In December of 2008, Omar S. Akbari received his Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Nevada, Reno where he studied the role cis-regulatory modules play in cellular identity along the anterio-posterior axis in developing Drosophila melanogaster embryos.  In May of 2009, he joined the laboratory of professor Bruce A. Hay at the California Institute of Technology as a post-doctoral scholar to innovate synthetic biology of disease vectors. In summer of 2015, he became an Assistant Professor of Entomology at the University of California, Riverside. 
Principal Investigator
Omar S. Akbari, Ph.D. 

Assistant Professor 
Department of Entomology
Institute for Integrative Genome Biology
Center for Disease Vector Research (CDVR)
University of California, Riverside

Mailing ​Address: 1643 Boyce Hall
Riverside CA, 92521

Office Location: 4484 Boyce Hall 
Office Phone: (951) 827-5368

​Lab Location: 4412 Boyce Hall  
Lab Phone: (951) 827-5369

Google Scholar
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Click here for current CV

POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLARS

Anna Buchman, Ph.D.

Anna Buchman received her B.S. (2006) and M.S. (2008) in Biology at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, and her Ph.D (2014) at Caltech in Pasadena, California, where she worked in the laboratory of professor Bruce A. Hay. A postdoctoral scholar in the Akbari lab since August 2015, she is currently working to develop Medea systems outside the fruit fly and is also investigating novel ways to generate chromosomal translocations for use as gene drives.
Contact: annabuch@ucr.edu

Ming li, Ph.D.

Ming Li received his B.S (2006) and M.S. (2009) in Plant Protection and Insecticide Resistance, respectively, from Southwest University of China, Chongqing. He then moved to the United States to purse his Ph.D in Entomology at Auburn University and graduated in 2014. A postdoctoral scholar in the Akbari lab since January 2016, he is currently developing gene drive and suppression techniques in mosquitoes.
​Contact: minli@ucr.edu

TING YANG, PH.D.

Ting Yang received her B.S.(2006) in Plant Protection at Hebei Agricultural University in Baoding, China, and M.S.(2009) in Insect Toxicology at China Agricultural University in Beijing, China. She continued with her doctoral study right after and received her Ph.D (2013) in Entomology at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. She then worked as an assistant professor at the Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing, China. Ting Yang joined in the Akbari lab in September 2016 as a postdoctoral scholar.
Contact: tingyang@ucr.edu

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Stephanie gamez

MICHELLE BUI
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Stephanie Gamez received her B.S. in Biology at the University of California, Riverside (2015). She worked as a lab technician for Dr. Bradley White from 2015-2016 and is currently a graduate student of Entomology working on developing genetic control strategies for pathogen transmitting mosquitoes using gene drives. Contact: struo004@ucr.edu
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B.S. Entomology 2016 ​Contact: mbui007@ucr.edu

Lab TECHNICIANS​
​

JENNIFER SHYONG
B.S. Biology 2016, UCR
​Contact: jshyo001@ucr.edu
JUDY ISHIKAWA
Contact: ​judyrok@hotmail.com
CAILA RUIZ
B.S. Biology 2017, UCR
​Contact: cruiz012@ucr.edu

Undergraduate students
​

DENNIS OSTROVSKY
UCR Major: Undecided
Expected Graduation Date: 2019
​Contact: dostr001@ucr.edu
KENNETH TRUONG
UCR Major: Biology
​Expected Graduation Date: 2019
​Contact: ktruo021@ucr.edu
MARC PAJARILLO
UCR Major: Biology
Expected Graduation Date: 2018
Contact: mpaja001@ucr.edu
ROSE OSHANA
UCR Major: Biology
Expected Graduation Date: 2018
​Contact: rosha001@ucr.edu
CHRISTIAN BOWMAN
UCR Major: Biology
Expected Graduation Date: 2018
​Contact: cbowm002@ucr.edu
ASHLEY SMALDINO
UCR Major: Biology
Expected Graduation Date: 2017
​Contact: asmal005@ucr.edu
NANCY ZELAYA
UCR Major: Neuroscience
​Expected Graduation Date: 2020
Contact: nzela002@ucr.edu
NICOLE COLINDRES
UCR Major: Microbiology
Expected Graduation Date: 2019
​Contact: ncoli002@ucr.edu
ABIGAIL CHONG
UCR Major: Biochemistry
Expected Graduation Date: 2018
​Contact: achon006@ucr.edu
YEJI LEE
WENKANG FENG
WENDY SHIN
UCR Major: Biology
Expected Graduation Date: 2018
​Contact: ylee083@ucr.edu
UCR Major: Biology
Expected Graduation Date: 2017
Contact: wfeng001@ucr.edu
UCR Major: Biology
Expected Graduation Date: 2018
​Contact: kshin008@ucr.edu
JANELLE CABRAL
UCR Major: Biochemistry
Expected Graduation Date: 2018
Contact: jcabr008@ucr.edu
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Akbari Lab Group photo February 2017

Lab Alumni

  • Olivia Johnson (UCR Major Microbiology) - Former Undergraduate Researcher, 2016-2017
  • Sagar Chopra (UCR Major Biology) - Former Undergraduate Researcher, 2016-2017
  • lrashid E. Elzein (UCR Major Biology) - Former Undergraduate Researcher, 2016​
  • Joan Chung  (UCR Major Biology)  - Former Undergraduate Researcher, 2015-2016
  • Lauren Yun Cook Au (Claremont McKenna Major Biology)​ - Visiting undergraduate summer student from Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer and Scripps Colleges, Summer, 2016
  • Deema Douglah (Claremont McKenna Major Biology) - Visiting undergraduate summer student from Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer and Scripps Colleges, Summer, 2016
  • Michelle  Liu (UCR Major Biology)   - Former Undergraduate Researcher, 2015-2016​
  • Jackson Champer, Ph.D.  - Former Postdoctoral Scholar, 2015-2016​
  • Misbah Zafari (UCR Major Biology, Pre-med) - Former Undergraduate Researcher, 2015
  • Dennis Chang - UCR Rotating Ph.D. Candidate, CMDB, 2015
  • Jacob MacWilliams - UCR Rotating Ph.D. Candidate, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, 2015
  • Amanda Hale - UCR Rotating Ph.D. Candidate, Microbiology, 2015
  • Mateo Espinoza - UCR Rotating Ph.D. Candidate, Microbiology, 2015