
Marie Heffern
Principal Investigator
Ph.D. Northwestern University, Chemistry
B.S. University of Southern California, Chemistry
Learn more About Marie.
Email me: mcheffern@ucdavis.edu
Staff

Rebeca Fernandez
Postdoctoral Scholar, joined September 2021
Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, Madison, Chemistry
B.A. Occidental College, Chemistry and Spanish
Email me: rlfern@ucdavis.edu
Graduate Students

Amanda Caceres
Graduate Student, joined January 2021
B.S. University of California, Santa Barbara, Chemistry
Pursuing: Chemistry, Ph.D.
Email me: caceres@ucdavis.edu

Estely Carranza
Graduate Student, joined January 2021
B.S. Western Oregon University, Chemistry
M.S. San Francisco State University, Chemistry (Biochemistry)
Pursuing: Chemistry, Ph.D.
(Joint Advised-Prof. Dylan Murray)
Email me: ejcarranza@ucdavis.edu

Skyler Gillette
Graduate Student, joined January 2020
B.A. Boston University, Biology with specialization in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, and Genetics
Pursuing: Chemistry, Ph.D.
Email me: skgillette@ucdavis.edu

Nathaniel Harder
Graduate Student, joined January 2018
B.S. UC Davis, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Pursuing: Chemistry, Ph.D.
Email me: nhharder@ucdavis.edu

Samuel Janisse
Graduate Student, joined January 2018
B.S. George Fox University, Biochemistry
Pursuing: Chemistry, Ph.D.
Email me: sejanisse@ucdavis.edu

Vanessa Lee
Graduate Student, joined January 2018
B.S. College of William and Mary, Chemistry
Pursuing: Chemistry, Ph.D.
(Joint Advised-Prof. Matt Augustine)
Email me: vanlee@ucdavis.edu

Chantel Mao
Graduate Student, joined January 2020
B.S. UCLA, Chemistry
Pursuing: Chemistry, Ph.D.
Email me: cwmao@ucdavis.edu

Justin O’Sullivan
Graduate Student, joined January 2018
A.B. Skidmore College, Chemistry
Pursuing: Chemistry, Ph.D.
Email me: jjosullivan@ucdavis.edu

Jessica San Juan
Graduate Student, joined January 2019
B.S. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Biochemistry
M.S. OHSU, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Pursuing: Chemistry, Ph.D.
Email me: jasanjuan@ucdavis.edu

Richard Tran
Graduate Student, joined January 2022
B.S. Cal State Long Beach, Material Science – Chemistry
Pursuing: Chemistry, Ph.D.
Email me: rngtran@ucdavis.edu
Undergraduate Students

Valerie Flood
Undergraduate Student
Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, B.S.
Email me: djflood@ucdavis.edu

Former Lab Members
Hannah Lee (Undergraduate Researcher), Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, B.S. from UC Davis (2020)
Michael Stevenson (Postdoctoral Researcher), Currently working as an assistant professor at the University of San Francisco
Joey AbouAyash (Undergraduate Researcher), Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, B.S. from UC Davis (2020)
Adam Hillaire (Undergraduate Researcher), Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, B.S. from UC Davis (2020)
Ryan Neil (Undergraduate Researcher), Pharmaceutical Chemistry, B.S. from UC Davis (2020), Currently working as a Sample Prep Chemist at Vista Analytical Laboratories
Wyane Pham (Undergraduate Researcher), Pharmaceutical Chemistry, B.S. from UC Davis (2020)
Martin Arcibal (Undergraduate Researcher), Pharmaceutical Chemistry, B.S. from UC Davis (2019)
Danielle Asiain (Undergraduate Researcher), Pharmaceutical Chemistry, B.S. from UC Davis (2020)
Manesh Chand (Undergraduate Researcher), Pharmaceutical Chemistry, B.S. from UC Davis (2019), Currently working as an Analyst at Eurofins TestAmerica
Tiffany Chen (Undergraduate Researcher), Pharmaceutical Chemistry, B.S. from UC Davis (2019), Currently working in the Lam Lab in the UC Davis Department of Biomedical Engineering
Ian C. Farran (Undergraduate Researcher), Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, B.S. from UC Davis (2020)
Kellie Goodnight (Summer UC LEADS student from UC Merced), Neurobiology, B.S. from UC Merced (2020)
Kylie S. Uyeda (Undergraduate Researcher and Junior Research Specialist), Pharmaceutical Chemistry, B.S. from UC Davis (2018), Currently pursuing a Chemistry, Ph.D. from UC Irvine