Students

2023 UC Davis Chemical Biology Program cohort
2023 Chemical Biology Trainees Kyle Vanderschoot, Claire Caputo, Bryant Luu and Trevor Gannalo

2023-2024

Claire Caputo
Graduate Group: Integrative Genetics and Genomics
Major Professor: David Segal
Research Project: Antisense Oligonucleotide (ASO) Treatment for ADNP Syndrome
Email: cecaputo@ucdavis.edu

Trevor Gannalo
Graduate Group: Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Major Professor: Justin Siegel
Research Project: Engineering Enzymatic Detoxification of the Highly Carcinogenic Food Contaminant Aflatoxin
Email: tgannalo@ucdavis.edu

Bryant Luu
Graduate Group: Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Major Professor: Shota Atsumi
Research Project:  Microbial Production of the Human Milk Oligosaccharides and Characterization of its Biological Activity
Email: bluu@ucdavis.edu

Kyle Vanderschoot
Graduate Group: Chemistry
Major Professor: Elizabeth Neumann
Research Project: Spatial Multiomic Cellular Profiling using MALDI Mass Spectrometry Imaging
Email: kavanderschoot@ucdavis.edu

2022-2023

CBP Cohort 2022
Chemical Biology Program Trainees Natalie Dugan, Liam Twomey, and Anna Vernier

Natalie Dugan
Graduate Group: Chemistry
Major Professor: Peter Beal
Research Project: Next Generation Sequencing Screening Assay to Identify Guide Strands for 5’GA contexts Amenable for Crystallization
Email: nmdugan@ucdavis.edu

Liam Twomey
Graduate Group: Chemistry
Major Professor: R. David Britt 
Research Project: Macromolecular interactions of the [FeFe] hydrogenase maturases investigated by anaerobic cryoEM
Email: Lptwomey@ucdavis.edu

Anna Vernier
Graduate Group: Chemistry
Major Professor: David Olson
Research Project:  Synthesis and SAR Studies of Dimethyltryptamine Analogs
Email: Amvernier@ucdavis.edu

CBP Cohort 2021
Chemical Biology Program Trainees Estely Carranza, Kyle Rouen, Lauren Ohman, & Hannah O'Toole

2021-2022

Estely Carranza
Graduate Group: Chemistry
Major Professor: Marie Heffern & Dylan Murray
Research Project: Effects of Vimentin Tail Domain-Metal Interactions on the Overall Structure and Assembly of Intermediate Filaments
Email: ejcarranza@ucdavis.edu

Hannah O'Toole
Graduate Group: Biomedical Engineering
Major Professor: Randy Carney 
Research Project: Rational Design for a Library of Nanoplasmonic-Doped Metal-Organic Frameworks for Capture and Detection of Volatile-Tumor Associated Organic Compounds
Email: hjotoole@ucdavis.edu

Lauren Ohman
Graduate Group: Chemistry
Major Professor: Angelique Louie
Research Project:  Identification of Tumor Associated Macrophage Polarization in vivo Through Targeted Perfluorocarbon Nanoprobes
Email: Leohman@ucdavis.edu 

Kyle Rouen
Graduate Group: Biophysics
Major Professor: Igor Vorobyov
Research Project: Exploring Drug Arrhythmogenicity Through Atomistic Simulations of State-Dependent hERG Channel Block 

Email: kcrouen@ucdavis.edu

2019-2020

CBP Cohort 2020
David Villarreal, Albert Liu and Elys Rodriguez

Albert Liu
Graduate Group: Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (BMCDB)
Major Professor: Patrick Shih
Research Project: Structurally-Guided RuBisCO Engineering Inspired by Novel Metagenomic Protein
Email: akeliu@ucdavis.edu

Elys Rodriguez
Graduate Group: Chemistry
Major Professor: Oliver Fiehn 
Research Project:  Selectivity and Structural Understanding of Glycosyltrasnferases to Enable Protein Design Efforts towards Cardiac Glycosides
Email: eprod@ucdavis.edu 

David Villarreal
Graduate Group: Chemistry
Major Professor: R. David Britt
Research Project: Spectroscopic Characterization of Radical-SAM Maturase Enzymes
Email:  davillarreal@ucdavis.edu

 

2018-2019

UC Davis Chemistry Erin Doherty and RJ Tombari
Erin Doherty and RJ Tombari

Erin Doherty
Graduate Group: Chemistry
Major Professor: Peter Beal
Research Project: Increasing A to I Editing Efficiency by ADAR2 Using Cytidine Analogs with Elevated pKas
Email: eedoherty@ucdavis.edu

Robert "RJ" Tombari
Graduate Group: Chemistry
Major Professor: David Olson
Research Project: Photoswitchable Neurotransmitters and Neuromodulators
Email: rjtombari@ucdavis.edu


2017-2018

2017-18 CBP Trainees
Sam Hartanto, Diedra Shorty, Angela Zhang and Cindy McReynolds

Samantha Hartanto
Graduate Group: Chemistry
Major Professor: Andrew Fisher
Research Project: Kinetic, Structural, and Phenotypic Characterization of the Trifunctional Mycobacterium Tuberculosis CysDNC Complex
Email: shartanto@ucdavis.edu

Cindy McReynolds
Graduate Group: Pharmacology and Toxicology
Major Professor: Bruce Hammock
Research Project: Developing Chemical Tools to Elucidate the Biological Relevance of Dihydroxy Diols in Biological Systems
Email: cbmcreynolds@ucdavis.edu 

Diedra Shorty
Graduate Group: Chemistry
Major Professor: Kit Lam
Research Project: Identification of Novel Site 2 Targeting Peptides Using One-Bead One-Compound Technology
Email: dshorty@ucdavis.edu
YouTube: Student Spotlight with Diedra Shorty

Angela Zhang
Graduate Group: Chemistry
Major Professor: Shota Atsumi
Research Project: Developing Production of a Tropane Alkaloid in a Microbial Host
Email: axyzhang@ucdavis.edu

 

2016-2017

2016-17 CBP Trainees
Calvin Ly, Andrea Coleman and Kori Lay

Andrea Coleman
Graduate Group: Chemistry
Major Professor: James Ames
Research Project: Role of Alpha-Actinin in Surface Localization of the L-type Calcium Channel Cav1.2
Email: amecoleman@ucdavis.edu

Kori Lay (MS, December 2018)
Graduate Group: Chemistry
Major Professor: Sheila David
Research Project: Using a Fluorescent SAH Biosensor to Analyze MTAN Activity and Inhibition
Email: ktlay@ucdavis.edu

Calvin Ly
Graduate Group: Chemistry
Major Professor: David Olson
Research Project: Development of an in Vitro Assay to Identify Potential Scaffolds for Antidepressants
Email: cly@ucdavis.edu

 

2015-2016

2015-16 CBP Trainees
Katie Beglinger, Cody Palumbo and Nina McCulley

Katherine Beglinger
Graduate Group: Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Major Professor: Christopher Fraser
Research Project: Analysis of Translation Initiation Factor Phosphorylation by Mass Spectrometry
Email: kbeglinger@ucdavis.edu

Christina McCulley
Graduate Group: Chemistry
Major Professor: Dean Tantillo
Research Project: An Examination of the Spiropyran Molecular Switches
Email: cmcculley@ucdavis.edu

Cody Palumbo
Graduate Group: Chemistry
Major Professor: Peter Beal
Research Project: The Use of Nucleoside Analogs to Control RNA-Protein Interactions
Email: cmpalumbo@ucdavis.edu
YouTube: Cody shares his experience as a UC Davis Chemical Biology Program trainee