Scott Monahan:
Year Completed MARC: 2024, B.S. Evolutionary Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Arun Sethuraman
Summer Research Experience: Texas A&M Agriculture and Life Science REU
Current Status: Ph.D. student in Ecology at Colorado State University
Sama Mikhail:
Year Completed MARC: 2024, B.S. Microbiology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Mark Sussman
Summer Research Experience: University of Michigan UM-SMART REU
Current Status: Post-Baccalaureate fellowship position at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH, in the Laboratory of Translational Genomics (LTG), Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG).
*Viraj Upadhye, Ph.D.: Biology and Biomedical Sciences Program at Cornell University
Year Completed MARC: 2020, B.S. Molecular and Cellular Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Christal Sohl
Current Status:
*Not federally funded
*Ruth Epstein, Ph.D.: Plant Breeding & Genetics Program, Cornell University
Year Completed MARC: 2020, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Eizabeth Waters
Current Status: Post Doc at UC Berkeley
*Not federally funded
Mirae Dong, M.S.: University of Chicago
Year Completed MARC: 2016, B.S. Microbiology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Kelly Doran
Summer Research Experience: Summer Program for Undergraduate Research, Life and Biomedical Sciences (SPUR-LABS), UCLA
Current Status: Senior Science Care Specialist, Seed Health
Alterra Sanchez, Ph.D.: Environmental Chemistry, University of Maryland
Year Completed MARC: 2015, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Kevin Hovel
Summer Research Experience: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, NSF Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program
Current Status: Senior Scientist at Sonoma Lab Works
Carlo Quintanilla, Ph.D:Biomedical Sciences, UT Southwestern
Year Completed MARC: 2014, B.S Biology & B.A. Psychology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Ricardo Zayas & Dr. Susan Brasser
Summer Research Experience: Boston University, Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
Current Status: Science Policy Analyst at NICHD
Phillip Silva, Ph.D: Neuroscience, University of Washington
Year Completed MARC: 2014, B.S. Biology – Cellular & Molecular
MARC Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Thomas & Dr. Chitra Mandyan
Summer Research Experience: Dept. of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington
Ellese Carmona, Ph.D: Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard University
Year Completed MARC: 2012, B.S. Microbiology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Kelly Doran
Summer Research Experience: Harvard Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP)
Current Status: Senior Research Scientist at Eli Lilly and Company (New Therapeutic Modalities)
Raul Ramos, Ph.D:Cell & Molecular Biosciences, UC Irvine
Year Completed MARC: 2012; B.S. Biology – Cellular & Molecular
MARC Mentor: Dr. Sanford Bernstein
Current Status: Postdoctoral fellow, UC Irvine, Irvine, CA
Esteban Vazquez-Hidalgo, Ph.D:Computational Sciences SDSU/Claremont Colleges
Year Completed MARC: 2012, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Paul J. Paolini
Current status: Postdoctoral Scholar at Case Western Reserve University
Allen Washington, Jr., Ph.D: Biomedical Sciences, UCSD
Year Completed MARC: 2012, B.S. Biology & B.A. Japanese
MARC Mentor: Dr. Thomas Huxford & Dr. Kathleen McGuire
Summer Research Experience: University of Michigan Medical Scientist
Training Program (MSTP)
Current status: Medical student, Howard University College of Medicine
Ashton Regalado-Magdos, M.D: UCSF
Year Completed MARC: 2010, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Roland Wolkowics
Summer Research Experience: Harvard Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP)
Current Status: Residency, General Surgery, University Medical Center, Las Vegas, NV
Michael Valdez, Ph.D: Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Year Completed MARC: 2010, B.S. Biology – Cellular & Molecular
MARC Mentor: Dr. Roland Wolkowicz
Summer Research Experience: Stanford Summer Research Program-Amgen (SSRP-Amgen)
Current Status: Yield Engineer at Intel Corporation.
Gloria Felix, M.D: American University of the Caribbean
Year Completed MARC: 2009, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Jaques Perrault
Current Status: Resident Physician, Eisenhower Medical Center, Rancho Mirage, CA
Irene Hale:
Year Completed MARC: 2009, B.S. Biology & B.S. Applied Mathematics
MARC Mentor: Dr. Walt Oechel & Dr. David Lipson
Summer Research Experience: University of Colorado Boulder & at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Current Status: Fido’s Following, Owner, San Diego, CA
Lynelle Garnica Guerrero, M.P.H:SDSU
Year Completed MARC: 2008, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Paul J. Paolini
Summer Research Experience: UC Riverside
Current Status: Environmental Health Specialist, San Diego County Department of Environmental Health, Food and Housing Division, San Diego, CA
Richard Virgen-Slane, Ph.D: Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, UC Irvine
Year Completed MARC: 2008, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Jacques Perrault
Summer Research Experience: Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, UC Irvine
Current Status: Senior Scientist at Pfizer
Patrick Avila, M.D:Stanford University
Year Completed MARC: 2007, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Chris Glembotski & Dr. Darrel Meollendorf
Summer Research Experience: UCSD & Harvard University
Current Status: Resident Physician, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
April Weissmiller, Ph.D: Neurosciences, UCSD
Year Completed MARC: 2007, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. John Love & Dr. Greg Lemke
Summer Research Experience: MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP) & the Harvard Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP)
Current Status: Assistant Professor, Middle Tennessee State University
Robert McDonald:
Year Completed MARC: 2006, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Constantine Tsoukas
Summer Research Experience: The Scripps Research Institute
Current Status: Medical student, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC
David Mejia:
Year Completed MARC: 2003, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Robert Pozos, Dr. Karen May-Newman & Dr. M. Vuscovich
Rodrigo Rodriguez, Ph.D:Chemistry, Scripps Research Institute
Year Completed MARC: 2006, B.S Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Shelli McAlpine
Current Status: Research Investigator, Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF), San Diego, CA
Rodney Gabriel, M.D: UCSF
Year Completed MARC: 2005, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Mikael Bergdan, Dr. Jacques Perrault, Dr. Eng Tan & Dr. Michael Pollard
Summer Research Experience: Vanderbilt University
Current Status: Vice Chair of Perioperative Informatics and Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, UCSD
Yessenia Ibarra, PhD:Neurosciences & Neurobiology, Harvard University
Year Completed MARC: 2005, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Ann Feeney, Dr. Peter Schultz & Dr. Marc Mercola
Summer Research Experience: The MIT Whitehead Institute
Current Status: Public Health Advisor/Project Officer, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA
Cheryl Olonan, M.D: UC Irvine
Year Completed MARC: 2005, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. John Love
Current Status: Clinical Technology Specialist at ImprimisRx
Patricia Castillo, Ph.D: Immunology, UC Davis
Year Completed MARC: 2004, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Chris Glembotski & Dr. Kathleen McGuire
Current Status: Senior Scientist at Boehringer Ingelheim
Rosette Fernandez:
Year Completed MARC: 2004, B.S. Biology – Cellular & Molecular
MARC Mentor: Dr. Paul J. Paolini
Current Status: Guest Researcher, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA
Krystal Smelter, M.S.: Biology – Cellular & Molecular, SDSU
Year Completed MARC: 2004, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Constantine Tsoukas & Dr. Ann Feeney
Summer Research Experience: The Scripps Research Institute
Current Status: Scientist at Janssen
Mahasin Abdullah:
Year Completed MARC: 2003, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Vanessa Malcarne
Current Status: Medical Student, Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara School of Medicine, Mexico
Amparo Sembrano:
Year Completed MARC: 2003, B.S. Biology – Cellular & Molecular
MARC Mentor: Dr. Terry Frey
Khanichi Tape, Ph.D:Biology Sciences in Public Health, Harvard University
Year Completed MARC: 2003, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Skaidrite Krisans
Summer Research Experience: Ghana, Africa through the MIRT Program
Current Status: Science Instructor, Marlborough School for Girls, Los Angeles, CA
Shawna Caudillo:
Year Completed MARC: 2002, B.S. Biology – Cellular & Molecular
MARC Mentor: Dr. Paul J. Paolini
Current Status: Training Supervisor & Compliance Officer, National Genetics Institute, Los Angeles, CA
Brenda Salumbides, M.S.: Biotechnology, John Hopkins University
Year Completed MARC: 2002, B.S Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Skaidrite Krisans & Juan Pozos
Summer Research Experience: The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill & UCSD
Current Status: Research Associate, Cedar Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
Lateefah Spires, Ed.M: UCSD
Year Completed MARC: 2002, B.S Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Pamina Gorbach & Dr. Colmar Figueroa-Moseley
Current Status: Science Educator, Sweetwater Union High School District & Doctoral Student in Education at SDSU
Timothy Thompson:
Year Completed MARC: 2002, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Ana Navarro
Current Status: Manager, California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA
Felizza Quinones, Ph.D.: Biological Sciences, UCSD
Year Completed MARC: 2001, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Paul Paolini & Dr. Anca Segall
Summer Research Experience: University of California, San Francisco
Current Status: Technical Application Scientist, Illumina, San Diego, CA
Joaquin Valenzuela:
Year Completed MARC: 2001, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Ann Feeny
Samantha Blessing:
Year Completed MARC: 2000, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Paul J. Paolini & Dr. Judith Zynskind
Kristian Brown, M.D., & Ph.D: M.D., UCSD & Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, Wayne State University
Year Completed MARC: 2000, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Paul J. Paolini & Greg Harris
Summer Research Experience: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Current Status: Transplant Surgeon, Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego, CA
Alan Martinez, M.D:UCLA
Year Completed MARC: 2000, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Ed Riley
Summer Research Experience: The Scripps Research Institute
Current Status: Medical Associate, Reproductive Science Center of New Jersey, Princeton, NJ
Alina Montalbano, Ph.D: Immunology, UT Southwestern
Year Completed MARC: 2000, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Paul J. Paolini
Summer Research Experience: The Scripps Research Institute
Current Status: Postdoctoral Researcher, Biochemistry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
Suzanne Graham, Ph.D: Evolutionary Genetics, University of Washington
Year Completed MARC: 1999, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Susan Williams
Summer Research Experience: Marine Biological Lab, Woods Hole Research Center, MA
Current Status: Marine Biologist, Space & Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, CA
Victoria Love, Ph.D: Immunology, Harvard University
Year Completed MARC: 1999, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Ann Feeney
Current Status: Medical Writer, ScienceMedia, LLC, San Diego, CA
Daniel Robledo:
Year Completed MARC: 1998, B.S. Biology – Ecology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Michael Allen
Current Status: Quality Assurance & Regulatory Assurance Manager, Diazyme Labs, San Diego, CA
Geanncarlo Lugo, Ph.D.: Immunology, Harvard University
Year Completed MARC: 1997, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Ann Feeney
Current Status: Senior Research Associate, Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Universite de Toulouse, France
Monica Peterson, M.D.: Psychiatry, St. Louis University
Year Completed MARC: 1997, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Judith Zyskind & Dr. Phil Langlias
Summer Research Experience: Stanford University & Uganda, East Africa through the MIRT CUNY Program
Current Status: Staff Psychologist, Riverside County Department of Mental Health, Riverside, CA
John Tolli, Ph.D: Biological Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution/MIT
Year Completed MARC: 1997, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Greg Harris
Summer Research Experience: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution/MIT & Scripps Institute of Oceanography
Current Status: Professor, School of Mathematics, Science & Engineering, Southwestern College, Chula Vista, CA
Barbara Crisostomo:
Year Completed MARC: 1996, B.S. Biology – Environmental Health
MARC Mentor: Dr. Ann Feeny
John Molina, M.B.A: Business Administration, SDSU
Year Completed MARC: 1995, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Greg Harris
Summer Research Experience: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Carlo Quinonez, Ph.D: Biology, California Institute of Technology
Year Completed MARC: 1995, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Claire Murphy
Current Status: Director of Research, FATHOM, Oakland, CA
Claudia Figueroa, Ph.D: Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan
Year Completed MARC: 1994, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Paul J. Paolini, Dr. Greg Harris & Dr. Steve Barlow
Current Status: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Apollo Baytan:
Year Completed MARC: 1993, B.S. Biology – Cellular & Molecular
MARC Mentor: Dr. S. Clouse, Dr. K. Johnson & Dr. Kathleen McGuire
Summer Research Experience: The University of Rochester
Current Status: Scientist, Research & Development Analytical Group, Quidel Corp., San Diego, CA
Maurice Bell, M.D.:UCSF
Year Completed MARC: 1992, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Paul J. Paolini
Current Status: Internal Medicine, St. Mary Medical Center, Long Beach, CA
Terry Hall, M.S: Nursing
Year Completed MARC: 1992, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Paul J. Paolini
Current Status: Nurse Practitioner, Sutherland Cardiology Clinic, Germantown, TN
Raphael Allende, M.D: Harvard University
Year Completed MARC: 1991, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Chris Glembotski & Dr. Carol Barnett
Summer Research Experience: Harvard University
Current Status: Neurological Surgeon, The Neurohealth Sciences Center, Sanford, FL
Maria Avilez, M.D: University of Iowa
Year Completed MARC: 1991, B.S. Biology
MARC Mentor: Dr. Carol Barnett & Chris Glembotski
Summer Research Experience: UCSF
Current Status: Maricopa Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ
