The Team
Embedded Files
Erika L. Cyphert, Ph.D. - Principal Investigator
Dr. Cyphert started as an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at UC San Diego in July 2024. She completed her postdoctoral training as an NIH NRSA F32 (NIA) Postdoctoral Fellow at Cornell University (Sibley School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering) and the UC San Francisco (Dept of Orthopaedic Surgery) working with Dr. Christopher Hernandez studying associations between the gut microbiome and musculoskeletal tissue health. She received her Ph.D. (NSF GRFP Fellow) and B.S.E. in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University focused on biomaterials, drug delivery, and infectious diseases working with Dr. Horst von Recum. As an avid traveler she has spent time as a visiting researcher at the Warsaw University of Technology (Poland) and Tokyo Women's Medical University (Japan) as a Fulbright Scholar and Whitaker Foundation Grantee. In her free time, she loves distance running, hiking, baking, and traveling.
Email: ecyphert@ucsd.edu
Postdoctoral Fellows
Graduate Students
Tanya Kumar
Tanya is an MD/PhD student in her second year of her PhD in Bioengineering. She completed her Bachelors in Microbiology from UC Berkeley in 2019. She is currently obsessed with biofilms and has a strong interest in studying the vaginal microbiome, which she pursued during a Fulbright to India in 2022. Outside of science, she enjoys jiu jitsu, reading (along with exploring the San Diego Public Library System), and spending time with her senior dog, Scroodle.
Yumie Lee
Yumie is a second year PhD student in Bioengineering. She completed her B.S. in bioengineering from UC Merced in 2024, where she worked under Dr. Andrea Merg. Her research interests include drug delivery and biomaterials. Aside from research, Yumie enjoys being in the kitchen and trying new coffee spots!
Aryak Rekhi
Aryak is a second-year Masters student in the UCSD Bioengineering department. He completed his B.S. in Bioengineering from UCLA in 2024, where he did research on microfluidics for high throughput screening and directed evolution. Aryak also worked at UCSF as a junior specialist researcher, where he was responsible for performing X-ray crystallography fragment screens. In his free time, Aryak loves to play Dungeons and Dragons, read science fiction and fantasy books, and play basketball.
Avani Tantry
Avani is a second-year Master’s student in the UCSD Bioengineering Department. She has been a member of the Cyphert Lab since January 2025. She completed her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in Bioinstrumentation from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2022, after which she worked at Applied Medical, a surgical device company based in Orange County, for two years before starting her Master’s at UCSD. Avani is passionate about women’s health and studying sex differences in disease, and she aspires to address sex disparities in healthcare access and treatments during her career. Avani was born and raised in Bengaluru, India. She has been a competitive swimmer since the age of 11, and the opportunity to swim on an NCAA Division I team at Cal Poly while pursuing a prestigious engineering degree was the driving reason that led her to move across the globe and build a life in the U.S. During her free time, she loves being in the water, hiking, exploring new restaurants, and catching sunsets at the beach.
Bryce Long
Bryce is a second-year Master’s student in the Bioengineering Department at UC San Diego and has been a member of the Cyphert Lab since March 2025. He earned his B.S. in Bioinformatics from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2024, where his research focused on alternative polyadenylation using bulk RNA-seq data and tumor microenvironment analysis with single-cell RNA-seq. In Spring 2023, he studied abroad at Cornell University, conducting research on zebrafish escape responses under the mentorship of Dr. Andrew Hein. In his free time, Bryce enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, exploring new restaurants and coffee shops, and spending time with friends over board games & video games.
Undergraduate Students
Arlene Grace Nagtalon
Arlene recently graduated as part of the Class of 2025, earning a B.S. in Molecular & Cell Biology and a B.A. in Community Research, Education, and Well-Being, an Individual Studies Major she created herself, with minors in Public Service (Health) and Ethnic Studies. As a southeast San Diego native and proud multi-hyphenated scholar, educator, and scientist, Arlene is a huge advocate for interdisciplinary research, actively exploring the realms of medical anthropology, allergy/immunology, infectious disease, and pathology. Outside of the lab, she strives to combat healthcare inequities and improve accessibility in science and medicine for historically marginalized and underrepresented communities, most notably through her 3+ years serving as a middle and high school mentor at the San Diego Unified School District. You can find her on Instagram (@arleneinsteam), where she shares snippets of her life as a budding science communicator and aspiring first-generation graduate student. When Arlene has time to spare, she finds solace in writing poetry, acting in and watching local theater productions, or unwinding with her cat, Loaf.
Sidhant Rohatgi
Sidhant is an undergraduate student at UC San Diego majoring in Mathematics-Computer Science. He applies his analytical and programming skills to bioengineering research, specifically assisting with bioinformatics research. His interests lie at the intersection of computational methods and biological sciences, with experience in software development, machine learning, and data analysis.
He looks forward to continuing his journey of discovery and learning through research. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, exploring new technologies, and all things cars.
Julielam Tran
Julielam is a 4th-year General Biology major and Russian Literature minor at UCSD. She began exploring medicine through working as a pharmacy assistant in high school, and later pursued veterinary science given her expertise in animal physiology, behavior, genetics, and having owned a flock of chickens when she was 10. Her passion for raising and advocating for underappreciated animals has led her to volunteer at multiple animal rescues in her hometown of Orange County, along with a feline clinic and exotic small animal shelter (guinea pigs, chinchillas, rabbits, etc.) in San Diego. After enjoying taking care of the Cyphert Lab research mice, she decided to have four pet rats of her own! In her free time, she enjoys being out in nature, drawing wildlife, and getting lost in books. She can also speak a few languages: Vietnamese, Korean, and Russian!
Maryam Siddiqui
Four-Legged Assistants
Tatra Cyphert - Post-Dog and Senior Snack Advisor
Tatra is a goldendoodle. She loves running, going to the beach, and is always looking for the next rock to climb.
Scroodle Kumar - Chief Wellness Officer
Scroodle is a 15 year old dachschund-poodle mix who is 100% diva. She cares deeply about getting enough sleep and eating well, and takes pride in leading by example through her lengthy naps and affinity for cheese.
Page updated
Report abuse