare and monitoring disease spread in the future. On campus, he takes part in the Teo-Chew Association, where he connects with others who speak that dialect of Chinese, and the Bruin Duelist Association, where he plays Yu-gi-oh. In his free time, he loves trying new foods, cooking, playing video games, and listening to sci-fi audiobooks.

Ashvi is a Bioengineering PhD student at UCLA. She completed her undergraduate degree in Pharmaceutical Technology at the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India followed by a Masters in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania. Her fascination for the field of diagnostics began during her time as a Research Assistant at Penn Medicine. Driven by her ambition to revolutionize healthcare, Ashvi is dedicated to developing advanced, affordable diagnostics to detect pressing infectious diseases. Outside of lab, Ashvi enjoys gardening, exploring new countries and their cultures, watching sports and reading biographies!

Manvel is a Bioengineering PhD student at UCLA. He is a double bruin and completed a B.S. in Bioengineering from UCLA in 2022. His current research interests lie in protein engineering where he's currently working on developing orthogonal Cas enzymes that can be used for multiplexed CRISPR-Cas diagnostics. Outside the lab, Manvel likes to discover new restaurants, enjoys cooking and baking, and is a big movie and tv junkie who loves to binge the latest releases.

Vijay Karthikeyan is an undergraduate student at UC Los Angeles, majoring in Computer Science and Engineering (with an interest in the biological sciences). He is involved in the UCLA Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Design Team and Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) at UCLA. Outside of work, he enjoys recreational sports and watching international soccer. Vijay is passionate about using and learning about science and technology for the growth of society.

Kana Park is an undergraduate student at UCLA majoring in Bioengineering. She is involved in the Korean American Student Association, a member of the Biomedical Engineering Society's Cell Team, and a part of the Society of Women Engineers' Advocacy Committee. After graduation, she hopes to continue with biomedical research in the world of diagnostics and medical devices, dedicating her career to creating accessible and effective healthcare.

Valentina Castellanos is an undergraduate transfer student at UCLA majoring in Bioengineering. She plans to pursue a research focused career in tissue engineering, aiming to develop engineered biomaterials that can improve patient care. Outside of academics, she enjoys watercoloring, reading, and hanging out with her 3 cats.

Hello! I'm Reign Feliciano. I'm an undergraduate student at UCLA studying Bioengineering! I'm a member of the UCLA Biomedical Engineering Society and love beach bonfires, playing tennis, thrifting, and coffee-staining letters for pen pals! I'm excited to further learn how engineering innovation and point of care diagnostic platforms can shape access to medical care for underserved communities at The Kamariza Lab!