2024-25 Levinson Scholars

Kevin Bai is a senior at the University of Washington pursuing a degree in neuroscience with a minor in data science. He joined the Golden Lab in the Department of Biological Structure at the start of his sophomore year where he participates in research that examines changes in behavioral and neuronal circuit activity following a neuropathic injury that causes persistent pain. Research has indicated that increased positive social interactions can buffer pain perception and even provide temporary analgesia; Despite this, social isolation and vulnerability remain common, especially in elderly individuals. Kevin seeks to investigate how access to positive social stimuli following a neuropathic injury alters the experience of pain in aged animals with guidance from his postdoctoral mentor. He hopes that this research can be leveraged to better understand the mechanistic underpinnings of social intervention for pain, develop more effective pain management strategies, and promote the expansion of various social support systems. His preliminary research has found that both male and female mice, a commonly used preclinical model, show an alleviation of mechanical pain sensitization when provided continuous access to social interaction via a social self-administration task.

After graduation, Kevin plans to pursue a medical degree with the hopes of becoming a neurologist. In his free time, he enjoys exploring new music and playing trading card games with friends. Kevin is honored to have received this award and would like to thank the Levinson family, Dr. Carlee Toddes, Dr. Golden, and the rest of the Golden lab for their invaluable advice and dedication in supporting his interests.

Mentors: Drs. Sam Golden & Carlee Toddes, Department of Biological Structure

Project Title: Analysis of Volitional Social Self Administration as an Intervention for Persistent Neuropathic Pain in Aged Mice

Lia is a senior at the University of Washington pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry with a Minor in Data Science. She joined the Rajakovich Group in Autumn 2022 to follow her passion for the gut microbiome. Her project explores the nuanced relationship between dietary changes, the gut microbiome, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The project’s goal is to elucidate the microbial biosynthetic pathway for 4-EPS, a gut-derived metabolite associated ASD. Understanding the dietary and microbial factors contributing to and exacerbating disease phenotypes is crucial to finding novel therapeutic and nutritional interventions for ASD, as well as other neurological disorders. Lia plans to pursue a graduate degree in bioinformatics to further explore the connections between human health and the gut microbiome. She hopes to integrate her strong background in biology and biochemistry with computational skills to make sense of meta’omics datasets. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding with Husky Winter Sports and studying enology.

Lia is extremely grateful to Dr. Lauren Rajakovich and Jayden Eppley for their mentorship throughout her research journey. Further, she thanks the Rajakovich Group for fostering an enthusiastic learning environment. She is honored to be a Levinson Scholar and thanks the Levinson Family for their commitment to supporting undergraduate research.

Mentor: Dr. Lauren Rajakovich, Department of Chemistry

Project Title: Identification of a Gut Microbial Enzyme Involved in ASD-Associated Metabolite Biosynthesis

Mary is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in Electrical Engineering and Psychology. For the past two years, she has worked in the Ahmed Lab, investigating the neural circuitry behind the limits of multitasking in the fruit fly Drosophila. To investigate how the performance of a task is affected by simultaneously performing another task, she has developed a closed-loop system using optogenetics to activate a group of neurons controlling wing extension during either walking (multitasking) or resting (singletasking) conditions. Results from this research may uncover how brains seamlessly combine some, but not all, behaviors. After graduation, Mary plans to continue a career in academia, pursuing a PhD to study neural engineering. Mary is incredibly grateful for her mentors, Dr. Sama Ahmed and Hibah Javed, and the financial support from the Mary Gates Scholarship. She gives thanks to the Levinson family for their generous support and dedication to undergraduate research.

Mentor: Dr. Sama Ahmed, Department of Psychology

Project Title: Using Optogenetics to Test the Limits of Multitasking

Ethan is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in chemical engineering. His research primarily focuses on the development of machine learning methods for drug discovery. In his first two years at UW, Ethan worked in the Pfaendtner lab to develop quantitative structure-property models capable of predicting electrochemical characteristics of small molecules. He moved to the King Lab at the start of his junior year, where he worked to develop a pipeline for the computational design of multi-component protein-based nanoparticles. While it was possible to create designs that pass machine filters, sequences taken into the wet lab exhibited poor expression in E. coli and little to no nanoparticle assembly. Ethan recently returned from Boston, where he had been working at Novo Nordisk to develop sequence-based machine learning models for biophysical property prediction. He hopes to leverage this experience to continue his work developing novel computational nanoparticle design approaches and machine learning based optimization techniques. Successful nanoparticle candidates carry the potential to be used as scaffolds to hold antigens on their surface, enabling the creation of novel vaccines. After earning his degree, Ethan plans to pursue a PhD and focus on the development of novel deep learning methods to engineer drug functionality. He is extremely thankful for his mentors and their support, as well as the Levinson family for their generous funding.

Mentor: Alex Prybutok, Chemical Engineering

Project Title: Machine Learning-Based Filtering and Optimization for Computational Nanoparticle Design

Pranathi Kesapragada is a senior at the University of Washington, majoring in Biochemistry and Biomedical & Health Informatics. She joined the Giacani Lab during her sophomore year and has primarily focused on investigating the causative agent of syphilis, Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum (T. pallidum). By using the rabbit model, she has explored how T. pallidum evades the immune system and persists during a patient’s lifetime, especially if syphilis is left untreated. To broaden her research experience, Pranathi is now exploring the clinical implications of whether certain antibiotics might induce a pathogen to develop resistance. This is particularly relevant given the importance of effective antibiotics, such as doxycycline, in reducing syphilis incidence. With the support of the Levinson Emerging Scholars Award, Pranathi aims to determine if T. pallidum (Nichols strain) can develop resistance to doxycycline when exposed to it in an intermittent or continuous manner. This project will mimic how patients typically take doxycycline when exposed to syphilis, thus informing future drug development and treatment guidelines.

Pranathi’s time in the Giacani Lab has solidified her aspirations to pursue an MD after graduation, following her passion for medicine and healthcare. She is deeply grateful to her mentors, Dr. Lorenzo Giacani, Aldo Trejos, and Barbara Molini, along with the entire lab team, for their guidance and support over the past two years. Pranathi also extends her heartfelt thanks to the Levinson family for their generosity, and she is honored to be a recipient of the Levinson Emerging Scholars Award.

Mentor: Lorenzo Giacani: Department of Global Health

Project Title: Long-Term in vitro Exposure of Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum to Doxycycline to Assess Development of Antibiotic Resistance

Lily is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and Biochemistry. In the summer after her sophomore year, she joined the Kong Lab to study signaling pathway regulation and how defects in pathway activity affect embryonic development.

Her work focuses on investigating the pathogenesis of hydrocephalus, which is a condition that’s marked by an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. To do so, she will utilize embryonic stem cells and small molecule inhibitors to modulate signaling pathway activity and model defects in early brain development. In the future, she hopes that her research can inform new ways to screen for neurodevelopmental diseases and help develop targeted therapies. After graduating from UW, she intends to pursue a PhD in Biochemistry.

Outside of research, she likes to spend time with her friends, family and 2 cats, trying new restaurants, knitting and watching tv shows! She’s incredibly honored to have been selected as a Levinson Scholar and thank Art and Rita Levinson for their generous support, as well as for the support of the Mary Gates Research Scholarship and the ISCRM Undergraduate Summer Fellowship. She is immensely grateful for the mentorship of Dr. Jennifer Kong and everyone from the Kong Lab for their endless encouragement and for helping her grow as a researcher.

Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Kong, Department of Biochemistry

Project Title: A New Model of Hydrocephalus Reveals an Unexpected Role of Hedgehog Signaling on Cell Adhesion

Daniel is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in Biochemistry with a minor in Chemistry. He joined the lab of Dr. Michael Ailion in the winter quarter of his first year at the UW. Daniel studies the molecular regulation of the small GTPase RAB-2, which is implicated in the maturation of secretory granules. He is interested in how the RUND-1 and TBC-8 proteins interact with and regulate RAB-2. With the support of the Levinson Award, Daniel will first develop an expression and purification method for TBC-8. With soluble TBC-8, he plans on determining if TBC-8 is the bona fide RAB-2 GTPase activating protein. With RUND-1 and RAB-2 proteins already purified, he then plans to use mass photometry to study how the three proteins interact together at physiologically relevant concentrations in solution. Through his research, Daniel hopes to gain a deeper understanding of mechanisms of RAB-2 regulation and provide insight into the complex regulation underlying dense-core vesicle maturation. After university, Daniel plans to continue his training in biochemistry and molecular biology, and then attend graduate school. Daniel is incredibly grateful to Dr. Michael Ailion and Chau Vuong for their mentorship and to the members of the Ailion lab for their guidance. Daniel also wants to thank the Levinson family for their generous support of undergraduate researchers.

Mentor: Michael Ailion, Biochemistry

Project Title: Investigating the function of TBC-8 and RUND-1 in regulating RAB-2

Andia Pouresfandiary Cham is a senior at the University of Washington studying Bioengineering. She joined the NEST Lab during her freshman year, where she has been investigating the lighting in neonatal incubators for patient visibility and the application of hyperspectral imaging to neonatal transport. Her current research focuses on developing a novel method of vital sign analysis for neonates using hyperspectral imaging. To conduct this research, she initiated a collaboration between the NEST Lab and the Wang Lab at UW Bioengineering, working together to develop the technology. Hyperspectral imaging uses the electromagnetic spectrum for medical visualization, allowing for non-invasive vital sign collection. It has been previously used for various applications such as guiding surgery and ophthalmological diagnosis in adult patients, but not for neonates. By using hyperspectral imaging to develop a novel method of non-invasive vital sign analysis for neonates, Andia aims to derive blood oxygenation and heart rate vital sign data from imaging the forehead of neonatal patients. Through this research, she aims to improve the level of care that neonates receive during neonatal transport and enhance the medical care team’s ability to care for the patient with better and more accurate vital signs. She also aims to determine if the forehead is a reliable area to image, as current hyperspectral imaging tools have not tested this area and research has not been done for pediatric and neonatal patients.

She aims to pursue MD and PhD degrees to become a neonatologist and physician-scientist making important contributions to advancing methods for monitoring neonatal health and improving patient outcomes. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her family and swimming.

Andia would like to thank Dr. Rachel Umoren, Dr. Ricky Wang, and other members of the NEST and Wang labs for their continuous support and guidance throughout her research. She is grateful for the Levinson Emerging Scholars Award and the Levinson family for supporting undergraduate research.

Mentors: Dr. Rachel Umoren, Department of Pediatrics; Dr. Ricky Wang, Department of Bioengineering

Project Title: Hyperspectral Imaging for Vital Sign Analysis in Neonatal Transport

Abby Reed is a senior at the University of Washington pursuing a degree in Neuroscience with a minor in music. She joined the Kanter lab in her sophomore year to study the molecular mechanisms behind the complications of diabetes. Her research focuses on Diabetic Kidney Disease (DKD) which affects up to half of all Type 2 Diabetics. It’s known that endothelial cell dysfunction contributes to DKD, but the mechanisms are not well understood. Abby’s research focuses on the layer of extracellular matrix closest to the endothelial cells, the glycocalyx, which regulates the filtration barrier of the glomerulus. Her research suggests that diabetes induces degradation of the glycocalyx, causing decreased filtration capacity of the glomerulus. She will investigate two metalloproteases (ADAMTS6 and ADAMTS9) and their role in remodeling the glycocalyx under diabetic conditions by silencing their expression and quantifying matrix degradation through flow cytometry. Additionally, she will investigate hyperglycemia’s role in matrix degradation by utilizing a diabetic mouse model treated with an SGLT2 inhibitor to control the mice’s blood glucose levels. She hopes that her research will contribute to developing effective treatments for DKD.
After graduating, she hopes to earn an MD/PhD to continue researching diabetes while also caring for patients. Outside of this project, Abby is part of the UW Campus Philharmonic Orchestra and is the Outreach Coordinator for Grey Matters Journal. Abby would like to thank her mentor, Dr. Jenny Kanter, for her phenomenal guidance, and the Bornfeldt and Kanter Labs for their invaluable support. She is also sincerely grateful to the Levinson family for their generosity and support of undergraduate research.

Mentor: Dr. Jenny Kanter, Department of Medicine: Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition

Project Title: Endothelial Cell Dysfunction and Glycocalyx Degradation in the Glomerulus in Diabetes

Kamaya is a junior at the University of Washington majoring in chemistry with a minor in applied mathematics. For the past two years she has been a part of Professor Dianne Xiao’s lab where she investigates catalysis in metal organic frameworks. Metal organic frameworks are a class of porous solids that are highly applicable across many systems due to their tunable nature. Kamaya leverages this tunability to chemically install varying functionality into pores in the framework to act as active sites, mimicking certain enzyme mechanics, to catalyze biomass upgrading reactions. These biomass upgrading reactions utilize waste from forestry and agriculture and transform it into useful platform molecules for fuel, to generate more sustainable fuel alternatives. While this kind of clean energy is not yet a mainstream resource, she hopes that her research can help towards making it one. As she has progressed through undergraduate research, she has learned that she is passionate about working towards environmental clean up through experimental lab work.
Outside of the lab, Kamaya enjoys playing on the UW water polo team, and spends her extra free time running, baking bread, and reading. She is extremely grateful for the support from all of her mentors, and especially appreciative to Dr. Dianne Xiao and Devin Rollins for making her undergraduate research experience one where she can constantly grow as a student and scientist. She is honored to have received the Levinson Emerging Scholars Award and thanks the Levinson family for their generous contributions to undergraduate research.

Mentors: Dianne Xiao, Department of Chemistry; Devin Rollins, Department of Chemistry

Project Title: Metal Organic Frameworks as Catalysts for Biomass Upgrading

Sahana Subramanian is a junior at the University of Washington studying Bioengineering. She joined the Zheng Lab the summer before her freshman year, where she focuses on endothelial cell (EC) response within a perfusable engineered heart tissue (EHT). 3D in vitro models, such as EHTs, have the potential to replicate human cardiac physiology, but often lack the critical element of vasculature. Vasculature networks are critical to heart function and homeostasis in vivo, and are thus key to include within in vitro models. Sahana is investigating the effects of various flow rates, and their corresponding shear stresses, on EC function within a perfusable EHT developed by the Zheng lab. With this research, she hopes to find key data regarding the function of ECs that can be used in future experiments with this perfusable EHT model.
Outside of school, Sahana loves to run, read, crochet, and go eat food with her friends! Sahana would like to thank her incredible mentors, Dr. Ying Zheng and Ph.D. student Ariana Frey for their mentorship and support in this project and throughout her college career. In addition she would like to thank Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Levinson for their gracious support in this work.

Mentor: Dr. Ying Zheng, Department of Bioengineering

Project Title: Investigating the Effects of Flow on Endothelial Cell Function In A Perfusable Engineered Heart Tissue

Tiffani is an undergraduate student at the University of Washington, pursuing a B.S. in Neuroscience with a minor in Philosophy. She is an NIH ENDURE Fellow, a UW McNair Scholar, and an OMA&D Merit Award Scholar. Her academic interests include sleep and circadian rhythms, neurophysiology, molecular neuroscience, and behavioral neuroscience.

Since joining the de la Iglesia lab in Winter of 2024, Tiffani has focused on researching how fear entrainment affects circadian rhythms. This research aims to identify brain oscillators that interact with the central circadian clock, located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which synchronizes with the light-dark cycle. She is currently investigating whether cyclic fear influences activity differently depending on the circadian phase during which it occurs. Additionally, she is examining whether the SCN’s molecular clock can entrain to cyclic fear in the absence of 24-hour light cues. This research seeks to uncover the mechanisms of fear entrainment and how environmental threats can synchronize biological rhythms, leading to sleep disruptions commonly found in psychiatric disorders like PTSD.

As a non-traditional student, Tiffani returned to school with a clear intent to pursue a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. Her motivation to enter the field stems from a deep desire to understand the neurological mechanisms of the human condition. She aspires to continually expand her knowledge and contribute to the field through research and discovery.

Tiffani is grateful to the de la Iglesia lab and the Levinson Emerging Scholars Award for supporting her research endeavors.

Mentor: Horacio de la Iglesia, Department of Biology

Project Title: Circadian Phase Resetting by Time-Specific Fear

Dang Truong is a senior at the University of Washington Bothell, majoring in Biology and minoring in Physics. She is passionate about studying cell mechanotransduction or how cells can sense and respond to physical forces in their environment. She joined the Sniadecki Cell Biomechanics Lab through the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine’s research program for undergraduates, and has been there ever since doing some very cool science. Dang’s research focuses on using a microfluidic device to investigate platelet hemostasis by measuring platelet force, area, activation level and other aspects. She has examined various factors that impact hemostasis such as medication, disease, and blood proteins. Currently, she is studying the limitations of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy in individuals with elevated von Willebrand Factor and assessing how it affects embolization risk. After graduation, she hopes to pursue graduate school and a career in research.
Dang could not have achieved this without the kind support and guidance of Dr. Nathan J. Sniadecki, Dr. Bryan D. White, the Cell Biomechanics Lab members and her amazing graduate student mentor, Ava Obenaus, who has always encouraged her on the research path. Dang is honored to be named a Levinson Scholar and would like to thank the Levinson family for the generous gift, which has enabled her to pursue this project.

Mentor: Dr. Nathan J. Sniadecki. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering, Lab Medicine & Pathology.

Project Title: Elevated von Willebrand Factor and Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Impacts Thrombus Embolization Risk