STARS 2026 - Research Projects Descriptions

Dr. Christopher Theissen 

Find the planet! You will analyze data taken with the Direct Imaging Camera on the Nickel 40-inch telescope at Lick Observatory of the transit of the planet TIC46432937b. Data consists of multiple images taken during the transit of TIC46432937b along with calibration frames. You will learn the basics of high precision photometry and transit photometry, data reduction, and statistical techniques to identify the transit signal. If time permits, you will use advanced statistical techniques to attempt to find the signal in very noisy data. This will help us develop a future observational lab for our new Astronomy & Astrophysics department and test the limits of using the 40-inch telescope for a ground-based transit survey.

Special Considerations: Ability to work in groups.

Prerequisites: Knowledge of the Python language would be beneficial. Basic astronomy knowledge would be useful, but not required.

Website: http://ctheissen.github.io

Dr. James Nieh

We are studying honey bee communication and honey bee health. The project will depend on the interests of the student(s). The communication study focuses on the honey bee waggle dance and studying cultural transmission of this dance language. The health study focuses on honey bee immune priming (treating bees with a vaccine-like treatment).

Special Considerations: Cannot be allergic to bee stings or bees.

Lab: The Nieh Lab

Dr. Diana Rennison

"We are an ecological and evolutionary genomics lab that uses a combination of field and laboratory methods to study the predictability of evolution. This project will involve primarily morphological and computer work to identify the phenotypic and genetic differences between populations of threespine stickleback fish adapting to a diversity of freshwater environments.

Special Considerations: Must be willing to work with live fish and/or preserved fish specimens.

Prerequisites: Some background or interest in biology.

Lab: Rennison Lab

Dr. Sergey Kryazhimskiy

Our lab studies how genetic mutations alter phenotypes that contribute to fitness of microbial organisms, i.e, their survival and reproduction rates in various environments (such as antibiotics, temperature changes, etc). This project will involve building and analyzing simple mathematical and computational models to understand how predictable evolutionary dynamics and outcomes are in various environments.

Prerequisites: Motivation to learn quantitative methods including simple mathematical models and basic coding. Prior coding or modeling experience are encouraged but not required.

Lab: SKLAB

Dr. Noah Rose

Morphological research on dengue mosquitoes to understand the genetic basis of variation in the ability to spread disease.

Lab: Rose Lab

Dr. Alina Schimpf

This project will focus on the synthesis of new inorganic solid state materials. Our lab aims to develop and characterize inorganic materials with unique electronic or photophysical properties that can be accessed via inexpensive, solution-based techniques. Research in the Schimpf Lab will involve the synthesis of new nanoscale materials, use of chemical environment to control material properties, and spectroscopic characterization of electronic and photophysical properties.

Prerequisites: Taken general chemistry.

Lab: The Schimpf Lab

Dr. Andrew Pun

This project will focus on developing new materials for photon upconversion. Students will gain hand-on skills in synthetic organic chemistry, as well as molecular and optical characterization of materials synthesized.

Prerequisites: Taken laboratory chemistry classes.

Lab: Applied Photochemistry Lab

Dr. Guy Bertrand

This project will focus on the synthesis of novel carbenes. Challenging textbook rules inspired our work on stable carbenes, nitrenes, diradicals, and bent-allenes. We now aim to turn reactive molecules into practical tools for synthetic chemists. Stable carbenes and related metal-free species can activate small molecules and stabilize reactive intermediates. Our goal is to show they can also transfer fragments to substrates, performing tasks once exclusive to transition metal complexes.

Prerequisites: Chemistry Major

Lab: Bertrand's Research Group

Dr. Michael Sailor

The student will participate in the Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology. The project will train the student on the synthesis and chemistry of nanoporous silicon, and the project will involve application of silicon-based nano-systems to unsolved problems in one of three major areas: quantum materials, chemical sensing, and nanomedicine. Current focus is on peptide-targeted delivery of nanoparticles to diseased tissues, long-acting delivery of small molecule and biological therapeutics, exploiting the reactivity of caged enzyme systems, and investigation of the quantum properties of silicon nanoparticles, or “quantum dots.”

Prerequisites: Student must have completed the freshman sequences in Chemistry, Physics, and Math

Website: Sailer Research Group

Dr. Gourisankar Ghosh

My projects are on the investigation of how i) dysregulation of IkappaB Kinase signaling pathway induces neuroinflammation and protein aggregation and ii) NF-kappaB family of transcription factors regulate inflammatory and metabolic gene expression.

Special Considerations / Prerequisites: None

Website: https://chemistry.ucsd.edu/faculty/profiles/ghosh_gourisankar.html

Dr. Tadeusz 'Ted' Molinski

Chemistry of Marine Natural Products

Prerequisites: Must have completed organic chemistry (sophomore) and organic chemistry labs

Special Considerations: Competent with Excel, MS Word, ChemDraw. Able to create HTML websites, a plus.

Lab: https://www-chem.ucsd.edu/faculty/profiles/molinski_tadeusz_f.html

Dr. Joel Yuen-Zhou

Simulations of exciton polariton propagation in molecular microcavities.

Prerequisites: Working knowledge of quantum mechanics at the undergraduate physics/chemistry level.

Special Considerations: Students who are mathematically oriented (enjoy writing proofs and mathematical derivations, can code) but who are studying chemistry, physics, or a related major.

Lab: Yuen-Zhou Theoretical Chemistry Group

Dr. Kent Griffith

The Griffith Laboratory develops new materials for rechargeable batteries including fast-charging lithium-ion batteries and sustainable next-generation energy storage technologies like sodium-based materials. We are a materials chemistry laboratory with a focus on materials synthesis, characterization methods such as diffraction and spectroscopy, and device (battery) fabrication and testing.

Prerequisites: Gen. Chem and Gen. Chem Lab.

Special Considerations: Students who are mathematically oriented (enjoy writing proofs and mathematical derivations, can code) but who are studying chemistry, physics, or a related major.

Lab: Griffith Lab

Dr. Lara Rangel

The Neural Crossroads Laboratory studies how the timing of input to a brain region impacts 1) the recruitment of neuronal activity, 2) the ways in which neurons interact with one another, and 3) the computations they can perform. Our current projects investigate this topic in neural circuits that support prosocial motivation, auditory perception, and learning and memory in rodents. Summer students will receive an introduction to animal behavior and electrophysiology skills, and will have an opportunity to analyze behavioral and neural data. Students will have additional opportunities to engage in collaborative efforts during weekly lab meetings and journal clubs.

Special Considerations: Students should feel comfortable working with rats and have some programming experience.

Lab: Neural Crossroads Laboratory

Dr. Yusu Wang

Neural algorithmic reasoning, designing neural models to carry out algorithmic tasks.

Prerequisites: Taken undergraduate algorithms or an equivalent course. Should have a machine learning and deep learning background and be familiar with transformers. 

Website: http://yusu.belkin-wang.org/research.html

Dr. Adam Engler

The Engler lab's research is focused on how cell behavior is directed by the extracellular matrix (ECM), a 3-dimensional (3D) fibrillar scaffold to which cells adhere. Investigations in the lab revolve around how the mechanical and biochemical properties of this 3D ECM direct the cell behavior, i.e. mechanobiology. Under this broad conceptual framework, the lab is interested in how mechanobiology influences or misregulates cell function and modifies genetic mechanisms of disease. Specifically, the lab has shown that ECM mechanics can regulate the differentiation of stem cells into specific adult cell types, cause heart cells to contract better/worse with age, and cause cells to transform into cancer and metastasize. To accomplish this, his lab makes natural and synthetic matrices with unique spatiotemporal properties to mimic niche conditions, improve stem cell behavior and commitment in vitro, or direct them for therapeutic use in vivo.

Special Considerations: Must be okay with working with embryonic stem cells. Cell culture is a plus.

Lab: The Engler Lab

Dr. Francisco Contijoch

The Contijoch Research Laboratory develops new CT and MRI imaging methods to better understand the function (and impact of diseases) in the heart and lungs. Summer projects focus on analyzing real-world clinical data to try to answer a pressing clinical question and typically include analyzing a images from a cohort using our tools or extending our analysis by building extensions to our tools. Students will be paired with a member of the lab (for daily support) and will have regular, weekly meetings with Dr. Contijoch to help support their project.

Prerequisites: Any programming experience (Matlab, C++, Python) is preferred.

Special Considerations: Interest in/experience with computer programing, medicine, medical imaging, cardiology.

Lab: Contijoch Research Laboratory 

Dr. Wanlu Li

Machine Learning for Structure Description of Disordered Materials. The APEX Lab integrates artificial intelligence, quantum mechanics, and multiscale simulations to model complex materials and catalytic processes, enabling predictive insights into structure–property–function relationships.

Prerequisites: Knowledge of programming language, machine learning basics.

Lab: The APEX Lab

Dr. Laurel Riek

The Healthcare Robotics Lab at UC San Diego conducts research in human robot interaction (HRI), health informatics, and assistive technology, explored in close collaboration with disabled people, healthcare workers, and community members. Our recent projects have applications in the areas of neurorehabilitation, dementia caregiving, and emergency medicine. This summer we are seeking students interested in: 1) Human-centered design of assistive technology or 2) UI/UX development.

Prerequisites: Knowledge of programming language, machine learning basics.

Special Considerations:

1. Design experience (e.g., visual, graphical, interaction) and prototyping experience (e.g. Figma)
2. Web development experience (e.g., JavaScript, Python Flask, HTML, CSS)

Lab: Healthcare Robotics Lab

Dr. Siavash Mirarab

Algorithm development and evaluation for analyses of genomic data in the context of evolutionary relationships (phylogenetics) or gathering ecological data to help with conservation efforts. The goal will be to implement and test new algorithms, including those based on machine learning for analyzing genome-wide data across species.

Prerequisites: Python or R programming. Algorithmic understanding will be a plus. 

Special Considerations: We need students with interest/skill in programming.

Website: http://eceweb.ucsd.edu/~smirarab/publications.html

Dr. Tse Nga (Tina) Ng

Water Quality Monitoring based on Organic Electrochemical Transistors
Low-cost sensors for in situ monitoring of ocean conditions will provide critical information to understand how nutrients and oxygen levels correlate to fish kills and aquaculture issues. The compatibility of organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) with aqueous environments makes them promising sensor components in an ocean sensing platform. This project involves designing the sensor for detecting nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates and explain the challenges to improve device sensitivity and stability for the marine environment.

Prerequisites: Taken general chemistry and lab classes.

Lab: The Ng Lab

Dr. Farhat Beg

The HEDP Group's most recent research projects include the systematic study of fast electron energy deposition, the dynamics of high-energy proton beam focusing and transition, and participation in the Fusion Science Center for Extreme States of Matter. The STARS student will be working on extreme ultraviolet lithography. They will be using interferometry and spectroscopic techniques to obtain information about plasma temperature and density.

Special Considerations: Physics.

Prerequisites: Some hands on equipment experience.

Lab: HEDP Research Group

Dr. John Hwang

The student will investigate computational algorithms for simulation-based design optimization of complex engineering systems in aerospace, robotics, or wind energy. Recent research in the lab has focused on the optimal design of electric aircraft, drones, soft aquatic robots, medical robots, walking robots, and floating offshore wind turbines.

Special Considerations: Programming background in Python, C++, or MATLAB.

Lab: Large-Scale Design Optimization (LSDO) Lab

Dr. Jorge Cortes

Work on distributed robotics at the MURO Lab includes design, analysis, and implementation of motion planning strategies and distributed coordination algorithms on multi-robot networks performing spatially-distributed tasks. Our lab focuses on deployment of heterogeneous robots including ground vehicles and aerial vehicles. We rely on methods from graph theory, dynamics, and control combined with open source software programming. Several project opportunities exist to enhance the range of current
capabilities in the lab. These include the implementation of distributed methods for: formation control with drones, multi-agent map exploration with task allocation using LIDAR based SLAM, using ground robots to coordinate mass rope cargo systems, and integrating interactions between aerial and ground robots.

Prerequisites: Familiarity with open source software; programming experience (either Python or C++, ideally ROS2); knowledge of ordinary differential equations and linear algebra.

Special Considerations: Robot Operating System (ROS) preferably ROS2

Lab: MURO Lab

Website: terrano.ucsd.edu/jorge

Dr. Sonia Martinez

Work on distributed robotics at the MURO Lab includes on the simulation and design of distributed coordination algorithms for large multi-robot networks performing spatially-distributed tasks. Our lab focuses on deployment of heterogeneous robots including ground vehicles and aerial vehicles. We rely on methods from graph theory, dynamics, and control combined with open source software programming. Several project opportunities exist to enhance the range of current
capabilities in the lab. A particular focus of interest will be the high fidelity simulation of algorithms for robotic swarms using transport algorithms, a version of which can be implemented on the physical testbed.

Prerequisites: Python Knowledge

Lab: MURO Lab

Dr. Nicholas Boechler

Mechanical metamaterials. The student will be involved in the design and testing of materials with extraordinary mechanical properties (mechanical metamaterials). This will likely involve dynamic vibration or impact experiments with high speed video or laser-based characterization, as well as manufacturing via 3D printing, casting, laser cutting, or CNC machining.

Special Considerations: Prefer students who have completed their second year, if possible. Having had at least physics, statics, and a programming course is important.

Lab: Boechler Research Group

Dr. Sutanu Sarkar

Computational fluid dynamics related to engineering or environmental flows.

Prerequisites: Proficiency with basic numerical methods, programming languages such as Matlab or Python, fluid mechanics.

Lab: Computational Fluid Dynamics Laboratory

Dr. Tara Hutchinson

Post-earthquake functionality of equipment with variable attachment configurations.

Prerequisites: Junior or above standing in a civil engineering program, completed mechanics of materials, statics, dynamics, experience with matlab programming

Special Considerations: Civil and/or structural engineering students comfortable working in a physical laboratory setting

Website: https://jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/faculty/profile?id=247

Dr. Ken Loh

We are developing portable analog electronic systems that could interface with various sensors and transmit raw data and/or processed results to an augmented reality (AR) headset.

Prerequisites: Embedded systems (hardware and/or software) OR programming in C# and/or Python for Unity and AR headsets

Special Considerations: Engineering background

Lab: ARMOR Lab

Dr. Jiawang Nie

Optimization for data science.

Prerequisites: Taken courses like advanced calculus and linear algebra. Knowledge of programming languages like Latex and MATLAB.

Special Considerations: Students who likes mathematics and data science.

Website: https://mathweb.ucsd.edu/~njw/

Dr. Kim Dore

Circadian regulation of protein palmitoylation in the brain: using biochemical assays and immunofluorescence, determine if protein palmitoylation changes within a 24 hour period. Because the expression of ABHD17a, a neuronal depalmitoylation enzyme, is regulated by the circadian rhythm, we expect that palmitoylation of proteins will be affected. This could have important implications in learning and memory as well as neurodegenerative diseases.

Prerequisites: Some wet lab experience.

Lab: Dore Lab

Dr. Najla Kfoury-Beaumont

The Brain Tumor Epigenomics Laboratory (Beaumont/Kfoury-Beaumont Lab) investigates brain tumor genomics and epigenetics with a specific focus on chromatin remodeling complexes (BAF and PBAF complexes, members of the SWI/SNF family of ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers), sex-specific epigenetics (sex-biased Brd4-bound enhancers and super-enhancers) with a specific focus on identifying tumor dependencies that can be exploited with precision oncology. We use next generation sequencing (NGS), RNA-seq, ChIP-Seq and ATAC-seq to understand the chromatin landscape in parent human tumor tissues and tumor-derived stem cells. Leveraging data from chromatin landscape studies, the lab performs in vitro tumorigenesis and clonogenic studies using human tumor stem cell lines, and directly assess the role of critical candidate regulators by genome editing using CRISPR. We also perform in vivo tumorigenesis and survival analysis using intracerebral microinjection of human-derived tumor stem cells in nude mice to validate potential therapeutic targets.

Prerequisites: Moderate wet bench experience preferred.

Special Considerations: Students with interest in neuroscience and cancer.

Website: https://profiles.ucsd.edu/najla.kfoury-beaumont 

Dr. Tom Wong

Impact of Immigration Enforcement

Special Considerations / Prerequisites: None

Website: https://www.tomwongphd.com/

Dr. Valerie Soon

Faculty mentors in Political Science study a wide range of topics in American Politics, Race, Ethnicity, and Politics (REP), Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Methodology, and Political Theory. Our department studies these questions using quantitative methods, formal methods, and normative theory.

Special Considerations / Prerequisites: None

Dr. Michael Taffe

The laboratory examines the acute and lasting effects of abused drugs, including opioids, stimulants, THC and nicotine in rodent models.

Lab: Taffe Laboratory

Dr. Nadia Brashier

Why do people believe that immigrants commit more crimes or that the assassination attempt on Trump was staged? Our lab studies the memory failures and cognitive ‘shortcuts’ that leave people vulnerable to misinformation. You'll get to help design experiments, develop stimuli, run people in experiments, and learn about the data.

Special Considerations: Students with a background in psychology, neuroscience, or political science preferred.

Lab: Brashier Lab

Dr. Chitra Mandyam

The research will identify mechanisms underlying blood-brain barrier deficits in animal model of alcohol dependence.

Prerequisites:Courses in general biology, molecular biology, biochemistry.

Special Considerations: Comfortable working with animals models.

Website: https://profiles.ucsd.edu/chitra.mandyam

Dr. Brian Ilfeld

We perform clinical research within the department of Anesthesiology, specifically investigating non-opioid regional anesthesia treatments for pain following surgery. Students can expect to learn to consent and enroll study participants, help administer study interventions, enter and manage datasets, and help create manuscripts. Authorship will be gained on at least one article, although we averaged two for each student last year. Some current and recent projects: https://clinicaltrials.gov/search?term=ilfeld%20Brian

Special Considerations: Someone interested in clinical research, and works well with others.

Website: https://profiles.ucsd.edu/brian.ilfeld

Dr. Dan Kaufman

Studies in the Kaufman lab focus on producing engineered immune cells for improved anti-tumor activity. Work for this project will involve cell culture and molecular biology work on studies either using human induced pluripotent stem cells, or virus production for direct in vivo cell engineering.

Special Considerations: Course work in biology, biochemistry or related areas is needed. Previous experience in lab-based research would be helpful.

Prerequisites: Course work in biology, biochemistry, cell and moecular biology or related areas is needed.

Lab: Kaufman Lab

Dr. Hannah Carter

Summer students will perform hypothesis driven computational data analysis working with next generation sequencing data in the context of cancer or autoimmune disease. Data modalities may include DNA sequencing, RNA sequencing at bulk, single cell or spatial resolution.

Prerequisites: Students should be comfortable writing code in Python or R.

Lab: The Carter Lab

Dr. Tatum Simonson

How do humans thrive where oxygen is scarce? For thousands of years, communities in the Tibetan Plateau, Andes, and Ethiopian highlands have adapted to life at high altitude. Our lab explores these remarkable adaptations through a blend of physiology, molecular biology, and genomics. Students in our group investigate how different populations respond to low-oxygen environments and what these differences reveal about human evolution, health, and disease. This integrative work offers the chance to contribute to research that connects global human diversity with fundamental biological mechanisms.

Prerequisites: Data analysis, programming

Lab: The Simonson Lab

Dr. Amy Sitapati

Quality Informatics in Population Health

Prerequisites: Have some health literacy/medicine

Special Considerations: R/Python helpful

Lab: The Sitapati Lab

Dr. Pablo Tamayo

Cancer genomic analyses increasingly involve large, complex datasets representing diverse 'omics' variables, such as gene expression, mutations, copy number alterations, genetic perturbations (e.g. CRISPR or iRNA), drug sensitivity, and clinical phenotypes, making it crucial to accurately measure associations among these variables. Traditional correlation-based methods, like the Pearson correlation coefficient, often assume linearity, Gaussian distributions, and independence among variables, leading to oversimplified assumptions, less sensitive readouts and less accurate significance estimation. Information-theoretic measures overcome these limitations by being one step removed from the data and assessing dependencies at the level of probability distributions, thus providing a more data-agnostic, robust measure for identifying associations in common analysis tasks such as feature selection, pattern recognition, and predictive modeling. We are developing a new generation of Information-Theoretic measures of association and Bayesian estimates of Statistical Evidence that eliminate the need for density estimation and parameter tuning, improve sample efficiency and robustness to outliers, provide consistent estimation, reduce computational complexity and capture directionality and important data-complementation symmetries. These measures are being used in functional cancer genomic and precision oncology applications involving 'omics data, with different statistical properties across a wide range of dataset sizes and complexity.

Prerequisites: Prior knowledge of probability/statistics, programming and data analysis.

Special Considerations: Knowledge of Python/Jupyter notebooks.

Website: https://pmto.ucsd.edu/faculty/tamayo-pablo.html

Dr. Kim Prather

Air and water quality measurements at US-Mexico border. Our Institute brings together an interdisciplinary team of scientists focused on both understanding the impact of climate change on the air we breathe as well as developing implementable solutions to improve indoor and outdoor air quality globally.

Prerequisites: Chemistry background, environmental interests

Lab: The Airborne Institute

Dr. Sarah Gille

The California Current is the region of ocean just upstream of the continental US. Conditions in the California Current drive weather and climate as well as shaping maritime activities (e.g. fisheries). The region is well monitored, and because of that, it is a convenient test bed for exploring research approaches that will later be applied across the planet. The research opportunity will focus on analyzing data and models in the region in the context of multiple projects: understanding how DDT and other contaminants that were dumped on the sea floor could be redistributed in the San Pedro Basin off of Los Angeles, assessing how ocean currents move ash that was deposited on the ocean after the 2025 Palisades wildfire, evaluating atmosphere–ocean coupling in high-frequency radar data along the coast, assessing model results that are constrained by the new Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite, investigating coastal and open ocean exchanges with the help of machine learning tools, or examining biogeochemical processes using profiling floats. There are also possibilities to extend work to examine the Southern Ocean or the tropical Pacific, taking advantage of the global array of profiling floats.

Prerequisites: Experience in Matlab or Python, math including linear algebra (e.g. Math 18) and calculus (e.g. Math 20 A-C).

Website: https://sgille.scrippsprofiles.ucsd.edu/ 

Dr. Lisa Levin

Benthic ecology project related to sediment dwelling fauna of methane seeps in southern California. Research will most likely focus on Anacapa methane seep and involve sorting infauna from sediment samples.

Prerequisites: Chemistry background, environmental interests 

Website: https://llevin.scrippsprofiles.ucsd.edu/