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

Xiaodi Dai

Ph.D., Ghent University

Xiaodi is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UCLA. In his PhD, focused on to bridging knowledge gaps for alkali-activated materials (AAM) by applying experimental and theoretical methods. His Ph.D. subject is "rheology and setting behavior of alkali-activated cements." Now his research focuses on the rheology of cementitious suspension and its active control. 

daixiaodi<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 Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at UCLA. In the Srivastava group, she is working on fabricating upcycled organic-inorganic composites, and studying the fundamentals of polyelectrolyte complex coacervates. Outside of lab, she enjoys hiking, playing the violin, and following cricket.

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

Caitlyn Fick

B.A., Chemistry, Scripps College

M.S., Chemistry, UCLA

Caitlyn is a graduate student in the chemistry department at UCLA. Outside of lab she loves to hike, run, and be outside with her friends and family.

caitlynfick<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu

Arthur Odenheimer

B.S., Chemistry, Louisiana State University

B.M., Flute Performance, Louisiana State University

Arthur is a graduate student in the Chemistry department at UCLA working in both Srivastava Lab and the Caram Lab. His research aims at using spectroscopic methods to better understand the self-assembly and properties of polymers. In his free time, he enjoys playing the flute, video games, and sitting outside and enjoying nature.

aodenh3<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu

Charlie Drucker

B.S., Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Charlie is a graduate student in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department at UCLA working with both the Srivastavan and Peterson groups studying the rheology of dense emulsions. As a former line cook, Charlie spends most of his free time outside UCLA in the kitchen.

c.drucker<at>ucla<dot>edu

Vihar Trada

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

Vihar is a graduate student in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at UCLA. In his undergraduate studies, he assembled an apparatus that can characterize certain extensional flow properties of complex fluids such as hand soaps. He enjoys hiking and roller coasters, and in his free time, he listens to classical music and plays chess.

vtrada<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu

Zara Khan

B.Tech., Polymer Science and Chemical Technology, Delhi Technological University, India

Zara is a graduate student in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department at UCLA. She has recently joined the Srivastava Lab. In her undergraduate studies she has worked on hydrogels and their characterization. Outside of work, she likes traveling, reading, and following tennis.

khanzara<at>ucla<dot>edu

Haleema Kashif

B.S., Chemistry, UCLA

Haleema is a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCLA. Outside of the lab, she enjoys running, boxing, and capoeira. 

hkashif316<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

Tianyue Yu

Tianyue Yu is an undergraduate student in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UCLA. She is interested in studying adhesives using polyelectrolytes. In her spare time, Tianyue likes drawing, hiking, and fishing.

tianyueyu<at>ucla<dot>edu

Peter Goh

Peter Goh is a UCLA Chemical Engineering Undergraduate from Singapore, intending to pursue a Geography/Environmental Science Minor. He started volunteering in the Summer of 2022 at the end of his first year. During his free time, Peter is an avid rock climber and enjoys other outdoor activities such as hiking and camping. His other hobbies include cooking and baking. 

petergohrf01<at>ucla<dot>edu

Orchid Pyone

Orchid Pyone is an undergraduate chemical engineering student at UCLA from Myanmar. She joined Srivastava lab starting in the Summer of 2023. Outside of lab, Orchid enjoys playing badminton, traveling, and going to concerts.

orchidwang<at>ucla<dot>edu

Maanasi Narayan

Maanasi is a third-year Materials Engineering student interested in the characterization of soft materials. Outside the lab, she is involved with the campus organization Bruin Supermileage. 

maanasihd<at>ucla<dot>edu

Anuraag Tandon

Anuraag Tandon is an incoming freshman to UCLA planning to major in Bioengineering on a premedical path. He is interested in studying adhesive properties of polyelectrolyte complex coacervates. He enjoys spending time with his friends and family, going out on runs, and playing tennis.

anutandon<at>ucla<dot>edu