Group Alumni
Postdoctoral Scholars
Giuseppe Di Palma
Giuseppe received his BA in pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Salerno, Italy. In 2015 he received a master's degree in nanoscience and nanotechnology at the University of Barcelona where for the thesis he joined the group of Dr. Arantzazu González-Campo and Dr. Núria Aliaga-Alcalde at the Institute of Science Materials of Barcelona (ICMAB) working in the field of supramolecular chemistry. His roles were the surface functionalization for enantiomeric separation of racemic solutions and metalorganic synthesis of new porphyrins for optimization of their electric conductivity. In 2020 he received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Birmingham, UK working in Prof. Paula Mendes’ group and with a thesis in supramolecular surfaces for protein immobilization. In 2021 he joined the Patterson group to work in the field of Protein Metal-Organic-Framework (p-MOF), understanding their formation mechanism and improving their design, manufacturing, and characterization for future biodelivery applications.
Alana Ogata
Alana worked as a postdoc in the group in 2019 before taking a postdoc position at Harvard University working with Professor David Walt. As of Fall 2021, she has accepted an Assistant Professor position at the University of Toronto where her group focuses on “innovating single-molecule bioanalytical sensors for multi-component protein analysis with direct applications in disease diagnostics and pathology.”
Alex rakowski
Alex worked as a postdoc in the group in 2019-2021. He has subsequently gone on to another postdoc position at the National Center for Electron Microscopy, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, under Colin Ophus's supervision.
Graduate Students
Justin Mulvey
Email: mulveyj@uci.edu
Justin received his B.S. in Material Sciences and Engineering from UC Davis in 2019. During his undergraduate studies, he worked with Dr. Adam Moule on this-film organic semiconductors, developing optical patterning techniques for organic photovoltaic applications. Fascinated by polymer-solvent interactions, he joined the Patterson Lab, where he worked on quantifying and comparing self-assembly mechanisms across diverse systems. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, slacklining, backpacking, and biking.
RAIN TALOSIG
Email: atalosig@uci.edu
Rain received her B.S. in chemistry from Ithaca College. While there, she worked with Dr. Anna Larsen on synthesis and characterization of rhodium pincer ligands. Interested in learning more about materials science she joined the Patterson Lab where she worked on identifying crystallization pathways for MOF systems. She has accepted a position as a lab safety Specialist at the Lawrence Berkely National Laboratory. In her free time Rain enjoys cooking, taking care of her collection of house plants, and finding a good trail to hike.
RAKIA DHAOUI
Email: rdhaoui@uci.edu
Rakia was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She graduated from UC Berkeley in 2019, earning a B.S. in chemistry and working on a joint project in the labs of Professors Dean Toste and Kenneth Raymond studying supramolecular coordination chemistry. Interested in the fields of inorganic and materials chemistry, Rakia joined the Patterson lab to explore encapsulating proteins within metal-organic frameworks. She is now a postdoctoral fellow at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Outside of lab, she enjoys listening to audiobooks, baking, and snuggling with her kitten Abu.
Dr. Brooke Carpenter
Email: paynebe@uci.edu
Brooke received her B.S. in Polymer Science with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Southern Mississippi. While at USM, she worked under the advisement of Dr. Sarah Morgan where her research focused on radical synthesis of low molecular weight polymers. In the Patterson group, Brooke worked on understanding the growth mechanism of protein-metal-organic-frameworks to better design future MOF system. She is now a science writer at Ergon and leads a research program at the St. Andrews Episcopal High School. Brooke’s hobbies include traveling, going to coffee shops, and spending time at the beach with her husband and dog.
Dr. Aoon Rizvi
Email: aoonr@uci.edu
Aoon received his BS in Chemistry from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. There, he worked with Steve Zimmerman developing trigger released micro capsules and single chain organic nano particles for catalysis. Interested in the fields of organic and materials chemistry, Aoon joined the Patterson lab to explore new areas in soft materials. During his time as a PhD. student in the group, Aoon worked on understanding the LLPS and self-assembly of block copolymers. He is now a postdoctoral fellow in the Sanulli lab, at Stanford Genetics, School of Medicine. Aside from chemistry, he loves to cook and explore the world! ⌬
Dr. Paul Hurst
Email: phurst@uci.edu
Paul is from Laie, Hawaii. He received his BS chemistry from Brigham Young University, where he performed research on total synthesis in the Merritt Andrus lab. Wanting to explore more exciting fields of chemistry he came to UC Irvine and ended up joining the Patterson lab where he would likely be doing anything but total synthesis. As a PhD. student in the group, Paul worked on understanding the process of reaction-driven non-equilibrium molecular self-assembly. He developed a one pot synthetic approach for polyester-based block copolymer nanostructure coined as ROPI-CDSA. He is now a postdoctoral scholar in Robert Waymouth’s lab at Stanford University. In his free time, Paul likes to play piano, cook Peruvian and Norwegian food, and explore the area with his wife.
Kyle Gassaway, (MS)
Email: kgassawa@uci.edu
Kyle received his B.S. in chemistry from Brigham Young University. While there, he worked under Dr. David Michaelis and studied both transition metal and non-transition metal organometallic catalysts. Interested in polymers and material synthesis, Kyle joined the Patterson lab to study polymer self-assembly and the effects of different monomers on assembly architecture. Kyle enjoys hiking, science & history-themed videos, 3D printing, and other maker-related activities.
Dr. Paula Vena
Paula received her PhD in February 2021 from Eindhoven University of Technology, and went on to a postdoc position at University Medical Center Utrecht.
Dr. Hanglong Wu
Hanglong received his PhD from Eindhoven University of Technology in September 2020, and has gone on to work as a postdoc at TU Eindhoven for Jan van Hest.
Undergraduate Students
STEVE HO
Email: sjho1@uci.edu
Steve was born and raised in California, currently pursuing his undergraduate degree in materials science. He joined the Patterson lab with specific interest in developing and testing different analysis methods as well as learning more about the assembly process of materials. Outside of the lab, you might catch him practicing with his lion dance team, or rushing to a foreign language class.
KATEN IYER
Email: kpjyer@uci.edu
Katen was born in San Jose, California. He is currently pursuing his B.S. in material science and engineering at UC Irvine. He joined the Patterson lab to develop structural dissimilarity index software for microscopy image analysis. He enjoys running, hiking and spending time with his Church.
GABRIEL REGINATO
Email: greginat@uci.edu
Gabriel is from San Jose, California. He is an upcoming fourth year undergraduate pursuing a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering with interests in dissipative self assembly and image processing. As part of the CCAM Materials REU, Gabriel joined the Patterson Lab to focus on analyzing liquid TEM data using Python. Outside of the lab, you are likely to see him at Church, cooking, or serving those around him
Ben Rose
Email: rbrose@uci.edu
Ben was born and raised in San Francisco, California. He is currently pursuing two undergraduate degrees in chemistry and biological sciences. Ben joined the Patterson Lab in 2021 to focus on the MOFs project, specifically relating to urease. He chose the MOF project due to its potential applications in carbon capture, a field Ben is very passionate about. In his free time, he likes to write and record music, cook, and hike.
Mohammed Faris Abouchaleh
Email: aboucham@uci.edu
Faris is a Syrian American who spent a significant part of his childhood in the Middle East prior to returning to the US to complete his education in Biological Sciences at UC Irvine. During his studies, he developed an interest in organic chemistry, leading him to join the Patterson lab to work on polymer synthesis. He particularly enjoys the drug PISA project due to his interest in carbonyl chemistry, studying self assembly reactions, and developing the next generation of drug delivery nanoparticles. Outside the lab, he enjoys exploring scenic trails, petting his cats, trying new foods, and go karting.
Emily Wang
Email: wangey3@uci.edu
Emily is from Troy, Michigan and is a 4th year undergraduate student studying Chemistry with a minor in Management. She is pursuing a career in cosmetics through formulation and is also hoping to launch some entrepreneurial ventures. In the Patterson lab, she is working on the MOFs project studying how proteins are incorporated into metal-organic frameworks. Outside of lab, Emily enjoys spending time with friends, watching k-dramas and anime, trying new food and desserts, or gaming once in a while.
Jovany Merham
Email: jmerham@uci.edu
Jovany was born and raised in Egypt until the age of 14, when he moved to the US with his family for high school. He is pursuing an undergraduate degree in chemistry with a pure math minor. After high school he enrolled in Santa Monica College, where he worked on many projects mostly under the guidance of Professor Tram Dang, and Dr. Jamie Anderson. With interest in physical and material chemistry, he joined the Patterson Lab in August 2019. He mainly focuses on TEM image analysis, and applying machine learning to TEM imaging in general. In his free time, he enjoys Star Trek, number sequences and the OEIS, and a good cup of tea, earl grey, hot.
Annissa Graham
Email: grahamaa@uci.edu
Annissa was born in Japan and raised in San Diego County. She recently graduated with B.S. degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UCI. She is now working at Roche and she is interested in going to graduate school to study Astrobiology and the origin of life. Annissa joined the Patterson lab because of her interest in polymer chemistry and wanted to learn techniques that can be applied in Astrobiology. In her free time, she likes to paint, play piano, and bake!
Saira Cazarez
Email: cazarezs@uci.edu
Saira was bon in Mexico and raised in Los Angeles. She is pursuing an undergraduate degree in biology and is interested in the intersection between chemistry and biology. Saira is a UC LEADS scholar and will be studying the influence of biomolecules on ZIF-67 metal-organic framework nucleation and growth. In her free time, Saira likes to knit, try new restaurants, and spend time with family.
Charles Chen
Email: charles7@uci.edu
Charles was born and raised in California. He obtained his a B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in History in Summer of 2022. He joined the Patterson Lab in September 2021 to work on the MOFs project. He is currently looking to pursue a job in industry. Whenever he can, he practices martial arts and writes stories.
Nicholas wang
Nicholas was born and raised in California and obtained his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UC Irvine. He joined the Patterson Lab in the hope to grasp a better understanding and appreciation of the advancements that material formation can bring into everyday life. While In the Patterson ab, he was working on image analysis through the programming language MATLAB. Whenever he has free time, Nicholas enjoys photography, playing percussion, and watching movies.
Jamie Esquivel
Jamie was born in the Philippines and was raised in Los Angeles County, California. She joined the Patterson Lab in April 2019 and worked on the MOFs project. She obtained her B.S. in chemistry from UC Irvine in 2021 with specialization in medicinal chemistry. Jamie is currently working as a Cell Therapy Specialist at a Kite Pharma developing cancer immunotherapy products. In her downtime, she likes to try new recipes, go to the beach, and find inspiration for her bullet journal.
Redford Fox Hudson
Email: rfhudson@uci.edu
Redford was born in San Diego, California. He is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in data science at UC Irvine. He would love to go to grad school to explore the overlap between data science and digital signal processing. Redford joined the Patterson lab to learn how data analysis techniques including the fourier transform are used in a research setting. He enjoys soundscapes, improv comedy and audio design.
Urja Patel
Urja was born and raised in California and obtained her B.S. degree in biomedical engineering from UCI. She joined the Patterson Lab to work on Assemblies because of her interest in Organic Chemistry. Although being raised in the U.S., she is a desi girl at her core and enjoys rocking out to Bollywood music with her twin sister
Jonathan Lee
Email: jonatl39@uci.edu
Jonathan was born and raised in Mountain View, California. He is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Chemistry and considering a double major in biology. He joined the Patterson lab to focus on MOFs and work on catalysis with metal azolate framework (MAF-7). In his free time, he enjoys listening to music, cooking, and exploring different music genres.
Junsik Yoon
Email: junsiky1@uci.edu
Junsik was born in South Korea and was raised there until elementary school. He is currently pursuing a B.S. in Chemistry. In his free time, he likes to cook, listen to music or play instruments like a flute.
Fangni Wang(Nina)
Email: fangniw@uci.edu
Nina is from China. She is pursuing an undergraduate degree in Chemistry with an interest in MOFs. In Patterson lab,she is now working with Rain and the MOFs group to learn about doing research and the mechanism of ZIF-8’s formation. Rain and Nina are trying to figure out what happens in the amorphous phases of ZIF-8. In her free time, she likes to watch films and amine. Cooking and making dessert are also enjoyable for her.
Tyler Corazao
Tyler was born and raised near Austin, Texas. He is currently pursuing his B.S. in materials science and engineering at Texas A&M University, with a minor in biomedical engineering. He is currently conducting undergraduate research in Dr. Taylor Ware laboratory at Texas A&M University. Through the 2021 summer REU hosted by CCAM, he joined the Patterson lab remotely to work on AFM and fluorescence microscopy image analysis. In his downtime, Tyler enjoys singing and spending time at the barn with his horse.
Dino-Mikael (Miko)
Dino-Mikael was born in Mandaluyong, PI, but has lived all around the US with his parents and younger brother. He’s lived in 4 different states and 12 different cities prior to coming to UC Irvine. In 2021, he obtained his B.S. in Chemistry, Synthetic Chemistry from UCI. Dino-Mikael hopes to work in R&D for Nike one day, developing new shoe foams to be used in basketball sneakers. He is now working at OmniPrint International as a junior chemist. In his free time, he likes to journal, play volleyball, and watch anime.
Intanon Lapkriengkri (PK)
PK completed an undergraduate thesis and graduated UCI in 2019, and is now a pursing a PhD at UC Santa Barbara.
KUNYU WANG
Email: kunyuw@uci.edu
Kunyu is from China. He is currently enrolled in an undergraduate Chemistry program, where his focus lies in the intriguing realm of MOFs (Metal-Organic Frameworks). Within the Patterson lab, Kunyu collaborates with Rakia and the MOFs group, delving into research that explores how proteins influence the crystallization pathways of these frameworks. Beyond his academic pursuits, Kunyu enjoys watching soccer competitions during his leisure time, with AC Milan holding a special place as his favorite team.
Chi Zhang(AshlynN)
Email: chiz38@uci.edu
Ashlynn is from San Francisco and is a 2nd year undergraduate pursuing a Chemistry B.S. with minors in Biology and Management. She joined the Patterson lab to study how proteins change the crystallization pathways of metal-organic frameworks. She’s interested in applying this knowledge to control protein spatial localization for improved medicinal chemistry/drug delivery. Outside of the lab, you will always catch her listening to music. She also loves to travel and attend concerts.