Principal Investigator
Neil Y.C. Lin
Assistant Professor, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering + Bioengineering 2020
Email: neillin@g.ucla.edu
Postdoc, School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Wyss Institute, Harvard University 2016-2019
Ph.D. Physics, Cornell University 2016
B.S. Physics, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan 2008
Graduate Students
Marie Payne
Ph.D. Student, Mechanical Engineering
B.S. Civil Engineering, Stanford University 2020
E-mail: mpayne6@g.ucla.edu
Project: AI diagnostics, organoid biomanufacturing & cell culture instrumentation
About me: Outside of lab I love to get outside and be active! Favorite activities are hiking, frisbee & tennis.
Alex Bermudez
Ph.D. Student, Bioengineering
B.S. Physics, UCLA 2022
E-mail: alexberms@gmail.com
Project: Epithelial modulus heterogeneity
About me: I was born and raised in Imperial, California. I love working with others, eating, and playing with my mischievous kitten, Playboi Calamari!
James C.H. Lo
Ph.D. Student, Bioengineering
M.S. Pharmaceutical Science, National Defense Medical Center, Taiwan 2017
B.S. Pharmacy, National Defense Medical Center, Taiwan 2013
E-mail: chihhuilo@g.ucla.edu
Project: organoid biomanufacturing
About me: Hi, I am a Bioengineering PhD student from Taiwan. Outside of the lab, I love playing basketball, hiking, and exploring everything because I’m new to LA .
Samanta Negrete
Ph.D. Student, Bioengineering
B.S. Biomedical Engineering, UC Irvine 2022
E-mail: snegrete5@g.ucla.edu
About me: I was raised in Mexico, the Midwest, and Southern California. Outside of lab I love to explore new places to eat, art exhibitions, and going to the beach!
Jerry Chen
MS. Student, Bioengineering
B.S. Biomedical Engineering and Environment Science, NTHU 2020
E-mail: twjerry124669@g.ucla.edu
Project: Force-induced cell heterogeneity
About me: I am a graduate student who comes from Taiwan. I like watching series and playing computer games in my free time. Love volleyball and eating and have interest in trying different sports!
Undergraduate Researchers
Melissa Rupert
B.S. Bioengineering, UCLA 2023
E-mail: mrupert@g.ucla.edu
Project: Cell culture instrumentation
About Me: Outside of lab, I am a member of BMES and the Cell Team technical project, and I also play flute in the UCLA marching band. My favorite pastimes include reading, swimming, and hiking with family and friends!
Nathan Cai
B.S. Bioengineering, UCLA 2023
Minor, Bioinformatics
E-mail: nathanycai@g.ucla.edu
Project: Organoid biomanufacturing
About Me: I'm a bioengineering and bioinformatics student from Redwood City in the Bay Area. I love cooking, photographing the stars, and taiko drumming with UCLA's Kyodo Taiko.
Brandon Lee
B.S. Bioengineering, UCLA 2023
E-mail: leebrandonsong@gmail.com
Project: AI diagnostics & Prostate cancer 3D flow culture
About Me: Hi! I'm a Bioengineering Major with a hopeful Japanese Minor from Los Altos in the Bay Area. In my free time I love playing tennis, watching anime, and talking with friends.
Alex Ma
B.S. Bioengineering, UCLA 2023
E-mail: ajma1208@g.ucla.edu
Project: Live tissue imaging
About Me: I am studying Bioengineering on the Pre-Med tech breadth. At UCLA, I am an industry chair for the Biomedical Engineering Club and an active member of the Asian Pacific American Healthcare Club. I enjoy running, playing cello, and watching Stephen Curry be the best point guard of all time.
Shannon Li
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, UCLA 2024
E-mail: sfshanli820@gmail.com
Project: Mechanical properties of PDMS-particle composites
About Me: Hi!! At UCLA I am a member of BMES and ASME. I was born and raised in San Francisco (go Giants and 49ers!). In my free time I love to play soccer, draw, do crafts, bake, and go on walks.
Alyssa Gee
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, UCLA 2024
E-mail: alyssagee@g.ucla.edu
Project: Mechanical properties of PDMS-particle composites
About Me: Hi! Outside of the lab, I am currently a part of ASME's Bruin Underwater Robotics Project on the manipulator and research subteams. I enjoy baking/cooking, reading, and solving puzzles.
Kathryn Saxton
B.S. Bioengineering, UCLA 2024
Email: ksaxton@g.ucla.edu
Project: Organoid biomanufacturing
About Me: I’m a bioengineering student planning on minoring in statistics. At UCLA, I am involved in BMES, COHL and TBP, and outside of school, I enjoy reading and crocheting!
Zoe Latham
B.S. Bioengineering, UCLA 2024
Email: zoelatham@g.ucla.edu
Project: Epithelial modulus heterogeneity
About Me: Hi! I am a bioengineering student from San Diego, CA. At UCLA I'm currently involved with BMES and I love playing tennis, baking, and reading!
Michael Liu
B.S. Computer Science, UCLA 2025
Minor, Bioinformatics
Email: michaelwl25@g.ucla.edu
Project: AI microscopy
About Me: Hello! I'm from Berkeley, CA, and I'm interested in how we can use computational tools to streamline biological research. Outside of lab, I do web development for UCLA Radio and play frisbee! I also love eating, backpacking, trying out new things, and listening to The Strokes.
Charlotte Schmitt
B.S. Bioengineering, Class of 2025
Email: schmitt@g.ucla.edu
Project: Organoid biomanufacturing
About Me: I am a bioengineering student from Encinitas, CA, and I'm fascinated by tissue engineering with applications to artificial organ development. At UCLA, I am involved with BMES and Theta Tau, but in my free time, I love backpacking and hiking, knitting, and going to museums!
Lina Kafadarian
B.S. Bioengineering, UCLA 2024
Email: linakafadarian@g.ucla.edu
About Me: I’m a bioengineering student, and at UCLA I'm involved in TBP. In my free time, I enjoy drawing and reading.
Johnny Diaz
B.S. Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, UCLA 2020
Email: johnny.diaz923@gmail.com
Project: Metabolism of Polycystic Kidney Disease
About me: I was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, California. Outside of the lab, I enjoy spending time with my two cats (Sunstra and Nube) and going on outdoor adventures.
Simone Horowitz
B.A. Political Science, B.S. Mathematics-Economics, UCLA 2026
Email: simonehorowitz@g.ucla.edu
About Me: I am the Lab Manager at the Lin Lab and am double majoring in political science and math-econ at UCLA. I'm from Boston, MA and love reading, playing the violin, and cooking in my free time.
Lin Lab Alumni
Master's Students
David Choi - M.S. Mechanical Engineering (2022) - United States Patent and Trademark Office
Undergraduates
SumYat (Thomas) Ho - B.S. Biochemistry (2020) - Hong Kong Medical School student
Zachary Gonzales - B.S. Biophysics (2022) - Eikon Therapeutics
Ethan Salter - B.S. Bioengineering (2022) - AMFM Healthcare
Dorian Luccioni - Materials Science and Physics (2023) - Nano-electronic materials researcher
Visiting Scholars
Sara Imboden - MSc Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich (2022) - Currently interviewing for positions
Leya Weber - MSc Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich (2022) - UCLA Health