(Click students’ name to see ePortfolios)
Isabella Alves
Major: Cell and Molecular Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Christal Sohl
Mary Becker
Major: Physics & Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Sanjay Behura
Mary was appointed to the MARC program in September 2024. She is double majoring in Physics specializing in Modern Optics and Psychology with an emphasis in Neuroscience. She is currently an undergraduate researcher for the Behura Research Lab and a Cal-Bridge Scholar. She is working on engineering defects and analyzing CVD-grown hexagonal boron nitride as part of a greater study of the photonics of quantum materials .
After graduation, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. and perform research that applies the methodology and mathematical analysis of physics to the field of neuroscience. She has a career goal of becoming a PI of her own lab and mentoring the next generation of underrepresented scientists.
Aubrey Cabigao
Major: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: TBD
Bio: Aubrey Cabigao was appointed to the MARC Program in June 2025. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Minoring in Counseling and Social Change. After graduating from SDSU in May 2027, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical/Counseling Psychology. She has career goals in becoming a clinical/counseling psychologist, serving vulnerable populations and involving herself in research that could improve treatment methods for said vulnerable populations by better understanding certain mental illnesses and disabilities. Aubrey wouldn’t mind working in private practice, or working within the government and education system to aid those who need it most.
Mateo Contreras
Major: ChemistryFaculty Mentor: Yuezhi Mao
Mateo was appointed to the MARC program in June 2024. He is majoring in Chemistry and minoring in Physics. As an undergraduate researcher for the Mao lab, he is currently working on calculating the transition states of the IDH1 reaction in conjunction with the Sohl lab. After graduation, he plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Computational or General Chemistry. His career goal is to lead his own independent research team, but has also considered becoming a professor.
Fernanda Cuevas Alviar
Major: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: TBD
Fernanda was appointed to MARC in September 2025. She is majoring in Psychology. Her goal after graduating is to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology or developmental psychology.
Darby Dodge*
Major: Cell & Molecular Biology
Faculty Mentor: Parag Katira
Darby was appointed to the MARC program in September 2024 and she is studying Cellular & Molecular Biology. She is currently an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Parag Katira’s Lab, where she is working to evaluate cancer incidence in aging tissues focusing on the dynamics of differentially aged cell populations. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Bioengineering.
Maria Christina Huerta-Avila
Major: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jessica McCurley
Christina was appointed to the MARC program in September 2024. She is a transfer student and a senior majoring in psychology with an emphasis in neuroscience. Christina is also minoring in both Counseling and Social Change and in Cultural Proficiency. She is an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. McCurley’s Health Equity, Justice, and Action (HIJA) Lab. Christina’s goal after graduation is to earn a Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience.
Layla Jones
Major: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Miguel Villodas
Layla Jones is a psychology major with a minor in Counseling and social change. Layla currently conducts research in the Healthy Child and Family Development Lab with Dr. Miguel Villodas. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Layla is passionate about understanding how early life experiences, both positive and negative, affect emotional, social, and cognitive development into adulthood. She is specifically interested in understanding how these experiences can contribute to the onset of mental disorders, and how individuals can power through that.
Tristan McDonnell
Major: Cell and Molecular Biology
Faculty Mentor: Maya Capelson
Tristan joined MARC in the Fall of 2024. He is majoring in Cellular and Molecular Biology and minoring in Chemistry. Since joining Dr. Maya Capelson’s lab in August 2023, he has researched the Drosophila nuclear pore complex component Megator, which has been implicated in epigenetic gene regulation.
After graduation, he plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology or Biophysics and continue his research on chromatin organization and epigenetics. His professional goal is to teach and run a research lab as a professor of molecular biology.
Tristan spent the summer of 2024 participating in the University of Pennsylvania Summer Undergraduate Internship Program. In Dr. Melike Lakadamyali’s lab, he used super resolution microscopy techniques to understand the cellular biology of tendinosis.
Neenah Mendez
Major: Marine Biology
Faculty Mentor: Luke Miller
Neenah was appointed to the MARC program in August 2024. She is majoring in Marine Biology at San Diego State University. She is currently an undergraduate researcher in the Miller lab. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Marine Biology to research sustainable solutions to the climate change crisis.
Faith Poutoa
Major: Physics
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Matt Anderson
Faith Poutoa was appointed to the MARC program in June 2025. She is majoring in Physics. Under the mentorship of Dr. Matt Anderson, her work focuses on advancing developments in acoustic holography. After completing her undergraduate degree, Faith plans to pursue a Ph.D. in experimental optics. Her career goals are to be the principal investigator of her own research group. She is equally committed to science communication, making complex concepts more accessible to wider audiences.
Alberto Rascon
Major: Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor:Jeremy Long
Alberto was appointed to the MARC program in September 2024. His major is Biochemistry and he is pursuing a minor in Marine Biology.
After completing his bachelor’s degree, he hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Marine Biology with Scripps Institution of Oceanography being his dream school. In the future, he wishes to conduct research within a company or in academia.
William Reyes
Major: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Margaret Friend
William was appointed to the MARC program in September 2025. He’s studying psychology with a minor in Statistics. He is also a research assistant in the Infant and Child Development Lab working as a part of the Many Numbers Team. This team is working towards testing children in their language and number development. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree, he plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology. William plans to practice clinical psychology and work towards destigmatizing seeking help with mental health.
Emily Rodriguez
Major: Cell and Molecular Biology
Faculty Mentor: Carrie House
Emily joined the MARC program in September 2024. She is majoring in Cellular & Molecular biology and minoring in Spanish. As an undergraduate researcher in the House Lab, she is studying the role of preadipocytes in ovarian cancer tumor microenvironment. After graduation, she plans to enroll in a cancer biology PhD program to investigate potential pathways that can be targeted to develop therapeutics. Upon completing her PhD, she plans to either enter industry or become a PI who encourages future students to pursue science as well.
Bianca Rollbusch
Major: Cellular and Molecular Biology
Faculty Mentor: Teresa Monkkonen
Bianca was appointed to the MARC program in June 2024. She is majoring in Cellular and Molecular Biology while also pursuing a minor in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies. As an undergraduate in Dr. Monkkonen’s lab, she is working to understand breast cancer and tumor development. After graduation, she plans to pursue her Ph.D. with the goal of contributing to cancer research, particularly in the field of hematology-oncology.
Shalayah-Naomi Webb
Major: Aerospace Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Margherita Capriotti
Shalayah was appointed to the MARC program in September of 2023. Her major is aerospace engineering, and she is pursuing a minor in mathematics. Shalayah will be conducting research in the Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) Lab run by Dr. Margherita Capriotti. After obtaining her Bachelor’s degree, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering. Her career goals include becoming a professor of engineering and collaborating with NASA while mentoring underrepresented students such as herself.
Lizeth Sanchez Zamudio
Major: Astronomy
Faculty Mentor: Kate Rubin
Lizeth was appointed to the MARC program in September of 2023. Her major is Astronomy and is pursuing a minor in Mathematics and Honors Interdisciplinary Studies. Lizeth will be conducting galaxy research with Dr. Kate Rubin who delves into extragalactic astronomy, galaxy formation and evolution, galactic winds and feedback, the circumgalactic medium, and QSO absorption line spectroscopy.
After completing her bachelor’s degree, she hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Astronomy to work on cutting-edge research to contribute new knowledge to the field. She looks forward to being a part of the next generation of scientists, astronomers, and researchers that continue to find out more about the Universe and its origin that has ultimately led to the formation of our Solar System and many other extragalactic phenomena.
