"The important thing in science is not so much to otain new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them."
William Lawrence Bragg
Lab Members
Brigitte Gomperts ________________________________________________
Principal Investigator, 2006
Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Pulmonary Medicine
MD Medicine and Surgery; University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; 1993
I performed my Pediatric Residency, Chief Residency and Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship training at St. Louis Children’s Hospital/Washington University School of Medicine. I was fortunate to receive a Pediatric Scientist Development Award during my fellowship training and worked on the development of ciliated cells in the airway epithelium in Dr. Brian Hackett’s lab. I became passionate about improving our understanding of the airway in health and disease and moved to UCLA in 2003 to continue this work in the lab of Dr. Robert Strieter. I started up my own lab in 2006 and have developed research themes in my lab related to airway epithelial development, normal airway epithelial repair, aberrant airway epithelial repair leading to diseases such as COPD, asthma, rejection after lung transplantation and lung carcinogenesis.
I enjoy reading, baking and traveling.
My husband and I are the proud parents of two wonderful children, Julia and Brian, who remind us every day what our priorities are and how important it is to make a difference to the world around us.
Jackelyn Alva _____________________________________________________
Lab Manager, October 2012
PhD Molecular Biology; UC Los Angeles; 2006
BS Cell and Molecular Biology; UC Los Angeles; 1998
Manash Paul ______________________________________________________
Post-Doctoral Scholar, May 2012
PhD Biotechnology; National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research in Mohali, India; 2008
I worked previously with Dr. Volker Hartenstein on drosophila intestinal stem cell signaling and mitochondrial biology. My research interests includes oxidative stress signaling and mitochondrial bioenergetics. Currently I am working on airway epithelium basal stem cells (ABSC's).
My hobbies are playing cricket, painting, photography, and cooking.
Preethi Vijayaraj _________________________________________________
Assistant Adjunct Professor, September 2012
PhD Cell Biology; University of Bonn; 2008
MPharm Pharmaceutical Biotechnology; Tamil Nadu Dr.MGR Medical University; 2001
MBA Marketing Management; University of Mysore; 1999
My research interests include cell and developmental biology, epithelial biology, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, disease modeling, and drug screening.
In my free time, I enjoy traveling and hiking.
Jennifer Sucre_____________________________________________________
Clinical Fellow, August 2013-present
MD, Harvard Medical School
I am interested in using bioengineering techniques and induced pluripotent stem cell technology to model neonatal lung diseases. Currently I am working on developing a human model of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a leading morbidity in premature infants. When not in lab, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my family--especially in a boat or a kayak.
Kelly Darmawan _________________________________________________
Undergraduate Work-Study Student, October 2012
BS Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics; UC Los Angeles; 2016
I enjoy playing water polo and swimming as well as other outdoor activities. I also love to volunteer my time in the Child Life program at the Ronald Reagan Medical Center and am part of the committee that organizes the annual 5K Bruin Run/Walk as a fundraiser for the Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA. Between working in lab and studying for school, I enjoy exploring Los Angeles as well as experiencing new activities and food.
