Do you want to hear about our students' experiences in the program? Do you wonder how they got to where they are now? Feel free to reach out to our students below.
Aakarsh Kankaria
C/O 2024, Molecular Therapeutics
Aakarsh is an international student from India. He is interested in health care from both micro and macro perspectives, from understanding how proteins can be used for therapeutic purposes to how lifesaving technologies can be made both affordable and accessible. He has worked at a radiation oncology lab at UCSF, Savage/Doudna Labs at the Innovative Genomics Institute, and a computational biology lab at the Gladstone Institute. Most recently, he was involved in life sciences consulting at Trinity Life Sciences where he worked in the value, pricing, and access team. In school, he is also involved in Project RISHI, a developmental organization that spearheads health and infrastructure work in rural Indian communities. He loves all things reading and writing and you will probably find him curled up with a good book at some point. Aakarsh reached out to several people on this page who helped him decide if the program was right for him, so please reach out. His email is: akankaria@berkeley.edu.
Audrey Cui
C/O 2024, Immunology & Pathogenesis
Audrey is from Riverside, CA. She is excited about progressing molecular therapeutics and global sustainability. In 2020, as one of her research experiments, she sent quinoa to the International Space Station on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. She is currently a research assistant at the Innovative Genomics Institute, researching how CRISPR & molecular cloning can be used to combat fungal pathogens. She also co-authored a paper on child poverty and gender inequity with Harvard’s Economics department, which she presented to Senate offices at Capitol Hill earlier this year. Audrey is the Vice President of the Cal Equestrian Team and a national award-winning equestrian vaulter. In her spare time, she loves riding horses, skiing, ballet, and listening to Taylor Swift. You can reach Audrey at audreylynncui@berkeley.edu.
Ayushi Srivastava
C/O 2024, Immunology & Molecular Medicine: Infectious Disease
Ayushi is a current senior (class of 2024) in the LSBE Program studying Biology (Immunology track) & Business Administration at UC Berkeley Haas. She has also attained a minor in Journalism (with a focus on Health Misinformation / Policy). This past summer, she worked in Strategic Sourcing in the Pharmaceutical Development & Manufacturing Division at Gilead Sciences. She was previously an Investor Relations / Antibody Discovery Intern at a pre-seed drug discovery startup in Oakland, CA. Her future goals entail a focus on value, equity, & access to patients. Ayushi has been an avid fan of innovation, spearheading health equity projects through hackathons at Berkeley, Stanford, and corporate organizations. She's happy to chat about these interests or to mentor anyone looking to diverge from traditional paths. Her email is ayushisrivastava@berkeley.edu.
Brightan Ying
C/O 2024, Cell and Developmental Biology Track 2: Medical Biology & Physiology
Brightan is from Richmond, CA. His professional interests center around life sciences consulting, and next year he will be joining L.E.K. Consulting as an Associate in San Francisco. Previously, Brightan explored interests across the spectrum of life sciences and business and has experience doing wet lab research, working as an EMT, and internships! These internships spanned across business including venture capital, startup acceleration, corporate strategy, and M&A consulting. At school, you can find Brightan in Phoenix Consulting Group where he currently serves as President. Outside of school, you'll probably see him in a cafe, reading another Murakami book or updating his Bay Area coffee tier list. His email is brightan@berkeley.edu.
Emily Kim
C/O 2025, Neurobiology
Emily is from Lincoln, NE. She is passionate about global public health policy and making the world a better place. She is currently participating in tuberculosis research in the Javid Lab in UCSF and has worked on transgenic protein research in the McDonald and Nandi lab in UC Davis. On Campus, Emily is currently working as the domain coordinator in RR\ID, an open-access overlay journal that accelerates peer review of important infectious disease-related research preprints, with Professor Bertozzi. She plans on pursuing deeper study in medicine and public health in the future. In her free time, Emily enjoys pilates, ballet, and trying every chocolate chip cookie recipe on the internet. You can connect with Emily at emilydoekim@berkeley.edu.
Gloria Zhang
C/O 2024, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology: BMB
Gloria is from Sunnyvale, CA. At Berkeley, she is pursuing a minor in data science, conducting research in the Tjian + Darzacq lab, and is a part of Berkeley Consulting. Her professional interests lie somewhere between research and life sciences consulting- although she is still exploring. Outside of school, she loves to hike, ski, swim, and do anything outdoors! Her email is gloriazhang@berkeley.edu.
Jean Ye
C/O 2024, Molecular Therapeutics
Jean is from Dallas, TX. She has previously worked at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and currently conducts gene editing and computational biology research at the Innovative Genomics Institute and UCSF, respectively. On campus, Jean serves as coordinator for the Health Service Internship under the Health and Medical Apprenticeship Program. She plans on pursuing consulting before entering business development or corporate strategy in the biopharmaceutical space. In her free time, Jean enjoys trying out new restaurants, karaoke, hiking, and playing board/card games! You can reach her at jeanye@berkeley.edu.
Justin Oh
C/O 2024, Cell & Developmental Biology: Medical Biology & Physiology
Justin is from Norwood, NJ– a suburb of New York City. Justin has strong interests in the intersection of the life sciences, finance, and entrepreneurship. He has several previous work experiences in the biotech and biopharma industries, working at Roche within Sequencing Marketing, at Merck within Global Market Access, and at Leerink Partners within Biopharma Investment Banking. Following his graduation in May 2024, Justin will return to Leerink Partners full-time as an Investment Banking Analyst in the Biopharma Coverage team in New York. At Cal, you can find Justin pursuing cancer research at UCSF and being involved in Phi Beta Lambda, where he founded the Biotech Committee. In his free time, Justin enjoys going on spontaneous trips around the Bay Area, doing photography, and trying out new restaurants with family and friends! His email is ohjustinoh@berkeley.edu.
Heyuan (Michael) Ni
C/O 2024; Biochemistry & Molecular Biology: BMB
Heyuan, who also goes by Michael, was born and raised in Beijing, China. As an LSBE student pursuing an additional major in Data Science, he particularly focuses on data-driven deeptech entrepreneurship. His ultimate goal is to leverage his research for transformative changes in fundamental aspects of life, such as food, water, and healthcare. Throughout his academic journey, Michael has gained research experience in synthetic biology, nanotechnology, and host-pathogen interaction studies at iGEM at Berkeley (currently), the Markita Landry Lab (previously), and the Sarah Stanley Lab (currently), respectively. In early 2023, Michael founded his second startup, Utero Diagnostics, and is currently working on the startup while applying for PhD programs. His long-term goal is a career in academia, where he can explore the intersection of biology and business, continuously pursuing entrepreneurial opportunities to bridge scientific advancements with practical implementation. Besides torturing mice in the lab, catching up on sleep during meetings with iGEM at Berkeley, TMSCA, or his startup, you can find Michael at Caffe Strada, various karaoke venues, or on badminton courts. You can reach out to him via email at michael.ni@berkeley.edu.
Sena Gul
C/O 2024, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology: BMB
Sena is from Ellicott City, MD. She conducted stem cell research at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases for infection optimization. Sena believes there is a crucial value in exploring research and application beyond the lab to achieve and maintain drug accessibility. At Berkeley, she is part of the Bio-Business Initiative, BioethiCAL, and is also part of on-campus research. She enjoys spending time with friends, photography, painting, and traveling in her free time. Her email is: senagul@berkeley.edu.
Shobhin Logani
C/O 2025, Genetics, Genomics, & Development
Shobhin is from Spokane, WA. Coming from a semi-rural community, he came into Berkeley with the goal of gaining the skills to develop biotechnologies targeted towards mitigating healthcare disparities in underserved areas. While he originally planned to major in MCB and Data Science, he chose to pursue the LSBE program after learning more about the challenges of commercializing new drugs and devices while making them accessible. On campus, he is part of Neurotechnology@Berkeley, where he is involved in writing and editing science content as well as technical consulting for startups in the field. He is also an undergraduate researcher at the Innovative Genomics Institute, exploring the rapidly emerging field of synthetic biology and environmental biotechnology while working on engineering the lung microbiome to diagnose and treat infectious lung disease. He has also completed internships at a startup, an academic lab, and a large company, gaining experience in working as both a scientist and in corporate development within different environments. In his free time, he enjoys running/hiking, attempting overly-ambitious cooking projects, fantasy videogames, and science-fiction and horror movies. His email is slogani@berkeley.edu.
Dilsher Singh
C/O 2025, Molecular and Cell Biology; Business Administration
Dilsher is from Dublin, CA. He has a strong interest in the medical field and developing financial literacy among youth. His professional journey has been diverse, and his current role is a Chemical Management Specialist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Dilsher has also worked in clinical operations within an ophthalmology company, Santen. On campus, he is a teaching assistant for the Field Study Internship under the Health and Medical Apprenticeship Program. Beyond his professional pursuits, Dilsher is also involved in various consulting organizations on campus, to fuel his passion for complex problem-solving and teamwork. In addition, as a member of the UC Rally Committee, he showcases his dedication to representing Cal. In his free time, you can see him catching up with friends, watching the sunset, or going to the gym! His email is dilsherrsingh@berkeley.edu.