Lab Members
We are currently not reviewing applications for new undergraduate researchers. If you are an undergraduate who is interested in working in our lab, you can place your application on file through this google form. Please do not email any of the lab members in addition to submitting this application. We will begin reviewing applications in the Spring 2021 depending on the UCLA stage of reopening due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
For prospective graduate students or postdocs, please email Prof. Anne Andrews.
Principal Investigator
Anne Milasincic Andrews, Ph.D.
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- AAndrews@mednet.ucla.edu
- (310)794-9421
- Anne Andrews is a Professor of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, Chemistry & Biochemistry, and Bioengineering at UCLA. She is a member of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, the Hatos Center for Neuropharmacology, the Brain Research Institute, and the California NanoSystems Institute. Andrews received her B.S. from Pennsylvania State University (where she later joined the Chemistry faculty) and Ph.D. in Chemistry from the American University as a U.S. Department of Education Fellow. She was a pre-doctoral, postdoctoral, and senior staff fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health.
- Dr. Andrews is an elected Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, as well as a past President of the International Society for Serotonin Research. She has received numerous accolades, including an NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award, a California Neurotechnologies Research Award, and an IUPAC Distinguished Women in Chemistry Award. Her groundbreaking advances in measuring chemical signaling contributed to the development of the U.S. BRAIN Initiative.
Graduate Student Researchers
Noelle Mitchell
- Noelle is a first year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. She graduated from Pomona College in 2020 with a B.A. in Chemistry. At Pomona, Noelle worked under Professor Jane Liu on the structural determination of theophylline riboswitches using novel chemical probing methods. She began her research in the group of Professor Anne Andrews in the fall of 2021, working on the aptamer-FET project.
Yuyang Han
- Yuyang Han earned her B.S. and M.S. in Chemistry at Imperial College London in 2023. She worked with Professor Becky Greenaway to develop metal-organic frameworks in size-exclusive solvents, creating porous liquids that enhance carbon dioxide uptake. Yuyang is pursuing a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry at UCLA. Her research integrates machine learning for data analysis and Bayesian optimization for electrochemical waveform optimization to enable simultaneous voltammetry measurements of neurotransmitters, focusing on dopamine and serotonin.
Carlamarina Osuna
- Carlamarina Osuna is a doctoral student in materials chemistry, where she fabricates and advances aptamer field-effect transistors (FETs). Her research focuses on wearable and implantable biosensors for new targets and multi-analyte sensing. Carla received her B.S. in chemistry and biochemistry from San Diego State University, where she worked with Professor Douglas Grotjahn.
Saga Vallow
- Saga Vallow is a Ph.D. student in chemical biology studying the effects of stress and hormones on women’s health and personalized medicine. She is developing and advancing the understanding of the biophysics of small-molecule aptamers. Saga was an undergraduate at the University of Florida and earned her master’s degree in chemistry and biochemistry working with Professor Matthew O’Reilly at Villanova University. When not in the lab, Saga enjoys golfing, spending time at the beach, or crocheting!
William (Linh) Nguyen
- William (Linh) Nguyen is a master’s student in the UCLA Applied Chemical Sciences program. He earned his B.S. from the University of California, Irvine, in 2021, where he worked with Professor Seunghyun Sim, synthesizing smart materials by conjugating polymers onto living bacteria. At UCLA, Linh develops polymers that interface with FET biosensors for collecting biofluids. Linh enjoys exploring specialty coffee shops and spending time with his cats in his free time.
William Prater
- William Prater is a master’s student in Applied Chemical Sciences, developing voltammetry and machine learning approaches to study neurotransmitter signaling in vivo. He received his B.S. from Arizona State University, where he studied physical chemistry and conducted research with Professor Scott Sayres on femtosecond reaction dynamics. Will aims to earn a Ph.D.-MD.
Undergraduate Researchers
Abigail Lin
- Abigail Lin is an undergraduate majoring in molecular biology at UCLA. She employs interdisciplinary approaches to investigating aptamer sensors. She is a member of the UCLA CruX neurotechnology club and is working on a concept to use EEG to sense the urgency of adult micturition. Abbie wants to become a pharmacologist in industry research. Outside the lab, she enjoys exploring boba shops in search of the best cup of milk tea in LA.
Caily Newsome
- Caily Newsome is an undergraduate majoring in chemistry and materials science. She is in UCLA’s Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) Program. Caily’s research focuses on fabricating FETs for biosensors, and she is particularly interested in nanomaterials and biomedical applications. Caily aims to pursue a Ph.D. in materials science after completing her B.S.
Adeline Sun
- Adeline Sun is a UCLA undergraduate student studying neuroscience and statistics & data science. She investigates voltammetry, partial least squares regression, and Bayesian optimization to uncover the dynamics of serotonin and dopamine activity in the prefrontal cortex. After graduation, Adeline aims to pursue an MD-PhD to study the mechanisms of neurological disorders by combining computational and biochemical approaches. Besides research, she is passionate about teaching neuroscience to younger students and visits schools in Los Angeles to engage students on various topics related to the brain.
Kelly Ninh
- Kelly Ninh is a UCLA undergraduate in molecular, cell, and developmental biology. Her research interests include gene expression, biotechnology, and molecular pathogenesis. She plans to pursue research throughout her undergraduate and graduate career. Kelly is involved in science education and outreach as part of the education program of the California NanoSystems Institute, which provides opportunities for classroom applications of nanoscience for K-12 students and their teachers.
Current Collaborators
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Miguel Alcaniz Fillol (Universidad Politécnica de Valencia)
- Alexandre Bonnin (Department of Neuroscience, USC)
- Cathy Cahill (School of Medicine, UC Irvine)
- Christopher J. Evans (Director, Brain Research Institute, Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, UCLA)
- Michael E. Jung (Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, UCLA)
- Andrea Kasko (Department of Bioengineering , UCLA)
- Hal Monbouquette (Chair, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UCLA)
- Milan N. Stojanovic (Department of Biomedical Engineering and Systems Biology, Columbia University)
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Paul S. Weiss
(Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, and Department of Material Science & Engineering, UCLA)
