Principal Investigator
Neil Y.C. Lin
Assistant Professor, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering + Bioengineering 2020
Email: neillin@g.ucla.edu
Postdoc, School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Wyss Institute, Harvard University 2016-2019
Ph.D. Physics, Cornell University 2016
B.S. Physics, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan 2008
Graduate Students
Marie Payne
Ph.D. Student, Mechanical Engineering
B.S. Civil Engineering, Stanford University 2020
E-mail: mpayne6@g.ucla.edu
Project: AI diagnostics, organoid biomanufacturing & cell culture instrumentation
About me: Outside of lab I love to get outside and be active! Favorite activities are hiking, frisbee & tennis.
Alex Bermudez
Ph.D. Student, Bioengineering
B.S. Physics, UCLA 2022
E-mail: alexberms@gmail.com
Project: Epithelial modulus heterogeneity
About me: I was born and raised in Imperial, California. I love working with others, eating, and playing with my mischievous kitten, Playboi Calamari!
James C.H. Lo
Ph.D. Student, Bioengineering
M.S. Pharmaceutical Science, National Defense Medical Center, Taiwan 2017
B.S. Pharmacy, National Defense Medical Center, Taiwan 2013
E-mail: chihhuilo@g.ucla.edu
Project: organoid biomanufacturing
About me: Hi, I am a Bioengineering PhD student from Taiwan. Outside of the lab, I love playing basketball, hiking, and exploring everything because I’m new to LA .
Jerry Chen
MS. Student, Bioengineering
B.S. Biomedical Engineering and Environment Science, NTHU 2020
E-mail: twjerry124669@g.ucla.edu
Project: Force-induced cell heterogeneity
About me: I am a graduate student who comes from Taiwan. I like watching series and playing computer games in my free time. Love volleyball and eating and have interest in trying different sports!
Alan Levinson
Ph.D. Student, Bioengineering
B.S. Bioengineering, University of Washington
E-mail: alanlev@g.ucla.edu
Project: Millifluidic platform for perfused organoid biomanufacturing and investigating crosstalk between autonomic nerves and prostate cancer.
About me: I am from the SF Bay Area and love hiking, gardening, cooking large amounts of food, and reading/writing science fiction. I also like games of any kind (board, card, or video), especially Magic the Gathering.
Undergraduate Researchers
Shannon Li
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, UCLA 2024
E-mail: sfshanli820@gmail.com
Project: Mechanical properties of PDMS-particle composites
About Me: Hi!! At UCLA I am a member of BMES and ASME. I was born and raised in San Francisco (go Giants and 49ers!). In my free time I love to play soccer, draw, do crafts, bake, and go on walks.
Alyssa Gee
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, UCLA 2024
E-mail: alyssagee@g.ucla.edu
Project: Mechanical properties of PDMS-particle composites
About Me: Hi! Outside of the lab, I am currently a part of ASME's Bruin Underwater Robotics Project on the manipulator and research subteams. I enjoy baking/cooking, reading, and solving puzzles.
Kathryn Saxton
B.S. Bioengineering, UCLA 2024
Email: ksaxton@g.ucla.edu
Project: Organoid biomanufacturing
About Me: I’m a bioengineering student planning on minoring in statistics. At UCLA, I am involved in BMES, COHL and TBP, and outside of school, I enjoy reading and crocheting!
Zoe Latham
B.S. Bioengineering, UCLA 2024
Email: zoelatham@g.ucla.edu
Project: Epithelial modulus heterogeneity
About Me: Hi! I am a bioengineering student from San Diego, CA. At UCLA I'm currently involved with BMES and I love playing tennis, baking, and reading!
Michael Liu
B.S. Computer Science, UCLA 2025
Minor, Bioinformatics
Email: michaelwl25@g.ucla.edu
Project: AI microscopy
About Me: Hello! I'm from Berkeley, CA, and I'm interested in how we can use computational tools to streamline biological research. Outside of lab, I do web development for UCLA Radio and play frisbee! I also love eating, backpacking, trying out new things, and listening to The Strokes.
Charlotte Schmitt
B.S. Bioengineering, Class of 2025
Email: schmitt@g.ucla.edu
Project: Organoid biomanufacturing
About Me: I am a bioengineering student from Encinitas, CA, and I'm fascinated by tissue engineering with applications to artificial organ development. At UCLA, I am involved with BMES and Theta Tau, but in my free time, I love backpacking and hiking, knitting, and going to museums!
Lina Kafadarian
B.S. Bioengineering, UCLA 2024
Email: linakafadarian@g.ucla.edu
About Me: I’m a bioengineering student, and at UCLA I'm involved in TBP. In my free time, I enjoy drawing and reading.
Johnny Diaz
B.S. Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, UCLA 2020
Email: johnny.diaz923@gmail.com
Project: Metabolism of Polycystic Kidney Disease
About me: I was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, California. Outside of the lab, I enjoy spending time with my two cats (Sunstra and Nube) and going on outdoor adventures.
Simone Horowitz
B.A. Political Science, B.S. Mathematics-Economics, UCLA 2026
Email: simonehorowitz@g.ucla.edu
About Me: I am the Lab Manager at the Lin Lab and am double majoring in political science and math-econ at UCLA. I'm from Boston, MA and love reading, playing the violin, and cooking in my free time.
Iris Sloan
B.S. Bioengineering, UCLA 2026
Email: isloan@g.ucla.edu
About Me:
Hi! I am a bioengineering student from Kailua, Hawai‘i. At UCLA, I am a cell team project manager for the Biomedical Engineering Society and an active member of SCOPE Patient Health Advocates. Outside of lab, I enjoy cooking, singing, and going to the beach!
Katie Shi
B.S. Physiological Sciences, UCLA 2025
Email: katieshi@g.ucla.edu
About Me: I am a physiological sciences and disability studies student on the pre-med track from Philadelphia, PA. At UCLA I am the captain of the cheerleading team and volunteer with the Asian American Tutorial Project and Expressive Movement Initiative. In my free time, I like weightlifting, trying new coffee and matcha, and watching bad reality TV with my roommates.
Lin Lab Alumni
Master's Students
David Choi - M.S. Mechanical Engineering (2022) - United States Patent and Trademark Office
Samanta Negrete Muñoz - M.S. Bioengineering (2023) - Currently interviewing for positions
Undergraduates
SumYat (Thomas) Ho - B.S. Biochemistry (2020) - Hong Kong Medical School student
Zachary Gonzales - B.S. Biophysics (2022) - Eikon Therapeutics
Ethan Salter - B.S. Bioengineering (2022) - AMFM Healthcare
Dorian Luccioni - Materials Science and Physics (2023) - Nano-electronic materials researcher
Nathan Cai - B.S. Bioengineering (2023) - Stanford mechanical engineering master's student
Brandon Lee - B.S. Bioengineering (2023) - Cheng Plastic Surgery Medical Assistant, applying to medical school
Alex Ma - B.S. Bioengineering (2023) - Ph.D. Student at Rice University
Melissa Rupert - B.S. Bioengineering (2023) - Masters student at UCLA - JVL Biomechanics Laboratory
Visiting Scholars
Sara Imboden - MSc Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich (2022) - A2 Biotheraputics
Leya Weber - MSc Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich (2022) - UCLA Health