People in the Sailor Labs

Michael J. Sailor

Distinguished Professor
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Director, UC San Diego Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (an NSF MRSEC)
Co-Director, UC San Diego Institute for Materials Discovery & Design
ORCID: 0000-0002-4809-9826
ResearcherID: H-9044-2017
email: msailor_at_ucsd.edu
Office: 4140a Pacific Hall
Biography
Curriculum Vita (printable pdf version)

MRSEC Assistant Director: Janka Bond

Responsible for operational matters related to the UC San Diego MRSEC.
Office: 241 Structural and Materials Engineering bldg
email: j2bond_at_ucsd_dot_edu

MRSEC Executive Assistant: Tsol Lkhagvasuren

Responsible for scheduling, events coordination, reimbursements, billing, and travel for Prof. Sailor and for the UC San Diego MRSEC.
Office: 4140b Pacific Hall
email: tlkhagvasuren_at_ucsd_dot_edu

MRSEC Facility Manager: Ricardo De Luna

Research & Development Engineer, responsible for administrative, laboratory, management, and day-to-day operations of the main research facilities of the  NSF MRSEC Materials Characterization Facility.
Office: 4140b Pacific Hall
email: rideluna_at_ucsd_dot_edu

MRSEC Associate Education Director: Ashley Tamura

Responsible for education and outreach operations of the UC San Diego Materials Research Science and Engineering Center.
Office: 4140c Pacific Hall
email: aktamura_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Qinglin Yang, Ph.D.

Visiting Scholar, 2025-
ORCID: 0000-0001-7845-4027

Qinglin is a Visiting Scholar from the SiCare Bio division of TruTag Technologies, inc. She received her PhD in the Sailor labs in 2024, and is working in partnership with UCSD to transition nanomedicine technologies into the commercial sector.

Joseph P. Briggs
Post-Doc, Chemistry & Biochemistry 2025-
ORCID: 0000-0001-7892-4869
email: jobriggs_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Joseph is a post-doctoral researcher in the UC San Diego Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida and his Ph.D. from Colorado School of Mines in Chemical and Biological Engineering, with a minor in Quantum Engineering, jointly advised by Carolyn Koh (CBE) and Reuben Collins (Physics). His PhD work focused on alternative forms of silicon for quantum information science.

Edward T. Nguyen
Post-Doc, Chemistry & Biochemistry 2024-
ORCID: 0000-0002-4787-8270
email: edn005_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Eddie is a post-doctoral researcher in the UC San Diego Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry who was previously Adjunct Professor of Chemistry in the San Diego Community College and Grossmont College districts. He received both his B.S. and M.S. from CSU Long Beach (Advisor: Xianhui Bu) and obtained his Ph.D. from Florida State University (Advisor: Geoffrey F. Strouse, Focus: transition metal carbide nanocrystals). He participated in the SSSiN program as an RET (Research Experiences for Teachers) trainee in 2024, and as a Senior Mentor in the 2025 SSSiN.

Jiuk Byun
PhD Student, Materials Science and Engineering, 2023-
ORCID: 0000-0001-9810-8869
email: jibyun_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Jiuk is a PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering at UC San Diego. She received her B.A. in Chemistry with a minor in Mathematics from Mount Holyoke College. She conducted her undergraduate research with Professor Wei Chen and helped developed a new procedure for spin coating polydopamine thin films. She also worked with Professor Dirk Englund’s group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she worked on a simultaneous annealing and irradiating system to generate the nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond. Before joining UCSD, she researched coatings and carbonization of nature-inspired polymer materials in Professor Haeshin Lee’s lab at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Her research interests include chemistry and materials science of porous silicon for sensor and catalysis applications.

Oscar Calzada Martinez
PhD Student, Chemical and Nano Engineering, 2022-
ORCID: 0000-0001-8922-4438
email: ocalzada_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Oscar is a PhD student in the UCSD Department of Nanoengineering (NENG). His interests focus on the materials science of porous nanoparticles used as targeted therapeutics for treatment of brain injuries.

Ruhan Fan
PhD Student, Chemical and Nano Engineering, 2018-
ORCID: 0000-0003-0626-849X
email: r7fan_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Ruhan is a PhD student in the UCSD Department of Nanoengineering (NENG) who joined the Sailor lab in March 2018. Prior to joining, she received a BS degree in Pharmacy from Zhengzhou University (ZZU), China, where she studied drug delivery systems. She has been a participant (2018) and a Senior Mentor in the Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology. Ruhan’s project focus is on porous nanoparticle drug delivery systems for treatment of bacterial infections and brain injuries.

James S. Cohan
PhD Student, Chemistry, 2026-
ORCID: 0009-0005-6155-057X
email: jcohan_at_ucsd_dot_edu

James is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He received his B.S. in Biochemistry from Florida State University, where he worked in Robert Schurko’s group on solid-state NMR spectroscopy of coordination polymers and dopant effects on ZnO nanoparticles. He is interested in nanoparticles for drug delivery and characterizing them using solid-state NMR methods.

Dulce Martinez-Berrera
PhD Student, Materials Science & Engineering, 2025-
ORCID: 0009-0001-6258-7906
email: dumartinezbarrera_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Dulce is a PhD student in the UCSD Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MATS). She received a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from the Technological Institute of Mexicali (TecNM Mexicali), Mexico. Her main interests are luminescence and the development of novel nanomaterials for drug delivery in cancer treatment.

Gabriella Stark
PhD Student, Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2021-
ORCID: 0000-0003-1304-9404
email: gastark_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Gabriella is a PhD Student in the UC San Diego Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry who started as an M.S. Student in 2021, and she transitioned to the PhD program in Summer, 2022. She received a B.S. degree in Chemistry from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, where her undergraduate research focused on folding-based DNA biosensors. Prior to joining UC San Diego, Gabriella worked in the Drug Delivery Division at 3M. Her thesis interests focus on surface chemistry of porous silicon nanoparticles to load and deliver biologic therapeutics, preserving function, extending release, and maximizing circulation time.

Gael Alvarado
BS Student, Chemical Engineering, 2025-
ORCID: 0009-0001-1226-6741
email:

Gael is an undergraduate student at Palomar College majoring in Chemical Engineering, with a focus on Energy and Materials Science. In his free time, he loves to listen to music, go on hikes, and spend time trying out new experiences. He began in the lab by participating in the 2025 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN), one of the UC San Diego MRSEC RIMSE research immersion programs.

Jay Doctor
BS Student, Chemistry, 2025-
ORCID: 0009-0000-5763-9567
email: jadoctor_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Jay is an undergraduate student at UC San Diego, majoring in Molecular Synthesis in the Department of Chemistry. Fields of interest include biotechnology, drug development, materials science, and textile engineering. He enjoys running, watching football, and hiking in his free time.

Madison Hirata
BS Student, Human Biology, 2025-
ORCID: 0009-0001-9649-7933
email: mhirata_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Madison is an undergraduate student at UC San Diego studying Human Biology on the pre-med track. She is interested in drug discovery and the development of innovative treatments to improve patient care. In her free time she enjoys cooking, traveling, and exploring San Diego.

Brayden Jones
BS Student, Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2025-
ORCID: 0009-0006-9827-8474
email: bmj001_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Brayden is an Undergraduate student majoring in Chemical
Engineering. He was accepted as a transfer student at UCSD starting in the Fall 2025. He enjoys playing basketball and volleyball in his free time. He began in the lab with the 2025  Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN), one of the UC San Diego MRSEC RIMSE research immersion programs.

Elaina Truong
BS Student, Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2025-
ORCID: 0009-0009-6859-5112
email: e8truong_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Elaina is an undergraduate student at UC San Diego pursuing a degree in Biochemistry. She previously worked under Dr. Parameshwaran at Chico State University investigating how nicotine can impair proteins in the hippocampus and understanding how it impacts memory function. Elaina has also contributed to research under Dr. Rajapakse at the University of Pennsylvania, exploring how machine learning techniques can be applied to assess bone density in lumbar MRI scans. She participated in the 2025 RIMSE Spring Break Research Experience and in the 2025  Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN), one of the UC San Diego MRSEC RIMSE research immersion programs.

Benjamin Case
High school researcher, 2025-
ORCID: 0009-0008-8031-7580

Ben Case is a Senior at San Diego High School (class of 2026) with a passion for science. He regularly volunteers at the Fleet Science Center and leads the physics club at his school. He also plays the trumpet with the San Diego Youth Symphony and enjoys acting and producing with the SDHS Theatrical Knights. He began in the lab with the 2025  Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN), one of the UC San Diego MRSEC RIMSE research immersion programs.

Elvin Zhang
High school researcher, 2025-
ORCID: 0009-0003-4363-402X

Elvin is a student at Del Norte High School (Class of 2026). He enjoys studying the interdisciplinary fields of physics, chemistry, and bioengineering. He is studying silicon nanomaterials and nanocrystals for remote sensor applications. He began in the lab with the 2025  Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN), one of the UC San Diego MRSEC RIMSE research immersion programs.