Daria Siekhaus, PhD.
Associate Professor, Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology
Daria seeks to understand how cells dynamically interact with their environment and each other, enabling successful development and robust physiology. Her favorite scientific activity is to uncover previously unexplored cell biological pathways.
Daria did her undergraduate studies at Harvard-Radcliffe College, working in Roberto Kolter’s lab and then spent two years as a DAAD fellow at the Max Planck Institute for biophysical Chemistry in Goettingen, Germany in Peter Gruss’ lab. She obtained her Ph.D. from the Department of Biochemistry at Stanford University Medical School working on proteolytic control of neuropeptides and behavior in Drosophila in the labs of Roberta Fuller and Mark Krasnow. She worked on S. cerevisiae gradient detection pathways in David Drubin’s lab at UC Berkeley. She pioneered Drosophila macrophages as a model for tissue invasion in Ruth Lehmann’s lab at the Skirball Institute in NYU School of Medicine. She started her own lab using Drosophila and mouse at IST Austria near Vienna and then moved to UCLA.
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Maria Akhmanova, PhD.
Post Doctoral Fellow
Origin: Moscow, Russia
Background: MSci and PhD in biophysics from Moscow State University working on mathematical models of molecular transport to understand tissue regeneration
Project Title: Biophysical and cell biological analyses of how surrounding tissues control macrophage invasion.
Interests: Spending time and doing science experiments with her kids, hiking in nature, making clay animations
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Allison Birnbaum, PhD.
Post Doctoral Fellow
Origin: New York, USA
Background: Allison received her B.S. and M.S. at SUNY Binghampton University, and completed her PhD at Iowa State University.
Project Title: Atos regulation of mitochondrial dynamics in response to infection and Alzheimer’s pathology.
Interests: Pub trivia, Volleyball, Cornhole, and Art
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Sarah Edelmon, B.S.
Lab Manager
Origin: Austin, TX, USA
Background: Studied Microbiology and Infectious Disease (B.S.) at the University of Texas at Austin. Worked in biotech industry for 5+ years in early stage research, operations, and product development.
Interests: Hiking with her dog around the LA area, watching movies at art house cinemas, listening to music, cooking, and learning new things!
Contact: sedelmon@ucla.edu
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Satviki Chaturvedi
Undergraduate Student
Programme: MCDB Major
Origin: Dublin, CA (East Bay)
Interests: Learning more about cellular interactions and how something so small impacts organisms on such a large scale, loves to swim, bike, or watch movies in free time.