Work with thought leaders and academic experts from University of California, Santa Barbara

Dr. Adam Mechler, PhD, FRSC

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
La Trobe University
Experience

University of California Santa Barbara

NATO Postdoctoral Fellow / 20012004

Monash University

Monash Research Fellow / 20042009

Soft money independent research-only position

La Trobe University

Senior Lecturer (equiv. Assistant Professor in USA) / 20092016

Associate Professor / 20162020

Professor / 2020Present

Research Expertise
physical chemistry
membrane biophysics
nanoscience
nanoarchitecture and molecular machines
About
Prof. Adam Mechler is a renowned physical chemist academic, specializing in the field of intermolecular interactions. He was born and raised in Hungary and developed a passion for science at a young age. He pursued his education in physics and chemistry and earned his PhD from the University of Szeged in 2001. During his PhD studies, Dr. Mechler focused on characterization of carbon nanostructures with an emphasis of graphite-diamond transformation. His research was recognized for its innovation and impact, and he was awarded the prestigious NATO Science for Peace Fellowship to continue his work at the University of California Santa Barbara, where he he found his inspiration from world leading experts and set his focus on the area of intermolecular interactions and self-assembly. In 2004 he moved to Australia as a Research Fellow at Monash University. Dr. Mechler joined the faculty at La Trobe University as tenured academic in 2009. He has since become a leading authority in his field, publishing numerous well received papers and receiving international recognition and accolades for his work. In 2012, Dr. Mechler was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) in recognition of his contributions to the field of self-assembled nanomaterials. He is also a member of several other prestigious scientific organizations, including the American Chemical Society and the Australian Society for Biophysics. In addition to his research, Dr. Mechler is also a dedicated teacher and mentor. He has supervised numerous graduate and undergraduate students, and is known for his passion and enthusiasm in the classroom. Dr. Mechler continues to push the boundaries of our understanding of intermolecular interactions and self-organized systems and his work has significant implications for a wide range of fields, including materials science, biophysics, and physical chemistry. His dedication to scientific research and education has made him a highly respected figure in the scientific community.

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Tiffany Halvorsen

Livermore
SynBio | Microbiology | Microbial Genomics
Education

Northern Arizona University

B.S., Biology / May, 2014

Flagstaff, Arizona, United States of America

University of California, Santa Barbara

Ph.D., Molecular Biology & Biochemistry / December, 2020

Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
Experience

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Synthetic Biology Postdoctoral Researcher / February, 2021February, 2024

I designed and tested the stability of an array of kill switches for biocontainment of agricultural bacteria. My findings contributed to the rational design of stable yet effective containment systems in soil bacteria.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Staff Research Scientist — Synthetic Biology / February, 2024Present

I wrote a successful proposal to design a synthetic extremophile for bio manufacturing of sustainable plastics without the need for sterilization at any stage of the production process.

University of California, Santa Barbara

Graduate Student Researcher, Biomolecular Science & Engineering / September, 2014December, 2020

I studied the mechanism of (1) cell binding/adhesion by contact-dependent growth inhibition (CdiA) proteins and (2) how the ionophore toxins that they deliver into neighboring bacteria exploit native membrane proteins to enter the bilayer.

Research Expertise
Synthetic Biology
Biotechnology
Biomedical Engineering
Bioengineering
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
And 1 more
About
Highly driven microbiologist with a passion for applying microbial physiology & synthetic biology to the creation of a circular economy with environmentally-conscious technologies.

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Ulascan Sarica

Postdoctoral researcher at University of California at Santa Barbara and Fermilab LPC Junior Distinguished Researcher
Experience

University of California at Santa Barbara

Postdoctoral researcher / October, 2018Present

My research primarily focuses on the CMS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The topics include the measurements of Higgs boson properties, and searches for new physics, i.e., dimuon events with b quark jets, displaced dimuons events through scouting triggers, and searches for SUSY top squark candidates. I have also been involved with GEANT4 detector simulation efforts of the CMS MIP Timing Detector (MTD) currently planned for installation for high-luminosity LHC data taking.

Johns Hopkins University

Graduate student researcher / September, 2013October, 2018

I worked in the CMS experiment at the LHC on the measurements of Higgs boson properties and the alignment of the CMS tracker system. During this time, I developed various software tools for Monte Carlo event simulation and matrix element techniques, data analysis, and particle tracking in CMS.

Research Expertise
Experimental particle physics
Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Instrumentation
Mathematical Physics
About
I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at the UC Santa Barbara Department of Physics and a Fermilab LHC Physics Center Junior Distinguished Researcher. <br> Since 2013, I have been conducting cutting-edge research in the CMS experiment at CERN, utilizing one of the largest and most complex particle detectors in the world. As part of this international collaboration, I have contributed to the measurements of Higgs boson properties, searches for new physics, the development of simulation and analysis software, the alignment of the CMS tracker, and the design of the MIP Timing Detector. In addition to having co-authored multiple publications in prestigious particle physics journals, I am also one of the lead-developers of the JHUGen Monte Carlo event generator and matrix element library package, used widely in Higgs boson properties analyses at the LHC. Please kindly see https://spin.pha.jhu.edu if you are interested to learn more about its capabilities. I also have interesting ideas for particle detector instrumentation to solve challenges in quantum error correction used in quantum computing. You may find a discussion of these ideas in my recent paper on the Journal of Instrumentation (postprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.00577). I am also working with colleagues at Fermilab to reduce neural network complexity in error decoding applications. I have a strong background in physics, mathematics, statistics, and advanced computer programming. I have a PhD in Physics from The Johns Hopkins University, and two BS degrees in Physics and in Molecular Genetics from the University of Rochester. I also have extensive experience in particle detector design, deep learning, and heterogeneous computing, including distributed computing and GPU acceleration. I am passionate about advancing our understanding of the fundamental nature of the universe and applying my skills to solve challenging and meaningful problems.

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Dr. Chloe Willis

California
Linguistics PhD working in the ethical AI/ML/NLP sector with a strong background in community and coalition building
Education

University of California Santa Barbara

PhD in Linguistics, Linguistics / September, 2023

Santa Barbara, California, United States of America

University of California Santa Barbara

M.A. in Linguistics, Linguistics / March, 2020

Santa Barbara, California, United States of America

University of California Santa Cruz

B.A. in Language Studies with an emphasis in Japanese, Linguistics / March, 2014

Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
Experience

Textio, Inc

Linguist Contractor / September, 2022Present

University of California, Santa Barbara

Teaching Assistant (LING 20: Introduction to Linguistics; LING 15: Language in Life) / January, 2023June, 2023

Teaching Associate (LING 505: Teaching Assistant Seminar) [GRADUATE] / September, 2022December, 2022

University of California Santa Barbara

Teaching Assistant (LING 20: Introduction to Linguistics) / January, 2022March, 2022

Teaching Assistant (INT W 20: Introduction to the Research University) / August, 2021September, 2021

Teaching Assistant (LING 146: Auditory Phonetics, LING 15: Language in Life) / January, 2021June, 2021

Teaching Associate (LING 132: Language, Gender & Sexuality, LING 106: Introduction to Phonetics) / June, 2020December, 2020

Teaching Assistant (Japanese 2) / January, 2020March, 2020

Teaching Assistant (LING 106: Introduction to Phonetics, LING 132: Language, Gender & Sexuality, LING 187: Language, Power & Learning, LING 180: Language, Race & Ethnicity) / September, 2018August, 2019

Teaching Assistant (Japanese 2) / January, 2018March, 2018

Research Expertise
Computational Linguistics
Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Natural Language Understanding (NLU)
Linguistics
Sociolinguistics
And 9 more
About
I am a researcher, linguist, data scientist, and educator in the ethical AI space. Currently, I leverage my academic research background to build machine learning models and label ontologies that detect biased language. I am seeking opportunities to drive and evangelize innovative AI/ML/NLP research through my technical, research, and communication skills. Read more about me on my website: https://chloemwillis.com/

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Marlene Maeusli, Ph.D.

Ph.D. in Medical Biology specialized in antibiotic resistance and the gut microbiome with fermentation startup experience
Education

University of Southern California

Ph.D., Medical Biology / October, 2021

Los Angeles, California, United States of America

University of California, Santa Barbara

B.S., Aquatic Biology / June, 2015

Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
Research Expertise
One Health
microbiome
antibiotic resistance
infectious diseases
Microbiology (medical)
And 4 more
About
Hello, nice to meet you! I'm a microbiologist with a diverse professional background that spans marine ecology and drug discovery, preclinical research, and fermentation biotechnology. With 12 years of scientific research experience, I've cultivated a versatile skill set that includes medical writing, project management, data analysis, competitive landscape assessments, and relationship building. <br> **Career Highlights:** • **Ph.D. in Medical Biology:** Specializing in infectious diseases and the gut microbiome, my academic efforts yielded 3 peer-reviewed publications and a national conference press release. • **Scientific Leadership at a Biotech Startup:** As hire #2 at Hyfé, I worked with internal team members, consultants, and external organizations to advance fermentation research and bioprocess development aligned with the company business strategy, contributing to securing a $9M seed capital. • **International Collaboration:** I led a multidisciplinary collaboration, working closely with preclinical investigators, a clinician, a bioinformatician, and an agricultural microbiologist in the U.S. and E.U. This collaboration was facilitated by the regular presentation of scientific findings. • **Cross-Cultural Communication:** Raised as a Third Culture Kid among 5 languages, I excel in cross-cultural communication, engaging effectively with international teams. As I look for my next opportunity, I've expanded my professional network and gained insights from 28 informational conversations, including 17 roles across pharma, biotech (from early startup to companies with 10K+ employees), medical devices, manufacturing, and medical advertising. This experience has equipped me with valuable strategic insights that I share as an international student mentor for the University of Southern California. Additionally, I've been self-teaching and building a stronger foundation in microbiome bioinformatics (R, Mothur, QIIME, etc.).

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John Arnold

Consultant, PhD Chemist, Applied Chemistry and Engineering for Manufacturing and Validation
Education

University of California Irvine

PhD Chemistry, Chemistry / April, 1984

Irvine, California, United States of America

University of California Stanta Barbara

BS Chemistry, Chemistry / June, 1978

Santa Barabara
About
John Arnold is a highly experienced chemist with over 30 years of experience in the field. He received his PhD in Chemistry from the University of California Irvine in 1984 and his BS in Chemistry from the University of California Santa Barbara in 1978. After completing his education, John began his career as an engineer at Bethlehem Steel, where he gained valuable experience in the industrial sector. He then moved on to work as a Senior Chemist at First Brands Corporation, where he developed his expertise in chemical research and development. In 1990, John joined Dymax Corporation as a Manager of Commercial Development, where he was responsible for developing new products and markets for the company. He later became the R&D Director at ACTEGA Radcure, where he oversaw the development of new UV-curable coatings and adhesives. John served as the R&D Director at Miltec UV International, a leading manufacturer of UV-curing equipment. In this role, he is responsible for managing the company's research and development efforts and driving innovation and technological advancements in Lithium Ion Batteries. John served as a Validation subject mater expert in pharmaceutical manufacturing and validation. Throughout his career, John has been recognized for his contributions to the field of chemistry. He has published numerous articles in scientific journals and has received several patents for his innovative research. He is also an active member of various professional organizations, including the American Chemical Society, American Physics Society, and Radtech.

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Helga George, PhD

PhD agricultural scientist with wide expertise in the use of beneficial microbes in agriculture and highly skilled writer and editor.
Education

Cornell University

PhD, Plant Pathology with Minors in Biochemistry and Microbiology / July, 1993

Ithaca, New York, United States of America

University of Massachusetts Amherst

MS, Plant Pathology / April, 1989

Amherst Center, Massachusetts, United States of America

Cornell University

BS, Agriculture specializing in Plant Science / May, 1984

Ithaca, New York, United States of America

University of California, Santa Barbara

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Plant Biochemistry and Natural Products Chemistry

Santa Barbara, California, United States of America

University of California, Santa Barbara

Postdoctoral fellow, Studied changes in browning as avocadoes ripened by examining changes in their polypheol oxidase enzymes / June, 1995

Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
About
With a strong background in plant pathology, biochemistry, and microbiology, I have dedicated my career to understanding and communicating the complex interactions between plants, microbes, and their environments. I have extensive experience in research, and publishing, and have worked with a wide range of plant species and microorganisms in various settings. After completing my PhD in Plant Pathology at Cornell University, I pursued postdoctoral fellowships in Plant Biochemistry and Natural Products Chemistry at the University of California, Santa Barbara. During this time, I studied changes in browning in avocados as they ripened, focusing on the role of polypheol oxidase enzymes, and I obtained my own $80,000 USDA research grant. In 2009, I founded my own consulting company, Plants Rule, where I provide writing, editing, grant writing, and consulting services to clients in the plant science and microbiology fields. Additionally, I am a published author with multiple scientific articles to my name. Overall, my passion for understanding and communicating the complexities of plant-microbe interactions drives my work, and I am constantly seeking new opportunities to expand my knowledge and share it with others.

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