Claudia Weihe, MS
Senior Technician and Lab Manager at the University of California Irvine School of Biological Sciences
Claudia has a Master’s degree in Genetics from the University of Greifswald in Germany. After working in the Institute for Genetic Medicine at USC, she moved to UCI and has been an essential part of the Martiny lab for more than 15 years. She contributes her extensive molecular expertise to the lab and UCI Microbiome to investigate the diversity and functioning of microbial communities across a variety of systems. She also helps to mentor graduate and undergraduate students at the bench and in the field, all while keeping the lab running smoothly.
Talk: TBD
Abstract: TBD
Dr. Dino Di Carlo
Professor and Department Chair of Bioengineering at the University of California Los Angeles Samueli School of Engineering
Dr. Dino Di Carlo is a world-renowned UCLA professor, inventor, and serial entrepreneur who has made key innovations in biotechnology, co-founding 5 startup companies across the diagnostic, medical device, and therapeutic industries.
He was honored at the White House with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed on young scientists and engineers by the US government. Among other awards he was selected as a Packard Fellow, received the Pioneers of Miniaturization Prize, and was awarded the Materials Research Society Outstanding Young Investigator Award. Dr. Di Carlo is also an elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Dr. Di Carlo is well known for pioneering the use of inertial fluid dynamic effects for the control, separation, and manipulation of particles and fluids in microfluidic devices. These innovations are key components of new commercial instruments that automate purification and analysis of cell populations to diagnose disease and create new cell-based therapies.
Talk: TBD
Abstract: TBD
Kelly Lundsten
Life Science and Technology Consultant, SOULCAP Board of Directors Member
Kelly Lundsten is a Product Development, Bioanalytical Methods and Business Development professional with 19 years Biotechnology experience specializing in emerging technology in fluorescence-based bioassays. She is an industry-wide recognized subject matter expert in the applications of fluorescence chemistry particularly flow cytometry and microscopy multiplexed cell analysis. She has spent her career being the bridge between advanced instrumentation platforms/ novel technology with biological applications, reagents and bioassay methods first with Molecular Probes/Invitrogen and later at Biolegend. Her experience is focused on cell biology, neuroscience and particularly immunology/ Immuno-oncology research application areas. Kelly is regularly invited to speak at annual meeting like ISAC and AAPS and also to teach the fluorescence chemistry/ reagents section of the annual Bowdoin Flow Cytometry course.
Talk: TBD
Abstract: TBD
Dr. Dequina Nicholas
Assistant Professor Step IV, University of California Irvine, Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine (Joint Courtesy Appt)
Dr. Dequina Nicholas is an Assistant Professor at the University of California Irvine in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. The Nicholas lab studies the intersection of the nutrient environment, the immune system, and metabolic disease using a combination of molecular and cellular biology, transgenic mouse models, cytokine profiling, and flow cytometry. Dr. Nicholas’s work focuses on how the immune system and cellular metabolism impacts endocrine diseases, particularly type 2 diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome. Dr. Nicholas received her Ph.D in biochemistry from Loma Linda University and pursued postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Barbara Nikolajczyk at Boston University, studying the metabolism of immune cells from patients with type 2 diabetes. Dr. Nicholas also trained in the laboratories of Drs. Mark Lawson and Pamela Mellon. During that time, Dr. Nicholas established the importance of glucose metabolism in reproduction and discovered a population of immune cells in the pituitary that regulate the reproductive axis. Dr. Nicholas has received the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award from NIAID to fund her “immunoendocrine” lab where her mission is to train the next generation of diverse scientists and cure Type 2 Diabetes. She is passionate about changing the culture of science to valuing diversity and inclusivity. She is the Associate Director for the UCI KL-2 program, and in this role is supporting the development of a University-wide junior faculty mentoring program that increases retention and success of minoritized scholars. She has a passion for first-generation scientists and founded 1stGenInSTEM to curate a consolidated resource that demystifies the “Hidden Curriculum” for students who are the first in their families to pursue STEM higher education. Dr. Nicholas advocates for bringing your authentic and whole self to science through sharing the ups and downs of being a new PI, a mom, and minority scholar on TikTok (@NicholasLab) and Twitter (@QuinaScience).
Talk: TBD
Abstract: TBD
Dr. Kevin Kelly
Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at USC Keck School of Medicine
Dr. Kelly is a hematologist with clinical expertise in phase I investigational therapeutics and hematological malignancies, including lymphoma and multiple myeloma. His research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of resistance to chemotherapy in hematological malignancies and the use of novel agents to overcome this resistance, and he has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals. Through collaborations with a large team of scientists, he has translated preclinical discoveries into novel clinical trials including an investigator-initiated study of the phosphodiesterase 4B inhibitor, roflumilast, in B cell lymphoproliferative disorders.Dr. Kelly earned his medical degree and PhD from University College Cork. He then went on to complete an Advanced Drug Development Clinical Fellowship at The University of Texas Health Science Center.
Talk: TBD
Abstract: TBD