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.
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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 Click here for current CV |
RESEARCH SCIENTIST
NIKOLAY KANDUL, PH.D..
Nikolay Kandul received Ph.D. (2005) in Evolutionary and Organismic Biology at Harvard University for his studies of mechanisms by which new species originate. Later he shifted his research interests toward development and application of genetic tools in model organisms to experimentally address important biological questions, like aging. Together with Prof. Bruce Hay at Caltech, he developed an innovative approach to engineer specific mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletions and found that our cells have a capacity to selectively remove mutant mtDNA in vivo, rejuvenate themselves, and slow aging at the cellular level. Now, he is a research assistant professor in the Akbari Lab, where he is testing CRISPR/Cas9-based gene drives for their limitations and engineering novel synthetic gene drives with better fit for specific applications.
Contact: kandul@ucr.edu Google Scholar Click here for current CV
Contact: kandul@ucr.edu Google Scholar 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 |
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
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Lab TECHNICIANS
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JENNIFER SHYONG
B.S. Biology 2016, UCR
Contact: jshyo001@ucr.edu |
JUDY ISHIKAWA
Contact: judyrok@hotmail.com
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CAILA RUIZ
B.S. Biology 2017, UCR
Contact: cruiz012@ucr.edu |
Undergraduate students
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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YEJI LEE
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WENKANG FENG
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WENDY SHIN
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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
Expected Graduation Date: 2018
Contact: jcabr008@ucr.edu
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
- Now working in the Messer Lab @ Cornell: https://messerlab.org
- Now working in the Messer Lab @ Cornell: https://messerlab.org
- 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
