Srivastava Lab

Samanvaya Srivastava

B.S. and M.S., Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Cornell University

Postdoc, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago

Samanvaya is an Assistant Professor in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UCLA. He completed his undergraduate and master's work from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and his Ph.D. with Lynden Archer from Cornell University, all in Chemical Engineering. Before coming to UCLA, he was a postdoctoral scholar with Matthew Tirrell at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago.

Samanvaya's research interests are in understanding the influence of intermolecular interactions on material structure and properties, with a broader aim to combine this fundamental understanding with molecular engineering and self-assembly processes to improve materials design. Samanvaya has received various awards, including the Austin Hooey Graduate Research Excellence Recognition Award at Cornell University (2013), the RSC Researcher Mobility Grant (2017), AIChE 35 under 35 (2020), and the NSF CAREER award (2020).

samsri<at>ucla<dot>edu

Department website CV Google Scholar

B. Kollbe Ahn

Ph.D., Kansas State University

Postdoc, University of California, Santa Barbara

Before joining UCLA, Kollbe was a faculty member at UCSB and UCF, and has recently left his tenure-track professor position to focus on his roles at several companies located in the greater LA area as CEO, Board of Directors and Advisory Board member. He has managed several millions of dollars of multiple government/industrial R&D funds as PI, and authored numerous high-profile publications (e.g., Nature Materials, JACS, and Science) in the field of surface science and biomaterials. He is currently affiliated with UCLA and UCSB, and maintains his academic activities. His research interest is to translate the chemistry of biological organisms to synthetic materials for biomedical applications.

Tobias Göckler

Ph.D., Chemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany

Tobias is a visiting postdoctoral researcher from KIT in Germany. His research focuses on developing photocrosslinkable bioinks for 3D bioprinting. During his stint at UCLA, he builds on his previous work on interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogels. His goal is to improve the printability of very liquid-like bioinks by the inclusion of complex-forming block polyelectrolytes. The effectiveness of the approach will be evaluated in collaboration with the group of Prof. Ute Schepers (KIT) for cell-based 3D printing applications. In his spare time, Tobias enjoys traveling, hiking, road trips, and playing basketball.

tobiasgoeckler<at>ucla<dot>edu

Defu Li

B.S., Chemical Engineering, UCLA

Defu is a graduate student in the department of chemical and biomolecular engineering. His previous researches are focused on proton-exchange membrane fuel cell, synthesis of nanoscale materials, and energy conversion materials. He enjoys doing exercise and traveling.

lidefu520<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu

Advait Holkar

B.Tech., Chemical Engineering, IIT Delhi

Advait is a graduate student in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UCLA. His research focuses on the understanding the interaction between polyelectrolytes and charged nanoparticles and investigates the structure-property relations of the resulting complexes. He enjoys listening to music and exploring different cultures.

advaitholkar<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu

Divya Jayaram Iyer

B.Tech., Polymer Engineering & Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology Mumbai

Divya is a graduate student in the Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at UCLA. During her undergraduate studies, Divya worked on processing of polymer/ graphene nanocomposites and synthesis of materials from agricultural waste for application in energy storage. Apart from academics, she enjoys playing the violin, watching & playing cricket and writing articles on her blog.

divyajayaram<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu

Holly Senebandith

B.A., Biology, Bryn Mawr College

M.S., Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology, UCLA

Holly is a graduate student in the biochemistry, molecular and structural biology program at UCLA. As a graduate student in the Srivastava Group, she is working on protein encapsulation within polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) domains. In her spare time, Holly loves traveling and is an aerial fitness enthusiast.

hollys<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu

Fahed Albreiki

B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago

M.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago

Fahed is a graduate student at the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department at UCLA. As an undergraduate and MS student, he worked on understanding the effects of viscoelasticity on interfacial instabilities and pattern formation with a focus on purely elastic polymer solutions. He enjoys sports, art, and engaging in community-based activities.

fahedalbreiki<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu

Mohammad Galadari

B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Southern California

Mohammad is a graduate student in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UCLA. Besides academics, he enjoys scuba diving, traveling, and collecting wristwatches.

mgaladari<at>ucla<dot>edu

Vanessa Huaco

Vanessa is an undergraduate student at UCLA majoring in Chemical Engineering. In the future, she plans on enrolling in graduate school to pursue a doctoral degree. She began working with the Srivastava Lab through the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) and will be continuing to work with the lab this academic year. Aside from research, she enjoys baking/cooking, music, and spending time with her family.

vhuaco<at>ucla<dot>edu

Fernaldy Wirawan

Fernaldy is an undergraduate student majoring in Chemical Engineering at UCLA with a concentration in Biomolecular Engineering. In his spare time, Fernaldy enjoys hiking, sports, and is also an animal enthusiast.

fernaldy0917<at>ucla<dot>edu

Katie Villaseñor

Katie Villasenor is an undergraduate student in the Bioengineering department at UCLA. Her research within the Srivastava Lab involves the stabilization of self-assembling polyelectrolyte precipitates and coacervates with applications to pesticide and protein encapsulation. Katie’s favorite things to do outside of school are backpacking, surfing, and playing trumpet in UCLA’s Afro-Latin Jazz Band.

ktvillasenor<at>ucla<dot>edu