Graduate Students

​José  Omar Castellón

Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology 
​NSF Fellowship
​Whitcome Fellowship
G3

joseomar805 [at] gmail [dot] com

A loyal Californian, Jose is from Oxnard, California, obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from California State University, Channel Islands and a Master’s degree in Biochemistry from California State University, Los Angeles. He is currently a graduate student in the Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology (BBSB) home area under the Molecular Biology Interdisciplinary Program (MBIDP). Jose is interested in applying his background in biophysics and protein folding to the field of chemical biology with a particular interest in inhibitor and probe discovery. 

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​​Maria Palafox
 
Joint with the Arboleda Lab
Human Genetics 
CBI Training Grant
G3

mfpalafox [at] g [dot] ucla [dot] edu

A true Texan, Maria grew up in El Paso, Texas and attended the University of Texas at Austin where she studied nutritional science and conducted research connecting gene regulation to lifestyle choices. Maria is passionate about health and biology and is excited to apply the tools of chemical biology to understanding how nature's biological machinery, proteins, interact with and manipulate cellular chemistry.  Outside of lab, Maria enjoys mountain biking, cooking, and taking her rabbit to the beach.

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​​Sunny (Tianyang) Yan
 
Chemistry and Biochemistry
G2

tyyan14 [at] outlook [dot] com 

Sunny originally comes from China and got her bachelor's degree in chemistry at Fudan University, Shanghai. She is an an analytical chemistry graduate student in Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. In the Backus lab, Sunny is excited to apply her experience in glycobiology to the development of new chemical probes. She also dreams of becoming a NGS expert. 

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​​Ernest Armenta
 
Chemistry and Biochemistry
​CMB Training Grant
G2
​
earme002 [at] gmail [dot] com 

Ernest is originally from Blythe, California and attended the University of California, Riverside where he obtained his B.S. in Neuroscience. He then attended California State University, Fullerton, where he received his M.S. in Chemistry synthesizing new alpha-helix mimetics to inhibit protein-protein interactions. Ernest is interested in applying his organic chemistry background directly to biological applications. In his free time, Ernest enjoys cooking, eating, and video games.  

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​​Heta Desai
 
Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology
G2
​​
hets [at] g [dot] ucla [dot] edu

Heta is originally from North Carolina. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated with a BS in Chemistry with a focus in Biochemistry. She's currently a graduate student in the BBSB home area of MBI. Her undergraduate research was within the realm of chemical biology with a focus on creating proteins with non-natural functions. In her graduate studies, Heta is interested in exploring proteomic profiling along with computational methods to better characterize proteins and protein variants on a broader scale. In her free time, Heta loves going to tap jams, exploring urban dance, and watching TV.

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​​Nik Burton
 
Chemistry and Biochemistry
BTBSE Training Grant
G1
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nrburton [at] g [dot] ucla [dot] edu

Nik is originally from Morehead City, North Carolina. He obtained his B.S. in chemistry from North Carolina State University where he worked on the development of novel synthetic methods. His research interests lie largely in organic synthesis with direct biological application. In his free time, he enjoys working out, drinking coffee, and has recently been getting into climbing.

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​​Ashley Julio
 
Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology
CBI Training Grant
​G1
​​
ajulio [at] g [dot] ucla [dot] edu

Ashley is originally from Santa Barbara, California, and attended Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, where she obtained a joint bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry. She is a student in the Biochemistry, Structural and Molecular Biology (BMSB) program in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. In the Backus lab, Ashley is excited about using chemistry to probe, modulate, and ultimately better understand biological systems. In her free time she enjoys roller blading, working out, and dancing to country music.     

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​​Lisa Boatner
 
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Systems Biology Training Grant
​G1
​​
Lisaboatner [at] g [dot] ucla [dot] edu

Lisa attended The University of Texas at Austin where she obtained bachelor degrees in chemistry and computational biology, as well as minors in computer science and business. At UT, she conducted research in functional genomics and electrochemical biosensors. She is currently a chemistry graduate student in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. As part of both the Backus and Houk labs, Lisa is interested in characterizing proteins using bioinformatics, computational chemistry, and chemoproteomics.

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​​Evan Takayoshi
 
Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology
​G1
​​
evantak [at] g [dot] ucla [dot] edu

Evan is originally from Woodinville, Washington. He attended the University of Washington and graduated with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Biology. He is now in the Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology (BMSB) program here at UCLA and is interested in using molecular biology and chemical probes to better understand cellular functions. When he isn’t in lab, Evan can be found reading fantasy novels, playing video games, or baking overly complicated desserts.

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Postdoctoral Research Associates

​​Jian Cao, Ph.D.
 
jianc [at] g [dot] ucla [dot] edu
​
Jian is originally from China and joins the the Backus Lab as our first postdoctoral researcher. He completed his Ph.D. (May 2018) under the guidance of Prof. Alex Lippert at ​SMU, synthesizing chemiluminescent agents for in vivo imaging. He is interested in using chemical tools to solve biological issues. Jian is excited about applying activity-based protein profiling methods to decipher new druggable targets. During his free time, he enjoys watching movies, going hiking, and exploring new places.

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Undergraduates

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Stephanie Yen
 
Undergraduate
Biochemistry
2022

stephanieyen6 [at] g [dot] ucla [dot] edu

Stephanie is a biochemistry major from the LA area. She is interested in understanding the pathways of diseases and hopes to pursue a career in scientific research. In her free time, Stephanie enjoys playing ultimate frisbee and soccer, watching The Office, and exploring new places. 

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Nicholas Ung
 
Undergraduate
Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology
2021

nung[at] ucla.edu

Nicholas is a Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology major from the LA area. He enjoys learning about biology and using code to improve the ways that biochemistry data is organized and displayed. He plans on continuing his education in either graduate or dental school. In his spare time, Nicholas enjoys training for dragon boat races, watching TV shows, and cooking.

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Phillip Kim
 
Undergraduate
Biochemistry
2022

philyphil18[at] g.ucla.edu

Phillip is from southern California, majoring in biochemistry and minoring in biomedical research. He enjoys watching anime and working out at the gym; his favorite drinks are boba and coffee. He wants to pursue the following careers: medicinal chemist, college professor, and academic researcher.

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Linwei Li
 
Undergraduate
Biochemistry
2022

llw990508[at] gmail.com

Linwei is a biochemistry major originally from China. Her hometown is famous for spicy food, which has resulted in her being addicted to spicy salsa. She loves biochemistry because it is an approach to unravel the magic of how our bodies work. She is interested in pursuing graduate studies in biomedical research. In her free time, she likes to go to art museums, trying new food, and watch movies.

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Alumni

GSRs
Neil Chan
2018-2020
Degree: Masters, Chemistry

​SRAs
Brianna Hill-Payne
2018-2019

Postdocs
Sean Maddox
2018-2019
Destination: Ampac Fine Chemicals, Sacramento, CA

Undergraduates
Jeremy Shek
2018-2020
Degree: Biochemistry (2019)
Destination: UCSD PhD program

Jamel Simpson
2019-2020
Degree: Biochemistry (2019)
​Destination: University of Virginia PhD program

Ky Tran
2018-2020
Degree: Biochemistry (2019)

Annie Zhou
2018-2020
Degree: Biochemistry (2019)

Marina Faragalla
Regent's Scholar
2018-2019
Degree: BA Biochemistry (2019)

Samuel Neubuerger
2018
Degree: BA Biochemistry 

Short Term
Derui Li
CSST Student (Summer 2019)

Cindy Cheng
Rotation Student (2019)
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology (BBSB)
Destination: Graduate student in the Eisenberg lab

Taylor Perkins
Summer Student (2018)
Destination: Graduate student in the Loo lab

Emily Yang
Rotation Student (2018)
Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics
Destination: Graduate student in the Li Lab

​Graham Read
 Rotation Student (2018)
Gene Regulation, Epigenomics, and Transcriptomics (GREaT)