Team

Aaron Meyer, Principal Investigator   

Ph. D., Biological Engineering, MIT
B.S., Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles

Aaron is an Associate Professor of Bioengineering and a member of the Bioinformatics IDP, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Broad Stem Cell Research Center, and Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences. He strives to learn how we can use computational models to control biological systems and treat disease. Outside of the lab, he can be found consuming anything that might be considered science fiction, reading about the philosophy/history of science, or cycling in the Santa Monica mountains.

Andrew Ramirez, Ph.D. Student   

B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis

Andrew is a Bioengineering Ph.D. student who joined in Fall 2021. In his free time, Andrew is an avid Netflix/Hulu watcher for shows like Modern Family, Dragon Ball Z, and Parks and Recreation, loves boba, and enjoys walking his pitbull Misty.

Michelle Loui, Ph.D. Student   

M.S., Biomedical Engineering, Arizona State University

B.S.E., Biomedical Engineering, Arizona State University

Michelle joined the lab in Spring 2022 as a bioengineering Ph.D. student. During her earlier studies, she worked on developing an injectable polymer for treating cerebral aneurysms and researched the extreme properties of amyloid materials through individual fibril analysis. Her research interests include therapeutic resistance in cancer. Outside of the lab, Michelle enjoys playing Animal Crossing and Mario Kart, consuming sweets, and volunteering at the West LA animal shelter.

Meera Trisal, Ph.D. Student   

B.S., Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara

Meera is an Ph.D. student who joined the lab in Fall 2022. Before coming to UCLA, Meera worked at Stanford University where she studied the mechanisms underlying the adaptive immune response to vaccination. In her free time, Meera enjoys spending time with friends, reading, playing soccer, dancing, and binge-watching TV.

James Popoli, Ph.D. Student   

B.S., Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles

James is a bioengineering Ph.D. student who joined in Summer 2024. His academic interests center around leveraging human biosystems to engineer new therapies or gain further understanding of how the body functions. For hobbies, James enjoys playing video games, practicing archery, and exploring Harbor Freight to find new tools for projects.

Sam Amidon, Ph.D. Student   

B.S., Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota

Sam is a bioengineering Ph.D. student who joined the Meyer lab in Fall of 2024. He grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota where he worked at pharmaceutical companies and University of Minnesota genetics and neural engineering labs. Through these experiences, Sam found broad interests in biological systems, drug design, and machine learning approaches. He likes to spend his free time outdoors—camping, hiking, fishing, and running, and has recently gotten into nature photography.

Nicole Bedanova, Ph.D. Student   

B.S.E., Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania

Nicole is a bioengineering Ph.D. student who joined the Meyer lab in Fall of 2024. She previously worked at the Wistar Institute developing DNA based immunotherapy approaches for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and cancer. She is interested in using experimental and computational methods to better understand the immune response in the context of diseases and develop novel therapeutics. In her free time she enjoys running, trying new restaurants, making matcha, and exploring the outdoors.

Victoria Gong, Undergraduate Researcher   

Victoria is an undergraduate student majoring in biochemistry. She is interested in cancer-related immunology research, protein engineering and structural analysis, and drug discovery/design. In her free time, she enjoys archery and singing.

Allison Brookhart, Undergraduate Researcher   

Allison (Allie) is an undergraduate student at UCLA who joined the lab in the summer of 2022. She is currently working on the cancer serology project to help profile anti-tumor antibody responses. Allie is interested in the intersection between technology and medicine to improve the quality of care for patients. She also enjoys crocheting, being active, and exploring Los Angeles in her free time.

Nathaniel Thomas, Undergraduate Researcher   

Nathaniel is an undergraduate student majoring in Computer Science who joined the lab in the summer of 2023. His research interests include applying computational methods to further understand biological and chemical systems. In his free time, he enjoys playing pop songs on the piano, trying new foods, and keeping up with the latest TV shows.

Aoi Tomoeda, Undergraduate Researcher   

Aoi is an undergraduate student majoring in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering who joined the lab in fall of 2024. She is interested in cancer-related immunology research, protein engineering, and drug discovery and development. Outside of the lab, she likes watching J-dramas, K-dramas, and exploring different cafes.

Former Members