Srivastava Lab

Samanvaya Srivastava 

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

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Cornell University

Postdoc, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago

Samanvaya is an Associate Professor of 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), the NSF CAREER award (2020), and the Scialog Fellowship (2024).

samsri<at>ucla<dot>edu

Department website           CV            Google Scholar

Aoon Rizvi

B.S., Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Ph.D., Chemistry, UC-Irvine

Aoon Rizvi was born in Pakistan and migrated to the US in 2009. He received his BS in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. There, he worked with Steve Zimmerman on the synthesis of stimuli-responsive polymers. He moved to UC Irvine, where he did his PhD work with Joe Patterson, studying the fundamentals of block copolymer coacervation, reactivities, and nanoscale structure. After his PhD, he transitioned to biology and joined Serena Sanulli's lab at Stanford University as a Propel Postdoctoral Scholar, where he studied the effects of DNA methylation on chromatin condensates and developed cryo-ET approaches to elucidate nanoscale condensate morphologies. Most recently, Aoon joined the Srivastava Lab to develop coacervate-based bioreactors for enzymatic cascades using high-throughput approaches.  Aoon is passionate about teaching and mentorship in academic settings as a driver of scientific progress, and he is working towards being a professor after his postdoctoral training. Beyond science, Aoon loves cooking, exploring the outdoors, and film photography. 

aoonr<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 the Srivastava Group 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, playing video games, and spending time outside 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 Srivastava 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. During his undergraduate studies, he built an apparatus to 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

Riddhi Kaley

B.Tech., Oils Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai

Riddhi is a graduate student in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department at UCLA. During her undergraduate studies, she worked on synthesizing eco-friendly plasticizers. Outside of the lab, she likes reading books and watching sitcoms. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and traveling. 

kaleyriddhi<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu

Tianyue Yu

B.S., Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UCLA

Tianyue is a graduate student in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UCLA. In her undergraduate studies, she worked on characterizing the adhesive properties of polyelectrolyte complex hydrogels. In her graduate research, she is exploring new directions in water pretreatment. In her spare time, Tianyue likes to draw, hike, and fish.

tianyueyu<at>ucla<dot>edu

Orchid Pyone

B.S., Chemical Engineering, UCLA

Orchid is a graduate student in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UCLA from Myanmar. She joined the Srivastava lab in Summer 2023 as an undergraduate student. Outside of the lab, Orchid enjoys playing badminton, traveling, and going to concerts.

orchidwang<at>ucla<dot>edu

Varun Maheshwari

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

Varun is a graduate student in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UCLA. In his undergraduate studies, he worked on characterizing extensional flow properties of complex fluids such as creams and oils. He modified a technique that characterizes extensional flow in the same surrounding system. Beyond academics, he likes to photograph and cook. In his free time, Varun likes to play pool, play soccer, run, or hike.

vmaheshwari11<at>ucla<dot>edu

Hailey Tran

B.S., Chemical Engineering, UC San Diego

Hailey is a graduate student in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UCLA, co-advised by Prof. Srivastava and Prof. Wright. Her undergraduate research focused on engineered living materials, including the biosynthesis of conductive polymers and the encapsulation of bacteria. In her free time, she enjoys finding new foods and recipes to try with friends and staying active at the gym.

haileytran<at>ucla<dot>edu

Tarun Shankar Subramaniam

B.Tech., Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Trichy

Tarun is a graduate student in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UCLA. During his undergraduate studies, he worked on polymer nanocomposites and thin-film systems, focusing on phase-field modeling and material design. In his free time, Tarun enjoys playing tennis, watching movies, and traveling.

 trnsync6<at>ucla<dot>edu

Helene Do

B.S., Chemistry, UCLA 

Helene is a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCLA. She joined the Srivastava Lab in the Fall of 2024, focusing on the synthesis and mechanical characterization of complex hydrogel systems. Her graduate work explores the bio-applications of these materials, with an emphasis on developing hydrogels for protein and drug delivery. Outside of the lab, she enjoys spending time with family, friends, and her dog, Truffle.

 heleneedo<at>ucla<dot>edu

Devajyoti Bedahuti Banerjee

B.S., Chemical Engineering, University Institute of Chemical Technology, Jalgaon, Maharashtra

Deva is a graduate student in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department at UCLA, diving into hydrogels in the Srivastava group. During his undergrad, he studied the rheology of shear-induced particle-polymer gel formation, also known as "shake-gels." Beyond the lab, Deva’s love for cricket runs deep, whether he's on the field or glued to a match, and he never misses a beat when it comes to enjoying good music.

devajyotib<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu

Swaraali Save

Swaraali is a second-year Chemical Engineering undergraduate student from the Bay Area. Outside of research, she enjoys ceramic arts, baking, fashion, and travel. 

svs26<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu

Esson Zhang

Esson is a UCLA Chemical Engineering undergraduate student from Washington State. He joined the lab in 2025. In his free time, he likes to play soccer, ping pong, video games, and hang out with friends.

essonz<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu

Chase Dymon

Chase is a second-year Chemical Engineering student at UCLA from Barrington, IL. He joined the lab in the summer of 2026 to work on enzyme reactions in coacervate droplets. Outside of the lab, he likes to go to the gym, watch sports, and hang out with friends.

chasedymon<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu

Hayley Yu

Hayley is an undergraduate student in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UCLA. She joined the lab in 2026 and is interested in polymer synthesis. In her free time, she enjoys trying new food spots, travelling, and hanging out with her friends.

hayleyyu<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu

Joseph Anderson

Joseph is a third-year Chemical Engineering student at UCLA who joined the lab in the summer of 2026 to focus on process automation. In his free time, he enjoys hiking in his hometown of Santa Clarita, rock climbing, biking, cooking, and playing games with friends.

joeanderson991<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu

Alexander Landsberg

Alex is a fourth-year Chemical Engineering transfer student at UCLA from the Bay Area. He is interested in contributing to research on coacervate droplets.

alexander23<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu

Anirudh Govada

Anirudh is a first-year undergraduate student at UCLA from Orange County, studying Biochemistry on the pre-med track. He is interested in polymer synthesis, reaction chemistry, and applications to biomedicine. Outside of research, he enjoys playing chess, traveling, and spending time outdoors.

anigovada08<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu

Kira Choi

Kira is an undergraduate student in Chemical Engineering at UCLA from Torrance. She is interested in studying the properties of polyelectrolyte complex hydrogels. Outside of the lab, she enjoys baking, arts & crafts, and eating out with friends. 

kirachoi<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu

Daytsurina Campbell

Daytsurina is a third-year Materials Engineering student at UCLA from Long Beach. She joined the lab in 2026 and is interested in polymer synthesis and modeling the rheology of polyelectrolyte complex hydrogels. Outside of the lab, she enjoys drawing, hiking, video games, and trying new baking recipes.

lavilacam<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu

Gurshaan Raunaq Pabla

Gurshaan is a second-year Bioengineering student at UCLA from Fullerton, CA. He joined the lab in 2026 and is interested in hydrogel research. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, playing soccer, and going to the beach.

gpabla<at>g<dot>ucla<dot>edu