2024 Synergy for Current Students

Aria Donthineni

Aria Donthineni, born and raised in California, is an incoming third year student in the UBC-BCIT Honours in Biotechnology joint program. In her free time, Aria enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, biking, and camping. Her research interests lay at the intersection of biotechnology and human physiology. She is particularly fascinated by human organs and how biotechnology can be utilized to treat organ-related diseases. This summer, Aria will be working at the Lynn Lab, under the supervision of Wayne Fan, and exploring how stem cell-derived beta cells function metabolically, with the goal of improving cell-based therapies for Type 1 Diabetes. Using a flow cytometry-based technique called SCINETH, she will analyze how these cells respond to different metabolic stresses. Through her research, Aria hopes to gain hands-on experience in flow cytometry, molecular biology, and data analysis. Aria is eager to bring her knowledge, passion, and dedication to innovative laboratory research that addresses global health challenges.

Ava Wang

Ava Wang is a fifth-year Biomedical Engineering student at UBC specializing in biomechanics and biomaterials. She is passionate about sustainability and inclusive design, and is particularly interested in how engineering programs can be shaped to better serve diverse student populations. In the summer of 2025, Ava will be working as a research assistant under the guidance of Dr. Negar Harandi and Dr. Agnes d’Entremont. Her research will delve into the decision-making processes of first-year Applied Science students when considering biomedical engineering as a major at UBC, using interviews and focus groups to understand key motivations and barriers. Through this opportunity, Ava hopes to gain hands-on experience in qualitative research methods, develop a deeper understanding of the factors influencing student decision-making, and contribute to strategies for improving equity and engagement in biomedical engineering education. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, playing video games, and working on arts and crafts.

Corliss Chu

Corliss Chu is a second-year Biomedical Engineering student at UBC who grew up in Hong Kong and New Zealand. She is passionate about understanding human physiology and applying it to injury prevention and rehabilitation to help restore natural movement. This summer, Corliss will be working under the guidance of Dr. Calvin Kuo and RA Ishi Arora at the Human Motion Biomechanics Lab. The project will focus on characterizing “normal” movement patterns during sport-specific tasks to help inform safer return-to-sport decisions following anterior cruciate ligament injuries. Through this experience, Corliss hopes to strengthen her skills in biomechanical modelling, motion capture analysis, and to deepen her understanding of how these techniques can support clinical decision-making.

Darius Khoshons

Darius Khoshons is a second-year Neuroscience student at UBC who grew up in North Vancouver, BC. His current research interests focus on understanding how early-life stressors, such as a maternal high-sucrose diet, can shape offspring brain development and behaviour in adulthood. Under the guidance of Dr. Kiran Soma and Michelle Jung, Darius is quantifying the enzymatic activity of 17β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase (17β-HSD), which catalyzes the conversion of androstenedione to testosterone, in rat brain tissue. This summer, with support from the SBME Synergy program and the Soma Lab, he aims to build a deeper understanding of how maternal high-sucrose diets influence testosterone synthesis in the brain, with potential implications for reward-related behaviour in adult offspring. Outside of research, Darius enjoys playing guitar, lifting weights, and hiking the North Shore trails.

Dean Harris

Dean is a 2nd year engineering student at Capilano University from the Snuneymuxw First Nation, living in Vancouver, BC. He will be working with Engineering Researcher Danielle Rowlings and Director of the Orthopaedic and Injury Biomechanics Group, Prof. Peter Cripton. Assisting Danielle Rowlings project assessing the Anthropometry of Seated Pregnant Occupant people Using 3D Imaging. His role is to analyze images and video data using photogrammetry to construct 3D images. Dean is interested in 3D printing technologies for their versatility and using it to improve quality of life with cost effective solutions. With this opportunity Dean is hoping to gain experience with 3D scanning and modeling software. Previously assisted researcher projects by 3D modeling components for a crash test dummy and a fingerboard of a violin with concealed proximity sensors used to give feedback to violinist on technique and posture, also 3D printing using FDM 3D printers. In his free time dean likes to 3D print, canoe, and likes to blunder in chess.

Diego Perez Hidalgo

Diego Perez Hidalgo is a third year Honours Biochemistry student at UBC. He is passionate about rethinking how synthetic biology can address global healthcare and resource challenges through innovative applications. He has contributed to student-led projects on UBC’s 2024 and 2023 iGEM interdisciplinary research teams in Vancouver and Okanagan, developing technologies such as a DNA-based data storage system and a honeybee vaccine to support agriculture. This summer, under the supervision of Dr. Nozomu Yachie, Diego will research the applicability of an electromagnetic-responsive protein domain in technologies for clone isolation using CRISPR-Cas9, DNA barcoding, and single-cell analysis. Through the SBME Synergy Studentship, he is excited to gain hands-on experience in developing responsive systems in vivo and deepen his understanding of cutting-edge molecular biology tools.

Faye Yu

Faye Yu is a third-year Biomedical Engineering student at UBC with an interest in bioinformatics and the application of machine learning for medical imaging segmentation. This summer, through the Synergy program, Faye will work with the ISTAR (Intraoperative Surgical Technologies for Advanced Reconstruction) group under the supervision of Dr. Anthony Hodgson and PhD student Hamidreza Aftabi. Her roles include processing imaging data from mandibular reconstruction patients, running computational models, and analyzing bone growth outcomes to validate a predictive model of bone union propensity. Faye is excited to strengthen her skills in medical imaging analysis and computational modelling, while contributing to the development of personalized surgical planning tools.

Jae-Yoon Kim

Jae-Yoon Kim is a third-year Biomedical Engineering student at UBC, specializing in cellular bioengineering. He is passionate about the field of cancer and immunology research. As a research assistant in the Yanpu He Immunoengineering Lab at UBC, he is currently utilizing CRISPR techniques to engineer an endotoxin-free bacterial strain for mammalian protein expression. Outside the lab, he enjoys competing in karate, travelling, and contributing to the UBC iGEM synthetic biology team. This summer, under the supervision of Dr. Yanpu He, Jae-Yoon will build upon Dr. He’s previous work on the Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) pathway by developing a Dendritic Cell-targeting cancer vaccine. He is eager to gain hands-on experience in developing therapeutic vaccines and testing their efficacy in mouse tumour models.

James Horvat

James Horvat is a third-year student at the School of Biomedical Engineering at UBC. He is passionate about cancer research, immunological research, and science communication. James is working at the Laboratory of Microtechnologies for Quantitative Biomedicine at the Vancouver Prostate Centre under Dr. Aditya Kashyap and Dr. Govind Kaigala. Here, James will be working on the spatial extraction of live cell material from 3D in vitro tumor models using microfluidic technology. His past projects include designing a prostate cancer immunotherapy and presenting the process and results to a global audience in Kitakyushu Japan. With the Laboratory of Microtechnologies for Quantitative Biomedicine, James hopes to improve his wet laboratory and technical communication skills while gaining a deeper understanding of biomedical engineering research.

Jessica Xin

Jessica Xin is a third-year Biomedical Engineering student at UBC, specializing in cellular bioengineering. Jessica is interested in biomaterials and immunoengineering to develop targeted therapeutics. In her free time, she is involved with UBC iGEM, a synthetic biology design team, as a dry lab lead, expanding her interests in biomaterials and hardware integration. This summer, Jessica will be working under the supervision of Taehyun Kim, PhD Candidate at Dr. Kelly McNagny’s Lab, to develop and evaluate a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) therapy for treating neutrophilic asthma. She is excited to contribute to establishing an in vivo neutrophilic asthma model and building upon immunological research.

Karina Kumar

Karina Kumar is a fourth year Biomedical Engineering student at UBC, specializing in Biomechanics and Biomaterials. Throughout her degree, she has been passionate about engineering applications to orthopaedics and injury biomechanics. Through the Synergy program, Karina will be working under the guidance of Dr. David Wilson at the Centre for Aging SMART. She will help develop a new MRI-based method to understand cartilage mechanics and how joints like the knee and hip transmit load. Having gained industry experience through her previous co-op terms, Karina is looking forward to working in a research environment. She is excited to not only gain skills in validating test rigs, analyzing data, and preparing and harvesting load testing specimens, but also to work on cutting-edge research and innovative solutions.

Leo J. Chung

Leo — a sophomore Neuroscience student at UBC — was born and raised in Vancouver. His research interests focus on uncovering the pathways underlying neuropsychiatric disorders in individuals with IBD, and exploring how epigenetics may shape mental health disorders. This summer, he looks forward to pursuing his fascinations with Dr. Annie Ciernia at the DMCBH, with whom he has conducted research with over the past year. His project will involve using human microbial-transplant mice models to investigate how IBD-associated microbiomes influence brain function and microglial development. By employing a “humanized” model of IBD, his work aims to capture critical developmental pathways, which will have clinical relevance through aiding therapeutic development. Ultimately, Leo hopes his findings and work can be used to improve the betterment of others, and is excited to continue his work over the summer. Outside of research, Leo enjoys discovering new foods and biking through Vancouver on sunny days.

Leticia Cid

Leticia Cid is a second year biomedical engineering student with a passion for all things neuroscience. She has spent the past year as a research assistant in the Neural Circuits for Cognition, Computation, and Control (NC4) Lab, led by Dr. Manu Madhav. There, she has contributed to several ongoing projects, developing skills in data analysis, animal care, and apparatus design, while gaining an understanding of the research process. This summer, she will lead a research project investigating neural algorithms underlying decision-making and navigation in rats under the supervision of Dr. Manu Madhav. Through this work, she looks forward to honing her skills in experimental design, software development, and animal training, as well as acquiring new skills in implant design and rodent surgery. Leticia is also eager to strengthen her project management abilities, including planning timelines, coordinating logistics, and managing schedules.

Lex Lizares

Lex Lizares (she/her), born and raised in the Philippines, is an incoming third-year student in the UBC-BCIT Honours in Biotechnology (BSc.) joint program within the Faculty of Science. She is interested in the health and medical applications of biotechnology. Lex is particularly passionate about vaccine research and development, as well as the use of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for targeted drug delivery. This summer, Lex will be working under the supervision of Petya Popova, PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering, at the Blakney Lab at the Michael Smith Laboratories. Their project will focus on developing a Chlamydia vaccine using self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) formulated with LNPs. Through this experience, Lex hopes to deepen her understanding of RNA-based technologies, vaccine design, and nanoparticle formulation, while gaining hands-on experience with molecular biology techniques. Outside academics, Lex enjoys cafe hopping, experimenting with new recipes, and expressing creativity through science communication and design.

Raj Dillon

Raj Dhillon is a fourth-year biology student at UBC, who grew up in Winnipeg, MB. His grandparents and passion for the outdoors, including camping and hiking, have inspired his interest in longevity research, specifically personalized medicine approaches that aim to enhance both healthspan and lifespan. His previous research involved studying ion channel regulation and the effects of oxidative stress on stress tolerance and longevity in S. cerevisiae. He has now transitioned into cardiovascular research and is currently an undergraduate researcher at St. Paul’s Hospital, supervised by Dr. Zachary Laksman. For his Synergy project this summer, he will work with Swetha Raghavan in the Laksman lab. He will further optimize hiPSC differentiation protocols into cardiomyocytes and utilize CRISPR Prime Editing to explore how genetic variants associated with atrial fibrillation impact cardiomyocyte function, gene expression, and electrophysiological properties.

Riya Gandhi

Riya Gandhi is entering her fifth year as an Honours Integrated Sciences (Neuroscience and Pharmacology) student at UBC. Her research interests focus on exploring the cellular and molecular correlates of fear, anxiety and depression, using histology and spatial transcriptomics. Riya is currently a Co-op student in the Cembrowski Lab, where she will continue her research this summer with support from the SBME Synergy program. Under the supervision of Dr. Mark Cembrowski, she will identify constituent cell types in the human hippocampal-amygdaloid transition area, and aims to understand how the functional roles of these cells may be dysregulated in major depressive disorder. She is looking forward to combining her prior knowledge of wet-bench techniques with computational neuroscience, and is excited to develop her skills in R programming through this project. Outside of the lab, Riya enjoys running outdoors and reading.

Shawn Oh

Shawn Oh is a fourth-year Biomedical Engineering student at Korea University, who recently completed a term as an exchange student at the University of British Columbia. He has a strong interest in medical devices and neuroregeneration, and is particularly fascinated by how microfabrication and biomaterials can be used to promote tissue repair in the nervous system. Previously, he worked on an optogenetics-based retinal degeneration project, combining viral delivery with behavioral analysis in mouse models to explore functional vision restoration. This summer, Shawn is conducting research in the Molecular Mechatronics Lab under the supervision of Professor John Madden, where he will investigate scalable fabrication techniques for anisotropic hydrogels aimed at supporting spinal cord regeneration. Through the Synergy program, he hopes to deepen his understanding of biomedical engineering, build technical skills in soft material processing, and collaborate with interdisciplinary researchers working at the interface of materials science and regenerative medicine.

Simren Ahuja

Simren Ahuja is a second-year Neuroscience student at UBC, intending to minor in Data Science. As a Pilates instructor with the UBC Pilates Club and volunteer with BC Brain Wellness programs, Simren is passionate about fitness and understanding the cellular impacts of exercise-related brain injuries. Combining her academic and fitness interests, she will be working as a research assistant in the Wellington Lab, studying changes in the concentration of blood-based biomarkers linked to sports-related concussions this summer. Under the supervision of Dr. Cheryl Wellington, Simren will use samples from high-school athletes to analyze biomarker concentration changes from baseline to post-concussion and effect sizes, with the goal of enhancing concussion diagnosis. She is excited to gain hands-on experience in statistical analyses on large datasets and to deepen her knowledge and technical skills related to clinical research in brain injury.

Soroush Torfehnejad

Soroush Torfehnejad is a second-year Microbiology and Immunology student at UBC who is eager to begin his research journey in the Hirst Lab. Over the summer, under the supervision of Dr. Martin Hirst, he will use CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology to target key proteins in established synovial sarcoma cell lines and assess the effects of these genetic alterations on cell survival and proliferation. Since survival rates have remained stagnant despite surgical and radiotherapeutic interventions, Soroush hopes to use this technique to help develop more effective and personalized treatment strategies for patients with synovial sarcoma. He is grateful for the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in modern epigenetic research methodologies, genetic manipulation techniques—specifically CRISPR-Cas9—, cell-based assays, and the theoretical basis of epigenetic regulation in cancer. When he is not in the lab, Soroush works as the head dive coach for the Coquitlam Sharks, and enjoys running, practicing piano, and reading.

Tiffany Xie

Tiffany Xie is a fourth year student in the UBC-BCIT Honours in Biotechnology program with an interest in genomics and precision oncology research. This summer, Tiffany will be working in Dr. Alexander Wyatt’s lab, where she will be assessing the frequency and clinical relevance of structural variants, a class of large genomic alterations, in lethal metastatic prostate cancer. Tiffany is looking forward to developing her bioinformatic skills and gaining a deeper understanding of cancer genomics and translational research.

Tomme Ashton

Tomme Ashton is a third-year undergraduate student in the Electrical Engineering program at UBC. He is interested in the intersection of electronics, materials, and healthcare technology, with a particular focus on embedded systems and user-centered assistive devices. This summer, he will be working under the supervision of Dr. John Madden in the Madden Lab on a project focused on developing and evaluating stretchable pressure sensors for wheelchair users. The goal of the project is to create soft, flexible sensors that monitor real-time pressure distribution and help prevent pressure ulcers by alerting users and caregivers to harmful pressure buildup. Tomme hopes to deepen his knowledge of stretchable electronics, sensor fabrication, and signal processing while gaining hands-on experience with experimental design and testing. He is excited to contribute to research that addresses real-world health challenges and looks forward to building technical and collaborative skills that will support his long-term goal of innovating in the biomedical technology space.

Victoria Chong

Victoria Chong is a third year Biomedical Engineering student at UBC. She is passionate about regenerative medicine and engineering stem cells to improve health. She will be working as a research assistant in the Zandstra Stem Cell Bioengineering Lab investigating the role of intracellular domains in the development of CAR-T cells with tunable killing efficacy, cytokine secretion and persistence. In her free time, she enjoys playing piano, journaling, and engaging in retail therapy. At the Zandstra lab, she hopes to learn how to perform critical research techniques to advance cancer therapeutics.

William Ji

William Ji is a fourth year Biomedical Engineering student at UBC who is highly interested in the development of therapeutics for serious diseases. He is currently a co-op in the Michael Smith Laboratories (MSL) at UBC investigating analytical tools to support biomanufacturing operations for production of cell therapies. Previously, he also worked on developing microreactor devices to improve the efficiency of radiopharmaceutical syntheses at TRIUMF. Outside of work and academics, William likes to spend his time at the gym, playing golf, and DJing. William is further looking forward to applying his background and continuing studies in biochemistry and engineering towards his Synergy project this summer. Under supervision from Dr. James Piret and in collaboration with Dr. Govind Kaigala, he will be working on microfluidic devices used for characterizing cell populations relevant to bioreactor systems with Raman analysis.

Yundi Wang

Yundi Wang is an incoming second-year medical student at the University of British Columbia. She previously completed her PhD in Neuroscience, where she investigated cortical brain changes in neurodegenerative disease in addition to the physiology and pharmacology of cardiac ion channels implicated in arrhythmias – reflecting her evolving research interest in the intersection of brain and heart health. Outside of research, Yundi is actively involved in advocacy and mentorship through her roles with the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, The Vascular Training (VAST) Platform and other non-profit organizations. This summer, Yundi will be working under the supervision of Dr. Thalia S. Field where she will examine how differences in MRI brain volume, regional brain morphology, and sociodemographic and clinical factors influence cognitive function and quality of life in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD). Through her Synergy project, Yundi looks forward to working across disciplines to better understand how neurologists and cardiologists can collaborate to optimize care for adults living with CHD.