Group members

PI

Assistant Professor in Chemistry, Biomedical Engineering, and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Irvine

Education

  • Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 2020 (Advisor: David A. Tirrell)

  • Ph.D. Chemistry and Biotechnology, University of Tokyo, 2017 (Advisor: Takuzo Aida)

  • B.S. Chemistry & Biological Sciences (double major), Seoul National University, 2012, summa cum laude

Selected Honors and Awards

  • NIH MIRA Award (2023), NSF CAREER Award (2023), Scialog Fellow (2021), Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Fellowship (2019–2020), ACS Global Outstanding Student Award in Polymer Science and Engineering (2019), ACS PMSE Future Faculty Scholars (2018), JSPS Fellowship (2015–2017), BASF Ph.D. Rising Star Award (2014), MERIT Fellowship (2013–2015).

Seunghyun (Seu) Sim

Graduate Students

Chemistry, NSF Fellow

Hello, my name is Esteban and I am a graduate student in the Chemistry Ph.D. Program. I graduated from California State University, Northridge with a B.S. in Biochemistry. My research interests include manipulating matter to develop biomedical technologies for the treatment of diseases. If I'm not in the lab, I'm usually trying new foods, listening to music, or enjoying the company of my friends and family.

Esteban Bautista Garcia

Chemistry, NDSEG Fellow

I’m Marc and I am a Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemistry. Before coming to UCI, I was an undergraduate student at Occidental College where I worked on developing new C–C bond forming reactions. My current interest lies in designing and synthesizing organic polymer materials. In my free time I like to visit parks and beaches, catch up with friends, and go on bike rides.

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Masamu (Marc) Kawada

Chemistry, NSF GRFP Honorable Mention

Hi, my name is Lucas and I am a chemistry Ph.D. student. I studied chemistry and philosophy as an undergraduate at New York University, where I discovered my interest for chemical biology. My current research focus in the Sim lab is creating useful spore based materials using engineered proteins and peptides. In my spare time, I like to explore the outdoors, cook good food (or bad food, if that's how it turns out!), and work on fun projects around the house.

Lucas Korbanka

Chemistry

My name is Alex, I’m a Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemistry. I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.S. in molecular biology and biochemistry. In my research, I’m exploring applications of interesting microbiology in polymer science. Outside the lab, you can find me playing cello, cooking, or enjoying the great outdoors.

Alex Bartnik

CBE

I’m Ziyu, you can call me Tracy, a Ph.D. student in the CBE (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering) Department. I graduated from the National Taiwan University with an M.S. in ChemE. My current research focuses on biocatalyst using engineered spores. I enjoy food, running, hanging out with friends in my leisure time.

Ziyu (Tracy) Cui

Chemistry, NSF GRFP Honorable Mention

My name is Ryan and I’m a PhD student in the Department of Chemistry. I graduated from Purdue University Fort Wayne with a B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics. In undergrad I worked on fullertube isolation and characterization, but my current research interests are in 3D bioprinting of functional living materials. When I’m not in the lab, I like to find new places to eat, watch sports, and spend time with my friends.

Ryan Koenig

Omkar Mohapatra

Chemistry

My name is Reis and I’m a chemistry PhD student. I graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.S. in chemistry. At UC Berkeley, I worked in the Fischer Research Group on the organic synthesis of graphene nanoribbon compounds. My current research interests are in synthetic organic chemistry and polymers.  Outside the lab you can find me hiking, going on long walks or cooking chicken.

Reis Dorit

CBE

Hi, I’m Omkar and I am a PhD student in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE). I graduated from the National Institute of Science Education & Research, India with an M.S. in Chemistry. My current research focuses on developing polymer systems to engineer living materials. Other than research, I like hanging out with friends, trying different cuisines, and exploring California.

Chemistry

My name is Yuwen (Daniel) Wang, and I’m a PhD student in the Department of Chemistry. I graduated from Emory University with a B.S. in Chemistry. At Emory, I worked under the mentorship of Dr. Monika Raj on post translational modification and bioconjugation methods development on protein. My current research interests are in applying polymer chemistry to biological targets. Outside of lab, I enjoy spending time with friends, traveling, and drinking.

Yuwen (Daniel) Wang

Adwait Kulkarni

Chemistry

Hi, I am Adwait Kulkarni, a PhD student at the Department of Chemistry at UCI. I graduated from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata with a BS-MS.  My current interest lies in polymer based engineered living materials. Whenever I am not rewatching old F1 races in my leisure time, I try to perfect my biryani recipe and explore new music.

Undergraduate Students

Eduardo Estrada

Chemistry

UROP fellow

Ju-An Kim

Chemistry

Allergan fellow, UROP fellow

Melody Sun

Chemistry & Pharm Sci

Dylan Kodira

Chemistry

David Nisson

Chemistry

Jaeho Cho

Chemistry

Alumni

Undergraduate Students

  • Alexis Medina, Graduate student at Stanford, NSF GRFP

  • Diana Castillo, Graduate student at UCLA

  • Cristia Wu, Zymo Research

  • Christine Ton, Lundquist Institute

  • William Nguyen, SDC Technologies

  • Sophia Park

  • Lauren Hoffner, Graduate student at the Scripps Research Institute

  • Serena Woo, Beier Lab at UCI

  • Hao Yan, Graduate student at U Penn

Graduate Students and Postdocs

  • Hyuna Jo, Postdoctoral Researcher (2021–2023), Roche

  • Yue Hui, Ph. D. in Chemical Engineering, Visiting Student from Caltech (2020–2022), Moderna

  • Wesley Groves, M. Eng. in Biomedical Engineering (2020–2022), IsoPlexis

Join the team!

We’re looking for highly-motivated, creative, dedicated graduate students, undergraduate students, and postdoctoral researchers. For more information, see the Contact–Opportunities tab. Prospective students and postdoctoral researchers are encouraged to contact Seu via email (link below).