Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program at UC Davis

Hector Navarro graduated from California State University, Sacramento in May 2021, with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Microbiology and Cell and Molecular Biology. He is currently working in Dr. Elva Diaz’s lab researching the molecular mechanism behind SynDIG4’s role in AMPA receptor trafficking during synaptic plasticity in hippocampal neurons. Neurological disorders can be traced to dysfunction and dysregulation of glutamate receptors in the brain. Understanding the mechanisms of glutamate receptor trafficking can lead to new therapeutic targets to treat neurological disorders like epilepsy and Alzheimer’s. Hector hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in the field of cell and molecular biology.

Arthur Flores earned a degree in Global Disease Biology from UC Davis in June 2020. As an undergraduate, he worked in the Bevins Lab to assist the characterization of antimicrobial peptides expression in mouse models. As a member of the PREP@UCD cohort, he will be working with Dr. Jamal Lewis on engineering and characterizing new immunomodulatory polymers in vitro and in vivo.

Brandy Weathers earned a BS in Animal Science from CSU Pomona in May 2020. As an undergraduate, she was very involved in campus philanthropy, including fundraising for St. Judes Children Hospital, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Circle of Sisterhood, Make A Wish, and Black Lives Matter. Her undergraduate research experiences drove her desire to obtain a PhD. As a PREP scholar, Brandy will study  tumor growth suppression through the use of nutraceuticals and discovering the impact of bioactive nanoparticles on cancer symptoms in the lab of Gerardo Mackenzie.

Kaitlynn Gov graduated in Spring 2020 with a BS in Cell Biology and a minor in Computational Biology from the University of California, Davis. As an undergraduate, she conducted research as a MARC scholar in the lab of Dr. Jodi Nunnari where she studied the organization and regulation of mitochondrial DNA via high-throughput imaging techniques. She will continue her research with high-throughput imaging in the Nunnari lab as a PREP@UCD affiliate, studying the regulation of the CoQ biosynthetic pathway by ER-Mito contact sites.

Connor Christensen graduated from St. Mary’s College of California in May 2020 with a major in Biochemistry and minor in Mathematics. He will work with Crystal Rogers on factors that influence neural crest cell development.

Maribel Anguiano graduated from the University of California, Davis, in June 2019 with a BS in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior. She spent 2019-2020 as a PREP affiliate and junior specialist in the Fioravante lab. As a PREP@UCD scholar, Maribel will work with Joanna Chiu.

Giselle Aguayo graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz in spring 2019 with a degree in Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology. As an undergraduate, she was an NIH IMSD Scholar and received training in microbiology and molecular biology under Professor Fitnat Yildiz. After graduating, she worked in the Biotech industry and obtained further training in Molecular and Cellular Engineering in enzyme evolution. Her research interests include genomics, bioinformatics, and computational biology. As a PREP scholar, Giselle will join the Carvajal-Carmona Lab to study the genetic mutations that cause cancer within underrepresented populations.

Kevin Abuhanna joins PREP@UCD from California State University Northridge, where he earned a BS in Biochemistry in May 2020 and conducted research as a RISE and MARC scholar in the lab of Paula Fischhaber. At UC Davis, Kevin will study DNA repair in the lab of Wolf-Dietrich Heyer.