Michael J. Sailor
Distinguished Professor
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Director, UC San Diego Materials Research Science and Engineering Center
Co-Director, UC San Diego Institute for Materials Discovery & Design
ORCID: 0000-0002-4809-9826
ResearcherID: H-9044-2017

voice: (858) 534-4466
fax:(858) 534-0202
email: msailor@ucsd.edu
Office: 4140a Pacific Hall

Biography

Research Interests

Curriculum Vita (printable pdf version)

Publications

MRSEC Executive Assistant: Tsol Lkhagvasuren
Responsible for scheduling, reimbursements, billing, travel, and events coordination for Prof. Sailor and for the UC San Diego MRSEC.

Office: 5100d Pacific Hall
email

MRSEC Assistant Director: Janka Bond
Responsible for operational matters related to the UC San Diego MRSEC.

Office: SME
email

Facility and Laboratory Manager: Ricardo De Luna
Manager of the NSF MRSEC Materials Characterization Facility, for instrument training, reservation, laboratory management matters.

Office: 4140c Pacific Hall
email

Jose Cruz
Visiting scientist
Spinnaker Biosciences
email

Jose is a Staff Scientist at Spinnaker Biosciences who is assisting with the translation of technologies from our labs to the clinic. Jose holds a degree in Chemical Engineering (UCSD Revelle College, class of 2015). Prior to Spinnaker, Jose was an undergraduate researcher in the Sailor lab and he participated in the 2013 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology, studying the photoluminescence properties of porous Si-based nanoparticles. His mentor was Jinmyoung Joo.

Joel Grondek
Visiting scholar
ORCID: 0000-0002-6386-3423
email

Joel is a collaborator from the laboratory of Dr. William R. Freeman, MD, in the Jacobs Retina Center. He received his PhD in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the Sailor Group in 2021. His current focus is on treatment of diseases of the retina using tissue-targeted nanoparticles.

Dong-Wook Han
Visiting Professor
Pusan National University-Optics and Mechatronics Engineering
email

Professor Han is Professor at the Department of Optics and Mechatronics Engineering in the College of Nanoscience & Nanotechnology at Pusan National University (PNU) with research interests in regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, and drug delivery, who is visiting our labs from Aug 2022 until July 2023.

Ji Hee Kim
Visiting Professor
ollege of Medicine, Hallym University, South Korea
email

Ji Hee Kim, M.D. is an associate professor in the department of neurosurgery at the College of Medicine, Hallym University, South Korea. A board-certified neurosurgeon, she specializes in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery. She is interested in nanoengineered intracranial drug delivery systems for the treatment of various intractable neurological disorders. She will participate in the 2023 SSSiN as part of her sabbatical studies, staying in the labs from May 2023 to May 2024.

Amber Pierron
Visiting scientist
Spinnaker Biosciences
email

Amber is a Staff Scientist at Spinnaker Biosciences who is assisting with the translation of technologies from our labs to the clinic. Amber holds a BS degree in Chemistry (UC San Diego Revelle College, class of 2014). Before taking the position at Spinnaker, Amber worked as an undergraduate researcher in the Sailor lab (2014-15) and she participated in the 2014 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology.

Ji Ho Park
Visiting Professor
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
ORCID: 0000-0002-0721-0428
email

Professor Park is a Professor in the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in South Korea, visiting the lab from Feb 2023 to Feb 2024. His research is on nanomaterials and nanomedicine.

Yoon-Seok Roh
Visiting Professor
Chungbuk National University
ORCID: 0000-0003-2512-5857
email

Professor Yoon-Seok Roh is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy at the Chungbuk National University in South Korea, visiting the lab from Feb 2022 to Feb 2023. His research is on pathogenesis of chronic liver diseases such as NASH, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, and he aims to develop new nano-enabled therapies for treatment of these diseases.

Jihye Song
Visiting Professor
Department of Neurosurgery, Ajou University Hospital, South Korea
ORCID: 0000-0003-1949-6459
email

Jihye Song, M.D. is an associate professor in the department of neurosurgery at Ajou University Hospital, South Korea. She is a board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in open surgical and endovascular surgery. She also holds an ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates) certificate. She is interested in the application of nano-technology to develop materials for aneurysm treatment and will be visiting our labs from May 2023 until May 2024.

Oscar Calzada
PhD Student
ORCID: 0000-0001-8922-4438
email

Oscar Calzada Martinez is a PhD student in the UCSD Department of Nanoengineering (NENG) who joined the Sailor lab in Fall 2022. He received a BS degree in Chemistry from the University of San Diego, where he studied under Prof. James Bolender. Prior to joining the lab, Oscar participated as a participant (2021) and a Senior Mentor (2022) in the Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology. Oscar's project focus is on porous nanoparticle drug delivery systems.

Ruhan Fan
PhD Student
ORCID: 0000-0003-0626-849X
email

Ruhan Fan 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 cancer.

Yi-Sheng Lu
PhD Student
ORCID: 0000-0002-2963-5953
email

Yi-Sheng "Eason" Lu is a PhD student in the Materials Science and Engineering program at UC San Diego. He earned his BS in Biomedical Engineering at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, where his undergraduate thesis focused on magnetic-responsive iron oxide nano-spheres for deep tumor therapy. He was a participant in the 2018 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN) and served as a Senior Mentor in the 2019 and 2021 SSSiN. His thesis interests focus on remote sensing and catalysis with porous silicon photonic crystals

Gabriella Stark
PhD Student
ORCID: 0000-0003-1304-9404
email

Gabriella started as an M.S. Student in the UC San Diego Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, with a concentration in inorganic chemistry 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. She was a participant in the 2021 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN), one of the UC San Diego MRSEC RIMSE research immersion programs, and then acted as a Senior Mentor in the 2022 SSSiN. Her thesis interests focus on loading and delivery of nucleic acid-based therapeutics using porous silicon nanoparticles.

Qinglin Yang
PhD Student
ORCID: 0000-0001-7845-4027
email

Qinglin began her PhD studies in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) at UCSD in Summer 2017. Her undergraduate research at UIUC with Professor John A. Rogers involved flexible and stretchable structures and electronic devices. She performed graduate research at Stanford with Professor Debbie G. Senesky focused on GaN-based devices that can operate in harsh environments before transferring to UC San Deigo. She began her work in the Sailor labs as a participant in the 2017 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN) and she served as a Senior Mentor in the 2018 and 2019 SSSiN. Her thesis focuses on porous silicon nanoparticles for delivery of therapeutics for bacterial infections, opthalmic diseases, and cancer.

Helen Zhang
PhD Student
ORCID: 0000-0002-5510-3483
email

Helen began her PhD studies in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) at UCSD in Summer 2021, as a participant in the UC San Diego MRSEC RIMSE program. She obtained her B.S. in Biochemistry from California State University Long Beach in 2016, and she then worked as a topical formulations chemist, where she optimized drug delivery systems with various active ingredients. She was a participant in the 2021 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN), one of the UC San Diego MRSEC RIMSE research immersion programs. She is interested in silicon nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems, particularly their application in treatment of inflammatory conditions in cancer, infectious diseases, and injured tissues.

Madeline Brown
Undergraduate Student: 2020-
ORCID: 0000-0002-0133-2192
Mentor:
email

Madeline is an undergraduate Molecular and Cell Biology major at UC San Diego (class of 2023). She has prior research experience investigating predictive biomarkers for gastric and colorectal cancer, has worked as a student assistant in the Nano3 facility, and participated in the 2020 and 2021 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology. Her interests include developing methods for nanosurgery involving nanoparticles for biomedical applications, with a focus on revascularization of damaged tissues.

William Chan
Undergraduate Student: 2022-
ORCID: 0000-0002-7648-6962
Mentor: Gabriella Stark
email

William Chan is an undergraduate student at UC San Diego (class of 2025), who began in the lab as a participant in the 2022 UCSD MRSEC RIMSE program, "Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology". He is currently pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering with a specialization in material science and environmental engineering. Outside of the laboratory, he enjoys mountain biking, hiking, and surfing.

Han Chi
Undergraduate Student: 2022-
ORCID: 0000-0002-4839-0912
Mentor: Yubin Huang
email

Han Chi is an undergraduate Chemistry major at UC San Diego (class of 2024), who was introduced to the lab as a participant in the 2022 Spring Break RIMSE research introduction program, then continued as a participant in the 2022 UCSD MRSEC RIMSE program, "Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology". She is interested in exploring applications of photonic crystals and other optical nanostructures.

Victor Cortez
Undergraduate Student: 2021-
ORCID: 0000-0001-7731-0195
Mentor: Yi-Sheng Lu
email

Victor is an undergraduate Chemical Engineering major at UC San Diego (class of 2023), who was introduced to the lab as a participant in the 2021 Spring Break RIMSE research introduction program, then continued as a participant in the 2021 and 2022 UCSD MRSEC RIMSE program, "Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology". He is exploring surface chemistry of porous photonic crystals and other optical nanostructures.

Joeun Kim
Undergraduate Student: 2022-
ORCID: 0000-0003-4613-8446
Mentor: Qinglin Yang
email

Joeun Kim is an undergraduate Chemistry major at UC San Diego (class of 2023), who was introduced to the lab as a participant in the 2022 UCSD MRSEC RIMSE program, "Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology". She is interested in biomedical applications of silicon nanostructures.

Ella Lee
Undergraduate Student: 2020-
ORCID: 0000-0003-4450-0798
Mentor: Joel Grondek
email

Ji Yoon "Ella" Lee is an undergraduate student (class of 2022) at UC San Diego majoring in Biochemistry/Chemistry who participated in the 2020 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology. She is interested in medical applications of nanomaterials.

Rachel Lee
Undergraduate Student: 2021-
ORCID: 0000-0003-2861-164X
Mentor:
email

Rachel Lee is an undergraduate (class of 2023) Biochemistry/Chemistry student at UC San Diego. She participated in the 2021 Spring Break Undergraduate Research Experience (a "mini RIMSE" program of the UC San Diego MRSEC), and in the 2021 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN), one of the UC San Diego MRSEC RIMSE research immersion programs. She is interested in exploring the uses of silicon nanotechnology as antibacterial therapeutics-delivery platforms.

Christine Oh
Undergraduate Student: 2022-
ORCID: 0000-0003-1662-8524
Mentor: Madeline Brown
email

Christine Oh is an undergraduate student at UC San Diego (Class of 2025) pursuing a degree in Human Biology. She participated in the 2022 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN), one of the UC San Diego MRSEC RIMSE research immersion programs. She is interested in exploring innovation in medicine and how nanotechnology can promote the revascularization of ligaments.

Megan Salek
Undergraduate Student: 2022-
ORCID: 0000-0003-1588-4833
Mentor: Madeline Brown
email

Megan Salek is an undergraduate student at UC San Diego majoring in Physics with a Specialization in Biophysics (class of 2024). She is interested in learning more about the mechanics and biomedical applications of nanotechnology. She participated in the 2022 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN), one of the UC San Diego MRSEC RIMSE research immersion programs.

Yutong She
Undergraduate Student: 2022-
ORCID: 0000-0001-7024-0147
Mentor: Helen Zhang
email

Yutong She is an undergraduate student at UC San Diego (class of 2025) currently pursuing a degree in Biochemistry. She was introduced to the lab in the Revelle College Honors Seminar and participated in the 2022 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN), one of the UC San Diego MRSEC RIMSE research immersion programs.

Arthur Zhou
Undergraduate Student: 2021-
ORCID: 0000-0002-2973-576X
Mentor: Yisheng Lu
email

Arthur is an undergraduate (class of 2023) Nanoengineering student at UC San Diego. He participated remotely in the 2021 Spring Break Undergraduate Research Experience (a "mini RIMSE" program of the UC San Diego MRSEC), and in the 2021 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN), one of the UC San Diego MRSEC RIMSE research immersion programs. He is interested in exploring the uses of silicon nanoparticles as encapsulants for catalytic systems.

Nathan Han
High School Student: 2021-
ORCID: 0000-0001-5051-5924
Mentor: Michael Sailor
email

Nathan is a student at Canyon Crest Academy High School (class of 2024) who participated remotely in the Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN) via the UCSD MRSEC RIMSE program.

Siran Rao
High School Student: 2022-
ORCID: 0000-0003-2769-1780
Mentor: Michael Sailor
email

Siran is a high school student (class of 2024) at Pacific Ridge School who participated in the 2022 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN) via the UCSD MRSEC RIMSE program. She is interested in physics and chemistry as well as possible applications of nanotechnology in detection of chemicals in the atmosphere and other forms of data collection.

Jocelyn Zhang
High School Student: 2022-
ORCID: 0000-0001-6471-4481
Mentor: Michael Sailor
email

Jocelyn Zhang is a high school student at Del Norte High School (Class of 2024) who participated in the 2022 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN) via the UCSD MRSEC RIMSE program. She has a passion for chemistry, physics, and biology. She hopes to explore more about how nanotechnology can be applied to drive towards new innovations.