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!

Email: lilithschwartz@g.ucla.edu

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.

Email: atsi@g.ucla.edu

Manvel is a Bioengineering Master's 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.

Email: manvelyelanyan@g.ucla.edu

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!

email: ashvi19@g.ucla.edu

Asma is a Bioengineering Master's student at UCLA. She completed her undergraduate studies in Biomedical Engineering from UC Irvine. After working on different microfluidic platforms for cancer and viral particle capture at Stanford as a research assistant, Asma became interested in developing accessible and non-invasive diagnostic platforms. Outside of the lab, Asma prides on being a foodie who also loves to cook, enjoys staying active and learning different sports, and learning new languages and cultures!

email: ahkarim@g.ucla.edu

Reena is a Ph.D. student in the Biochemistry, Molecular, and Structural Biology program at UCLA. She obtained her B.S. degree in Chemistry from San Jose State University in 2021. Following graduation, she worked as a research associate at Stanford University in Professor Laura Dassama’s group studying metabolite trafficking in pathogenic bacteria. As a rare disease advocate, she is excited to develop novel diagnostic tools for rare diseases.

Cara Susilo is an undergraduate student at UCLA, majoring in Bioengineering. She is involved in the Association of Indonesian Americans, the UCLA Biomedical Engineering Society, Society of Women Engineers, and the Nikkei Student Union. She hopes to pursue a graduate degree in biomedical engineering and aims to work in research and development with a focus in the diagnostics of infectious diseases for developing countries and low-resource environments.

Email: carasusilo2026@g.ucla.edu

Amelia Rodolf is an undergraduate student studying Bioengineering at UCLA. She is a member of the UCLA Biomedical Engineering Society’s Cell Team and enjoys dancing and exploring new places around Los Angeles. She is an enthusiastic learner with an interest in the medical applications of molecular engineering. Amelia plans to pursue a career in biomedical research and hopes to develop new technologies to improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare.

Email: ameliarodolf@g.ucla.edu

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. He hopes to pursue a graduate education in a biomedical subfield, specializing in research. Vijay is passionate about using and learning about science and technology for the growth of society.

Email: kvijay@g.ucla.edu

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.

Email: kanapark@g.ucla.edu