Our Team
Mehdi received his B.A. from UC Berkeley, Ph.D. from Mount Sinai, and did a postdoc at UCSF. For his Ph.D. with Marc Birtwistle, he developed ordinary differential equation (ODE) mathematical models of cancer signaling pathways. During his postdoc with Nevan J Krogan, he applied mass spectrometry phosphoproteomics and affinity purification to virology and cancer. He is fascinated by how proteins communicate and how they are interconnected. In his free time, he aspires to be a professional tennis player (not) and dabbles in triathlon training.
Mehdi Bouhaddou, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator (PI)
Assistant Professor
Faculty Page
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Shipra completed her PhD at the Virology Group, ICGEB, New Delhi, in collaboration with the Influenza Division, CDC, Atlanta. She received the DST-Young Scientist grant and served as a co-PI at IIT Bombay, where she studied the role of host non-coding RNAs in IAV. Later, she worked at Calibr at Scripps in the Chanda lab on a drug discovery project. Interested in unlocking the unique nature of viruses—brainless yet highly intelligent forms—Shipra is excited to map the proteomic landscape of viral infections at the Bouhaddou lab. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends and stargazing on clear, dark nights.
Shipra Sharma, Ph.D.
Project Scientist
Molecular Virology
Google Scholar
Prashant earned his Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from South Korea, where he utilized mass spectrometry-based proteomics to investigate protein N-terminal post-translational modifications. He then continued to pursue his postdoctoral work with Prof. Jyoti Choudhary at the Institute of Cancer Research, London. Before joining UCLA, he worked as a Mass Spectrometry Specialist in the proteomics core facility at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. In Bouhaddou’s lab, he is interested in applying his prior experience in mass spectrometry to the field of virology. Prashant enjoys exploring nature and reading classic novels in his free time.
Prashant Kaushal, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar
Mass Spectrometry Proteomics
Google Scholar
Sara received her B.S., M.S., and in a few years will receive her Ph.D. from UCLA (she refers to herself as a super Bruin because UCLA just can’t seem to get rid of her). Both her B.S. and M.S. are in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology so she’s always trying to attack science from an evolutionary perspective. She loves teaching undergrads about all things microbial and is fascinated by viral latency, specifically gammaherpesvirus latency. In her free time, you can catch her at Ocean Park playing beach volleyball or hanging out with her furry best friend, Luka.
Sara Makanani, B.S., M.S.
PhD Student
Immunity, Microbes, and Molecular Pathogenesis (IMMP)
Yennifer is a proud first-generation, Latina, and community college transfer student, who received her B.S. in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics from UCLA. After graduation, she joined the NIH Post-baccalaureate Research Program(PREP) at the University of Washington. In the Bouhaddou lab, she investigates how phosphorylation of SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins regulate viral assembly. For fun, she enjoys watching true crime shows, cooking traditional Salvadoran food, and traveling.
Yennifer Delgado, B.S.
PhD Student
Immunity, Microbes, and Molecular Pathogenesis (IMMP)
Declan–a Philly native turned SoCal enthusiast–previously earned his B.S. in Biology from Lafayette College where he studied amphibian population genetics. In 2023, he joined UCLA's Genetics & Genomics graduate program. Now, in the Bouhaddou Lab, he's decoding the impact of alphavirus protein phosphorylation on the viral life cycle. When he's not busy with this scientific sleuthing, you will probably find him enjoying the beach, baking sweet treats, or listening to Taylor Swift (he often does this while doing science, too).
Declan Winters, B.S.
PhD Student
Genetics and Genomics
Immy received her MSci at Southampton University, then her Ph.D. at Victoria University Wellington, NZ. Whilst there she researched molecular signaling in the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis, using bioinformatics and phosphoproteomics to further understand coral reefs. Immy is excited to work in Bouhaddou lab, in collaboration with the Coral Resilience Lab in Hawaii, using her knowledge of the coral reef system to advance the field. In her free time, she enjoys being in nature (particularly the ocean!) and is excited to explore California.
Immy Ashley, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar
Coral Proteomics and Bioinformatics
Co-mentored by
Crawford Drury, director of the Coral Resilience Lab at the
University of Hawai’i at Manoa
Undergraduate Researchers
Kareem Alba
Undergraduate Researcher
Major: Physiological Sciences
MIMG 199 Student
Kareem is a second-year Physiological Sciences undergraduate from the Bay Area. He is currently studying the dynamics of host innate immune antagonism by Orf9b, a SARS-CoV-2 protein, through phosphoproteomics and affinity purification. He is highly interested in pursuing proteomic and biochemical research in the future. Outside of work, Kareem enjoys cycling, hiking, and building Legos!
Nithya is a 4th year Computational and Systems Biology major at UCLA. She is currently working on a project analyzing HIV sequences from patient samples and creating alignments that allow us to understand the conservation of the kinase motifs across the different sequences in order to learn more about the HIV virus phosphorylation sites. In her free time, Nithya enjoys watching movies, traveling, and hanging out with her friends and family.
Nithya Chilukuri
Undergraduate Researcher
Major: Computational and Systems Biology (CaSB)
Min is a second-year HBS major and Spanish minor from Long Island, New York. Prior to working here, she has dabbled in clinical research in pulmonology and dermatology. She is currently studying the impact of gain and loss of kinase motifs from splicing on different diseases and the possibilities of targeted therapies, and she hopes to apply this knowledge in pursuing a profession in healthcare. Outside of an academic setting, she loves to swim, go on hikes, and play the NYT games.
Min Hur
Undergraduate Researcher
Major: Computational and Systems Biology (CaSB)
Matthew is a third-year MIMG major from New Jersey. He is currently working to develop an ordinary differential equation-based model of the SARS-CoV-2 Orf9b-Tom70 protein signaling pathway using the R coding language, with the goal of being able to use this model to predict Orf9b dynamics and function during SARS-CoV-2 infection. Matthew is interested in pursuing a future career in oncology and enjoys playing volleyball, traveling, and trying new food spots in his free time.
Matthew Lawson
Undergraduate Researcher
Major: Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG)
MIMG 199 Student
Jasmine is a third-year Environmental Science major with a minor in Environmental Health. She is currently collaborating with the Coral Resilience Lab in Hawaii, working on understanding the mechanisms of coral bleaching with a focus on the cellular pathways involved in the symbiotic relationship between coral and algae. She aims to research the specific proteins and pathways involved, by utilizing a combination of mass spectrometry proteomics and bioinformatics. In her free time, she likes to cook for her friends and family and hang out with her dog.
Jasmine Nguyen
Undergraduate Researcher
Major: Environmental Science
MIMG 199 Student
Jocelyn is a second-year MCDB major at UCLA. Her research is centered on the phosphoproteomic profiles of EBNA1 and LANA1, critical proteins within the herpes simplex virus framework. Her project aims to understand the interaction between these proteins and cellular stress pathways, examining their role in the reactivation process of the virus from latency. Outside of her academic pursuits, Jocelyn enjoys photography, exploring unique coffee cultures, and relaxing by the ocean.
Jocelyn Ni
Undergraduate Researcher
Major: Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB)
Justin is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Physiological Sciences and minoring in Spanish. He has been working on a project aimed at understanding the relationship between the SARS-CoV-2 protein Orf9b and the signaling kinase TOM70 in the context of the host cell’s innate immune response to viral infection. In his free time, Justin loves cooking, singing, and spending time with friends and family.
Justin Selby
Undergraduate Researcher
Major: Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG)
Safdar is a third-year undergrad from Hyderabad, India, pursuing a B.S in Mathematics. He is working on generating ODE models to map the rates of phosphorylation of the membrane protein in SARS-CoV-2 across different phosphorylation sites. He hopes to continue exploring the intersections of math and virology as he furthers his research career. When not working on some or the other math problem, he’s probably playing quidditch, dancing to Bollywood beats, or watching sappy romcoms.
Safdar Kilaru
Undergraduate Researcher
Major: Mathematics
Alumni
Darryl Wong - 2023-2024, High School Intern
Nithesh Perumal - Winter 2023, Rotating PhD Student, Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology (BMSB)
Alexia Andrikopoulos - Winter 2023, Rotating PhD Student, Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology (BMSB)
Armen Khanbabaei, M.S. - Fall 2023, Rotating PhD Student. Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology (MCIP)
Kevin Truong - 2022-2023, Undergraduate Researcher, MIMG 199 Student, B.S. Biochemistry
Erin Kim - Spring 2023, Rotating PhD Student. Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology (BMSB)
Mohammad Alam - Spring 2023, Rotating PhD Student. Immunity, Microbes, and Molecular Pathogenesis (IMMP)