Nnaoma Agwu  (nagwu@uci.edu) – President, External

Hi, my name is Nnaoma Agwu and I’ll be entering my 3rd year of my PhD program in the KLAB. I was the mentorship chair for GABES this past year and enjoyed putting on programming for the BME graduate students to build community. I want to see how we can expand connections with local Biotech/Medical Device companies, continue to plan activates and provide resources that will be beneficial to you. GABES is your additional outlet outside of our labs and research and we are here to make it what you want.

 

 

Nicolas Reid Perez (nicolarp@uci.edu) – President, Internal

Nicolas is in the third year of his Ph.D. working in Dr. Preece’s quantum biophotonics lab at the BLI, and was the GABES Vice President in the 2022/2023 school year. Nicolas has a bachelors and masters of physics awarded from Cal Poly Pomona and CSU Northridge, respectively. After Ph.D. Nicolas plans to lead future research in the biophotonics field. He spends his free time creating art, climbing, and playing with cats.

 

Nolan Oringer (kllopez2@uci.edu) – Mentorship Program Chair

My name is Nolan, and I am going into the second year of my PhD in the Downing Lab. My research focus is spatial transcriptomics and epigenetic cell characterization. Outside of GABES, I’m also an active member of ROTO and have held board positions in AIChE (chemical engineering society) during my time as an undergraduate at UCLA. In my spare time I enjoy going to the gym, exploring OC, and spending time with friends.

 

 

Clara E. Jones (claraej@uci.edu) – Treasurer

Hi everyone! I’m Clara, a third-year PhD student in Dr. Oomen’s lab. I work on computational modeling of cardiac growth and remodeling, which is a common complication of heart disease. My interests include hiking, camping, and going to the beach. 🙂 I would love for us to do more of these activities as a group. I’m running for Treasurer this year! I held this position last year and enjoyed organizing our finances. Please consider me as your Treasurer again this year!

 

 

Olivia Ritchie  (oritchie@uci.edu) – Communications, External

Hi all! My name is Olivia and I am 3rd year PhD student in the BME dept. I’m currently working in Dr. Young Jik Kwon’s lab focused on developing gene delivery platforms. This past year I helped make flyers and send announcements about GABEs events as one of the communications chairs. Next year, I hope to showcase all the awesome things the BME department has going on through social media and the GABEs website. When I’m not in the lab, I love running, cooking and reading.

 

 

Karen Lopez  (oritchie@uci.edu) – Communications, External

Hello everyone, my name is Karen Lopez and this year I’ll be a fourth-year Ph.D. student. This past year I was the President of GABES and helped plan some company tours, social events, and internal collaborations with AGS, the BME Dept., and DECADE. This upcoming year I’m running for Internal Communications and plan to take on more of a mentor role for GABES while I plan workshops such as a Qualifying Exam Prep Workshop. I plan to focus more on my research, while continuing to help our graduate community. 
I like doing any (and every) type of art, hiking, and just being out in nature!
 
 
 
 

Aarthi Namasivayam  (anamasiv@uci.edu) – General Club Assistance 

Hi everyone! I’m a rising 3rd year PhD student in Elliot Hui’s lab. In my free time I enjoy playing soccer, exploring the outdoors, or just hanging out with my friends. My first year here was still hybrid/partially remote, so there were fewer opportunities to get involved in our BME community. This past year, as we’ve returned to in-person activities, I loved getting to know more of our amazing BMEs as one of the Social Chairs of GABES and found it very fulfilling helping to plan events for us all! I hope to be able to continue helping the grad students in our department grow closer outside of our labs and create a supportive, inclusive environment that helps us cultivate our ~work life balance~! I’m confident in my leadership and social media/graphic design skills and am happy to help in any branches of GABES. Thanks for reading! 🙂

 

 

Blanca Romero Mila  (blancr1@uci.edu) – General Club Assistance

Hello everyone! My name is Blanca Romero and I will be a second-year PhD student in the incoming school year. I am a member of Dr. Lopour’s lab, where we specialize in computational neuroscience. Essentially, we process EEG signals to research patients with epilepsy. Additionally, I’m a mentor in the Graduate Interconnect Program (UCI) and assist with social media duties. Over the past year, I have also mentored high school students in various programs organized by ReachOut TeachOut (ROTO). During my free time, I enjoy going to the gym, hiking, and playing the flute. I also have a passion for traveling and try to do so whenever possible!

 

 

Francis Aguas  (aguasr@uci.edu) – General Club Assistance

Hi, my name is Francis! Like many of you I’ll be stuck here as a grad student for the next 3-4 years BUT I hope to make it the most entertaining character development arc as possible with you all 🙂
Some ideas I have for fun events after our long days of frustrating lab work, backordered purchase orders, and overly booked PIs: karaoke, intramural volleyball team, happy hour, open mic night, and anything else for the plot.
Let’s create a good work/life balance!

 

 

Francesco Palomba, PhD (fpalomba@uci.edu) – Postdoctoral Advisor

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Jered Haun (jered.haun@uci.edu) – Faculty Advisor

Founder of GABES at UCI!