People

Elissa Hallem, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator

Elissa is Professor and Vice Chair of Graduate Studies in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at UCLA. She is also Director of the Immunity, Microbes, and Molecular Pathogenesis (IMMP) graduate program. Elissa received a BA from Williams College, where she majored in biology and chemistry. She received her PhD in neuroscience from Yale University, and then did her postdoctoral work at Caltech. Her lab at UCLA studies the sensory behaviors of free-living and parasitic nematodes. When not doing science, Elissa enjoys reading and spending time with her family.

Navonil Banerjee, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar

Originally from India, Navonil received his BS in Biochemistry and MS in Biotechnology from University of Calcutta, India. He received his PhD in Neurobiology from U Mass Medical School, where his thesis work focused on neuropeptide signaling mechanisms underlying innate and adaptive behaviors in C. elegans. In the Hallem lab, Navonil seeks to understand the neural basis of CO2 response in skin-penetrating nematodes and C. elegans. Navonil spends his free time reading, watching movies, cooking, and exploring national parks.

Julian Wagner, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar

Julian grew up in the Bay Area and earned B.S. degrees in both Biology and Mathematics from Arizona State University. He earned a PhD in Biology from Caltech, where he probed mechanisms of host specificity via behavioral studies in an ant-beetle symbiotic system as an NSF GRFP Fellow in the lab of Joe Parker. In the Hallem Lab, Julian studies visible light sensation by Strongyloides. He enjoys bringing computational-mathematical techniques to his work, combined with the sensibility of an old-fashioned neuroethologist. Outside the lab, Julian is an avid classical singer (tenor!) in both solo and choral settings, maker of elaborate costumes, casual video game player, and swimmer.

Michelle Castelletto, Ph.D.
Project Scientist

Michelle earned a PhD in Parasitology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied the genetics of Strongyloides. In the Hallem Lab, she focuses on developing genetic tools to investigate the neurobiology of Strongyloides. Michelle’s non-science interests include sewing, cycling and spending time at the beach.

Damia Gonzalez Akimori
Graduate Student

Originally from Lancaster Pennsylvania, Damia earned her B.S. in Biology at Millersville University of Pennsylvania, where she studied nematode development in Rhabditophanes diutinus and the genetics of sex determination in Strongyloides stercoralis. Here at UCLA, she is a Ph.D. student in the IMMP home area of the MBIDP. In the Hallem Lab, she works on elucidating the neural and molecular mechanisms regulating host-seeking behaviors in parasitic nematodes. When she isn’t poking at worms, Damia enjoys reading, spending time with her dog, and practicing traditional Japanese archery.

Ricardo Frausto
Graduate Student

Ricardo was born and raised in San Diego. He earned his B.A. in Biology and Chemistry at Point Loma Nazarene University. After college, Ricardo worked as a research tech and lab manager. He performed research on tumor vascular biology, innate immunity, and corneal biology. He is a PhD student in the MCIP Program, and is elucidating the neural basis of CO2 response in C. elegans. Ricardo plans to become faculty at an undergraduate-serving university, with a focus on helping students from underserved communities achieve their higher education goals. Outside of the lab, Ricardo enjoys being a dad to his two boys, gardening, surfing, and doing multiple DIY projects around the house.

Tiffany Mao
Lab Manager

Born and raised in LA County, Tiffany earned a BA in Fine Arts from UCLA. Preceding undergraduate courses, Tiffany began her career at UCLA working in a Drosophila lab and has since been employed at UCLA for more than 12 years. As manager for the Hallem Lab, she makes sure everyone is able to get the tools they need to conduct their research. Leisurely interests include creating art, assembling crafts, collecting toys, and watching television series or movies.

Patricia Mendez
Graduate Student

Hailing from San Marcos, CA, Patricia earned her BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UC Santa Cruz, where she studied the mechanisms of early spliceosome assembly. She left behind the giant redwoods and the RNA world to return to sunny SoCal, where she is now a PhD student in the IMMP Home Area of the MBIDP. Her research aims to elucidate the neural basis by which skin-penetrating nematodes use salt chemosensation to locate and infect hosts. When she isn't hanging out with her fellow nematode enthusiasts, you can find Patricia vibing to music, volunteering with mutual aid organizations, expanding her taste palate, and caring for her plants.

Ruhi Patel, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar

Ruhi received her B. Tech in Biotechnology at Anna University in Chennai, India, where she was born and raised. She earned her Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry at UCLA, where she characterized the genetic pathways that regulate the molting cycle of C. elegans. As a postdoctoral fellow in the Hallem lab, she seeks to understand how mechanosensation enables soil-transmitted helminths to locate and infect their hosts. When not playing with or thinking about worms, Ruhi loves to bake, cook, and practice martial arts.

Breanna Walsh
MD/PhD Student

Originally from Sonoma County, California, Bre is a graduate student in the UCLA-Caltech Medical Scientist Training Program. She earned her B.S. in Biology of Global Health from Georgetown University, where she studied epigenetics in Giardia lamblia. After graduation, Bre explored drug resistance mechanisms of malaria parasites as a research assistant at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In the Hallem Lab, she is investigating the neural basis of oxygen response in parasitic nematodes. In her free time, Bre enjoys reading, hiking, live music, and finding new ways to bake with her sourdough starter.

Matthew Moser
Graduate Student

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Matthew received his B.S in Molecular Biology from UC Santa Cruz. During college he worked at NIAID (NIH), where he studied the relationship between helminths and the hygiene hypothesis, and at UCSF, where he was involved in a large-scale drug study against the brain-eating amoeba Balamuthia mandrillaris. After graduating college during the pandemic, Matthew worked at USUHS and UCSF, being involved in several COVID-19 clinical trials and developing novel parasite diagnostics. In the Hallem lab, his research focuses on elucidating the role of metalloproteinases in the pathogenesis of strongyloidiasis. Outside of lab, Matthew enjoys binge watching shows and buying books he says he will read but never does.

Gloria Bartolo
Graduate Student

Born and raised in Orange County, California, Gloria is a Ph.D. student in the IMMP program of MBIDP. She earned her B.S. in Bioengineering from UC Riverside and her M.S. from Keck Graduate Institute, where she focused on the host-pathogen interactions of insects and entomopathogenic microbes. Here at UCLA, she studies the effects of widely used insect repellents on the chemosensory behavior and skin penetrating ability of Strongyloides. To keep herself happy, Gloria makes time for thrift-shopping, outdoor activities, spoiling her cats, and admiring her handsome aquatic turtle.

Yanying Dai
Research Assistant

Originally from China, Yanying served as a registered nurse for 17 years in Guangzhou. She has over 15 years of research experience in various labs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is currently a research assistant in the Hallem lab. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and spending time with her family.

Aaliyah Tinoco
Undergraduate Researcher

Originally from Orange County, California, Aaliyah is an undergraduate student working on earning her B.S. in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics. Aaliyah first joined the Hallem lab as a lab helper during her sophomore year at UCLA and later rejoined the lab as an undergraduate researcher. In the Hallem lab, she is working with Damia on understanding mechanisms of chemosensation in Strongyloides. Outside of the lab, Aaliyah enjoys watching TV shows, cooking, listening to true crime podcasts, reading, and taking cute pictures of her reptiles.

Hallem Lab Alumni

Name	Former Position in Hallem Lab
Arezoo Barnia	undergraduate lab helper, research technician
Leopoldo Bello-Luna	undergraduate researcher
Ava Bignell	undergraduate researcher
Taylor Brown	graduate student
Astra Bryant	postdoctoral fellow
Mayra Carrillo	graduate student
James Cevallos	undergraduate researcher
Keely Chaisson	graduate student
Ivan Chavez	undergraduate researcher, research technician
Stephanie DeMarco	postdoctoral scholar
Wendy Fung	undergraduate researcher
Spencer Gang	graduate student
Aracely Garcia Romero	undergraduate researcher
Manon Guillermin	research technician, graduate student
Daniel Lee	research technician
Joon Ha Lee	undergraduate researcher, research technician
Jackie Lopez	undergraduate researcher
Cindy Ly	undergraduate researcher
Courtney McClure	graduate student
Ryo Okubo	research technician
Jennifer Peña	undergraduate researcher
Sophie Rengarajan	MD/PhD student
Elisa Rojas Palato	undergraduate researcher
Feli Ruiz	undergraduate researcher, research technician
Anastassia Tselikova	undergraduate researcher
Mia Vang	undergraduate lab helper, undergraduate researcher
Emily Yang	undergraduate researcher
Kristen Yankura	postdoctoral scholar