Cem Millik was born in Ankara, Turkey and was raised in the United States. He has a BS in biochemistry from the University of Washington and is currently pursuing a PhD in chemistry. Cem’s research interests center on interfaces between life sciences and synthetic materials. Cem’s research in the Nelson Laboratory focuses on the exploration of stimuli-responsive hydrogels and their applications in 3D printing, 3D cell culture, and as soft biomaterials. Cem’s hobbies include woodworking, metalworking, skiing, and diving. See the highlights page to hear Cem Millik talk about his research.

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Antonio (Toni) Vazquez is from Santa Rosa, CA. He received his BS in Chemistry from UC Davis, where he worked on low-valent organometallic complexes with Dr. Phil Power. In the Nelson lab, he focuses on the synthesis of ionogels with the goal of incorporating metal complexes in the polymer network. In his free time, Tony enjoys doing art, reading, hammocking, or some nerdy stuff (long list).

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Siwei Yu is from Shanghai, China. She received a BA in Chemistry from UC Santa Barbara, where she worked on ESI and AFM under the supervision of Dr. deVries. In Nelson's Lab, she focuses on designing and synthesizing hyperbranched poly(glycerols)s (HPGs) as components of stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing resins. Outside of the lab, Siwei enjoys baking, playing tennis, and traveling.

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Rowina Bell lived in Argentina as a child and moved to California at age 10. She received a BS in Chemistry from UC Santa Barbara, where she worked under Dr. Guillermo Bazan and Javier Read de Alaniz. In Nelson’s lab, she works on the synthesis and characterization of ionic liquid gels. In her free time, Rowina likes to hang out with her dog, go to the beach or the nearest body of water, and watch (bad) tv shows. 

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Ana Paula Kitos Vasconcelos grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. She received a BS in Chemistry from UC Santa Cruz, where she worked on covalently plasticizing PVC using photoredox-catalyzed ATRP in the lab of Dr. Rebecca Braslau. In the Nelson lab, she focuses on 3D-printed protein-based hydrogels. Outside of the lab, Ana Paula enjoys rock climbing, snowboarding, mycology, and hiking to alpine lakes.

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LeAnn Le is from Mission Viejo, CA. She received her BS in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics from UCLA. While there, she conducted research with Professor Hong Z. Zhou, utilizing cryo-EM techniques to understand the mechanics of host-viral fusion in Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV). Additionally, she worked on characterization of Reflectin, a unique cephalopod protein in the Gorodetsky Group at UCI. In the Nelson Lab, she focuses on designing and characterizing 3D-printable Engineered Living Materials (ELMs) with the goal of creating sustainable bio-hybrid materials. Outside of the lab, she enjoys eating good food, reorganizing her Spotify playlists, playing volleyball, and thrifting for cool glassware. 

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Shannon Daily is from Leesburg, Virginia. She received her BS in Biochemistry from the United States Air Force Academy and her MS in Chemistry from Purdue University where she worked on biomimetic underwater polymer adhesive systems in Dr. Jon Wilker's lab. In Nelson's lab, Shannon works on preventing cell escape from hydrogels for use in Engineered Living Materials (ELMs). Outside of research, she enjoys cooking/baking, reading, and traveling.

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Kinsey Drake is from Palo Alto, CA. She received her BS in Biochemistry from Tufts University where she worked on analyzing food systems in the labs of Dr. Ben Wolfe and Dr. Charles Mace. In the Nelson lab, she focuses on mechanical improvements to Engineered Living Materials (ELMs). Outside of research, she enjoys teaching Chemistry, knitting, and being outdoors. 

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Corvo Tran was born and raised in Danang, Vietnam. He received his BS in Chemistry from Miami University, Ohio, where he worked on chemically-fueled crosslinked hydrogels in Dr. Konkolewicz’s lab. In the Nelson lab, he is interested in exploring the mechanical properties of hydrogels that can be utilized in 3D printing. In his free time, Corvo enjoys reading, playing games, going on hikes and trying new food recipes.

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Eli Jaffe is from Talent, Oregon. He received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Oregon, where he synthesized various cycloparaphenylenes (CPP) to explore non-covalent carbon nanotube analogues in Prof. Ramesh Jasti’s lab. After graduating, Eli worked in industry at Cascade Chemistry (now Actylis), where he manufactured pharmaceuticals for phase I and II clinical trials. In the Nelson lab, he is studying shear-thinning hydrogels derived from substituted hyperbranched poly(glycerol) (HPGs). Some of his hobbies include: backyard astronomy and stargazing, reading, and travel.

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Motoharu Shoda is from Saitama, Japan. He received his BS and MS in applied chemistry from Waseda University where he worked on oxygen-scavenging unsaturated polymer membranes in Dr. Hiroyuki Nishide's lab. After graduating, he worked in industry at Kureha Corporation, where he developed a new grade of shale oil mining tools consisting of biodegradable polymer. In the Nelson lab, he is searching for new applications of crosslinked polymer gels. Outside of research, he enjoys cooking, playing the piano and traveling.

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Meijing Zhang is from Shanghai, China. She received her BS in Chemistry from Virginia Tech, where she studied the use of coenzymes as catalysts in PET-RAFT polymerization under the guidance of Dr. Adrian Figg. In Nelson’s lab, she focuses on protein materials with a comparison to commercial resins in 3D printing. Outside of the lab, she enjoys camping, watching movies, and film photography.

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Natwara (Bam) Manitsirisuk is from Bangkok, Thailand. She received her B.S. in applied chemistry from Chulalongkorn University, where she worked on improving the hydrophilicity of poly(lactic acid) through the grafting of diacid compounds in Dr. Varawut Tangpasuthadol’s lab. In the Nelson lab, she focuses on enhancing the processability of protein materials while preserving the desired mechanical properties. Outside of the lab, she enjoys singing/playing guitar, reading, and playing video games.

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