Bio
My research interests are in two areas:
(1) Molecular and cellular biophysics of human innate immunity, with a focus on the pleiotropic roles of host defense peptides and amyloidogenic peptides in human health and disease, including infectious disease, cancer, and plaque diseases.
(2) Design, synthesis, and biophysical studies of sequence-controlled, biomimetic oligomers (synthetic peptide mimics) with helical structures, for biomedical and biomaterial applications (mimicry of lung surfactant proteins, antimicrobial and anticancer innate immune peptides). Also, design and synthesis of novel polymeric materials and strategies for capillary and microchip electrophoresis (DNA sequencing and genotyping); polymer-biomolecule conjugates.
Academic Appointments
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Associate Professor, Bioengineering
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Member, Bio-X
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Member, Stanford Cancer Institute
Honors & Awards
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National Hispanic Scholar, Univ. of Washington, Seattle (1986)
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Tektronix Foundation Merit Scholarship, Univ. of Washington, Seattle (1986)
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University of Washington Undergraduate Merit Scholarship (two consecutive years), Univ. of Washington, Seattle (1988, 1989)
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H.K. Benson Chemical Engineering Tuition Scholarship, Univ. of Washington, Seattle (1989)
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1986-1990 National Merit Scholar and Recipient of Associated Four-Year Scholarship, National Merit Scholarship Corporation (1986-1990)
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1990-1993 U.C. Berkeley Chancellor's Minority Pre-doctoral Fellowship, U.C. Berkeley (1990-1993)
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Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award, U.C. Berkeley Dept. of Chemical Engineering, U.C. Berkeley (1993)
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U.C. Berkeley Provost's Research Fund Grant, U.C. Berkeley (1993)
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Matheson Fellowship in Chemical Engineering, U.C. Berkeley (1994)
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University of California Minority Dissertation Year Fellowship, U.C. Berkeley (1994)
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Dow Excellence in Teaching Award, 1994, U.C. Berkeley Department of Chemical Engineering, U.C. Berkeley (1994)
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NIH National Research Service Award (Postdoctoral Fellowship #1 F32 GM 18112), National Institutes of Health (1996)
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Beckman Young Investigator Award, Arnold & Mabel Beckman Foundation (1998-99)
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Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, NIH/NHGRI (1999)
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DuPont Young Professor Award, DuPont, Inc. (2002)
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Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation (2002)
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Thiele Lecturer in Chemical Engineering, University of Notre Dame (2005)
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W.M. Keck Associate Professor of Bioengineering, Stanford University (2007-present)
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Nanobio Scholar, Virginia Tech (2011)
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Invited Participant, 2015 Nobel Symposium: Amyloid: A multifaceted player in human health and disease, Stockholm (June 10-11, 2015)
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Invited Lecturer, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (March 6, 2018)
Professional Education
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Postdoc, UCSF/Chiron Corporation, Biomimetic & Bioorganic Chemistry (1997)
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Postdoc, Soane BioSciences/ACLARA Biosciences Inc., Molecular Biotechnology (1996)
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Ph.D., Univ. of California, Berkeley, Chemical Engineering (1995)
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B.S., Univ. of Washington, Seattle, Chemical Engineering (1990)