People

 Lucas is an Assistant Professor at UC Davis in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior and the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. He began conducting research as an undergraduate at the University of Washington in Bioengineering. After working as a research technician for a year, Lucas served as a logistics officer in the United States Air Force while stationed at McChord AFB. He returned to research by entering the Bioengineering graduate program at UC San Diego. His thesis work with Dr. Richard Lieber centered on understanding the adaptations of muscle in children with cerebral palsy. For his postdoctoral fellowship, Lucas moved to University of Pennsylvania. Lucas worked in labs that studied fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, and mechanobiology before integrating those studies into the MyoMatrix Lab at UC Davis. When not in the lab, Lucas enjoys spending time with his family and bringing them to Aggie sporting events. He also likes taking advantage of the beautiful areas around Davis for biking, camping, and hiking.

Sarah is a graduate student in the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Group. She graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and a minor in Mathematics in 2018. Her previous research experience is in Dr. Daisuke Sato's Theoretical Cardiology Lab, where she was using cellular automaton to model calcium dynamics in cardiac myocytes. During her time as an undergraduate, she was a Sports Medicine intern with the UC Davis football team, a teaching intern at COSMOS, and volunteered at UCDMC and with Special Olympics. In her time outside of the lab, she is a scribe in the Emergency Department at Sutter Davis Hospital and a mentor for the Redwood SEED Scholars program. In her free time, Sarah enjoys going line dancing, skiing, going to country concerts, and watching Aggie Football and SF Giants games. 

Ross is a graduate student in the Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology (MCIP) grad group. In the MyoMatrix Lab he studies the impact of ECM architecture on skeletal muscle biomechanics. Using mouse models and human muscle biopsies, Ross combines functional mechanical testing and second harmonic generation imaging to elucidate structure-function relationships in skeletal muscle that can help identify new therapeutic targets for fibrotic muscle diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy. In his free time Ross enjoys working out or going on a run; he also likes spending time with his family and friends and rooting for the 49ers.

Madison is a graduate student in the Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (BMCDB) group. She graduated from Cal State University San Marcos with a B.S. in Biotechnology. Madison’s undergraduate research investigated the relationship between the soil microbiome and the nutritional content of tomatoes. In the MyoMatrix lab, her research focuses on characterizing and optimizing bovine cells for use in cultivated meat. Outside of lab, Madison enjoys spending time with her friends and playing D&D. 

Kyle graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a B.S. in Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics. His undergraduate research involved developing a spike protein-based ELISA for a novel strain of astrovirus, using AI-based protein folding algorithms and protein expression techniques. In the past, he has also assisted MyoMatrix Lab in a muscle mechanics study. In his free time Kyle enjoys listening to and playing music, making digital art, and occasionally running and hiking with friends. 

Denise is a fourth year Biomedical Engineering major and Art History minor. She hopes to attend graduate school after finishing her undergraduate degree. Outside of school and work, she enjoys making art, photography, weightlifting, and hanging out with her cat. 

Alessandra is a third year Biological Science student at UC Davis. She is hoping to attend dental school after completing her undergraduate degree. Aside from assisting in the lab, she is part of cultural clubs such as Filipinx Association for Health Careers (FAHC) and Mga Kapatid. She serves as the community service coordinator for Filipinx Association for Health Careers (FAHC). She is also part of the Biology Undergraduate Scholars Program (BUSP). Outside of school, she enjoys cooking, drawing, and thrift shopping with her friends. 

Sathvik is a third year Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior major. Outside of being a research assistant, Sathvik is a part of the American Medical Association at UC Davis and looks to be involved with more organizations at Davis. Sathvik is currently a pre-med student and hopes to pursue a career in orthopedics in the future. In his free time, you can find Sathvik working out at the ARC, playing any sport with his friends, or just out in nature!