The Office of Undergraduate Research & Scholarships has a great group of experienced undergraduate researcher peer advisors that are ready to help you out.
Wondering how to get started in undergraduate research or seeking scholarships? Meet virtually with one of our peer advisors.
Please email the peer advisors in advance if you plan on attending their drop in hours.
Alondra Camarena
Integrative Biology, Public Health - URAP
Hello! My name is Alondra Camarena and I am a fourth-year student double majoring in Public Health and Molecular Environmental Biology with a minor in Disability Studies. I am originally from the Central Valley (California) and on the pre-medical route. I joined URAP my first semester as a member of the Patient Support Corps at UCSF. Our group is focused on different avenues of health advocacy and providing support/resources for patients at UCSF, such as patient scribing. In addition, I am passionate about advocating for health equity in marginalized communities with a focus on environmental health impact. Outside of school, I enjoy taking my dog to the dog park and listening to music on the Glade 🙂
Jane Li
Molecular & Cell Biology, Psychology - URAP
Hey there. My name is Jane, and I am a junior majoring in MCB neurobiology emphasis and Psychology. I am an international student from China. I joined the Nogales lab through the URAP program at the beginning of my sophomore year and stayed in the lab over the past summer. Affiliated with the Collins lab, I work on a project combining retrotransposons and cas enzymes to search for a potential tool for gene editing. Besides working in a wet lab in biology, I am also a research assistant for Professor Persons in the psychology department. As a member of the Berkeley Scientific Journal, I am active as a scientific writer as well.
Outside of research/school, I love exploring coffee shops, going to concerts, cooking with my friend, and hanging out with my cats. Feel free to reach out through email or zoom with any questions! Please feel free to shoot me an email and/or set up a zoom meeting if you need help or want to chat!
Tanmayi Patharkar
Microbial Biology - URAP
Hey! My name is Tanmayi (she/her) and I am a junior majoring in Microbial Biology. I became involved in research starting my freshman year, when I joined the Looy Lab as a Research Apprentice through the URAP program. In order to build on my interest in climate science research, I also began working as a Lab and Field Assistant in the Wang Lab my sophomore year through the CNR SPUR program. This summer, I had an opportunity to spend some time doing fieldwork and collecting data for an independent research project working to understand the impact of natural and sexual selection on specific microbiome communities.
Outside of school, I enjoy writing, spending time with my dog, and trying new coffee places! Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about finding research, starting an independent project, writing grants, or anything else!
Emily Nguyen
Computer Science - URAP & SURF
Hi everyone! My pronouns are she/her. I’m a PhD student advised by Dr. Yan Liu at USC. My research interests are machine learning for data with special structure, including high dimensional data and time series, in health and healthcare. Previously, I earned my BA in Computer Science from Cal in 2022. I worked as a student researcher at UCSF and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory where I was co-advised by Drs. Kristofer Bouchard and Roy Ben-Shalom.
I’m happy to answer questions like: How can I get involved in the exciting world of cutting-edge research? Could you please provide feedback on my proposal? What is grad school life like? Come chat about anything research-related with me!
Madeleine Blanc
Urban Studies, Dutch Minor, Anthropology Minor - URAP
Hi there! I’m Madeleine or Maddy (she/her). I’m a sophomore majoring in Urban Studies and minoring in Anthropology and Dutch. I got involved with research at Berkeley through URAP last year with Professor Bryan Wagner. We’re working on a project in collaboration with a publishing collective focused on telling the stories and histories of New Orleans. I’ve absolutely loved the experience and hope to continue using research skills to amplify peoples’ stories. Outside of school and research I love to read, hike, watch movies and travel! Send me an email if you have any questions, concerns, or want to chat 🙂
Mauricio Chandler
Political Economy - URAP
Hey! My name is Mauricio, I’m a Junior studying Political Economy with a minor in Global Poverty and Practice. I became involved with the undergraduate research community in my sophomore year when I took on a research assistant position with law fellow Diana Reddy through URAP. The research I have conducted under Diana concerns work law and social movements and specifically examines prevalent social interpretations of labor throughout the second half of the 20th century. Aside from my research role, I enjoy reading, playing basketball, and thrifting. I would love to help you out with any questions you may have. I have included my email and linked below. Let’s set up a chat!
Rachel Chen
Business Administration, Data Science - URAP
Hi! My name is Rachel (she/her), and I’m a sophomore intending to study Business Administration and Data Science. For the past two semesters, I have been involved with URAP under the apprenticeship of Haas Professor Ellen Evers, where I researched judgment and decision making specifically in the marketing industry. During my senior year of high school, I led a year-long research project on a similar topic but about high schoolers and mask wearing and I had the opportunity to carry out my experiment with a 10-page research paper and a presentation. I love dancing, beach trips, and going out with my friends. You can send me an email if you have any questions, comments, or just want to talk!
Emma Lalor
Microbial Biology - URAP
Hi! My name is Emma (she/her), and I’m a senior studying Microbial Biology. I transferred to Cal last fall, and have been involved with URAP in the Shapira laboratory, which studies the gut microbiome of nematodes found all over the world. In the summer before transferring to Cal, I worked in the Petit laboratory at CSUF doing computational organic chemistry research on photobases. I also got the opportunity to do an independent research project at Saddleback Community College on salinity effects on brown oyster mushrooms. I love writing, learning about medicine, and working out. You can send me an email if you have any questions, comments, or just want to talk in my drop in hour!
Megan Luo
Molecular & Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Chinese Minor - URAP & SURF
Hello! My name is Megan, I’m a senior majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology with an emphasis in Biochemistry and a minor in Chinese. I’ve been working in the Marqusee Lab to study biophysics, in particular the energetic landscapes of proteins. I recently finished my SURF project over the summer, which will lead into my honors thesis for the next school year. In the past, I have been involved in URAP where I worked in an immunology lab at UCSF. I also worked at City of Hope, studying cancer epigenetics for a summer fellowship. I love exploring the food scene nearby (and not so near), reading books, and talking science. Please feel free to reach out to me via email if you’d like to talk or have questions about research or anything in general!
Iman Quershi
Political Science, Data Science Minor - URAP
Hi everyone! My name is Iman and I’m a junior majoring in Political Science with a minor in Data Science. I’ve been studying Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Post-Conflict Contexts with Dr. Biz Herman through URAP since my second semester at Cal. I’m currently co-authoring a paper on the prioritization of mental health and psychosocial support in international organizations. Last year, I researched dynamic user-friendly data implementation at Geopogo, a software company in Berkeley, through the Data Science Discovery Program. My other research interests lie within the realms of quantitative methods in the social sciences and comparative politics within South Asia. Three things I love doing most are strolling through art galleries, reading Urdu poetry, and hiking!Â
Reach out to me if you want to talk or ask questions about anything from school and doing research as an undergrad to the best hiking spots around Berkeley!
Alejandro Sánchez
EECS, Mathematics - URAP & SURF
¡Hola, hola! My name is Alejandro Sánchez and I am an international student from Mexico. I am currently in my senior year, studying EECS and Mathematics. Throughout my time at Berkeley, I have been blessed with the opportunity to participate in several research projects, which have all helped me grow tremendously as an academic and as an individual. While many of these projects were through dedicated programs like URAP, SURF, and DARE, I have also found research opportunities outside of these conventional means. If there is one thing I have learned in my time at this university, it is that everyone can get involved in research! Reach out and we can talk about how to find the right research opportunity for you! Alternatively, we can discuss why Tears of the Kingdom is the best video game ever created.
Danielle Tran
English, Educational Sciences - URAP
Hello! My name is Danielle; I’m a junior majoring in English and Educational Sciences. Last year, I had a wonderful experience assisting Prof. Timothy Tangherlini in developing social networks for the Icelandic Sagas. (Essentially, Facebook for vikings!) This year, I’m thrilled to be a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, where I will have the opportunity to explore my own research interests. (Something about religious poetry? Or robots? Or both?)
Outside of research, I enjoy running and exploring swing dance venues throughout the bay. If I claim to be working on my novel, I am most likely bluffing. I look forward to learning with you this semester!
