Dr. Halbrook obtained his B.S. in his home state of Wisconsin at UW-Milwaukee, his Ph.D. from Stony Brook University in New York (via Mayo Clinic Florida), and his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan. Outside his passion for cancer research and patient advocacy, he remains a loyal Packers and Brewers fan, uses his professional culinary training to enrich the lives of those around him, and burns the extra calories running.

Anaí completed her PhD in Biomedical Sciences at the National University of Mexico (UNAM). Then, she joined the Halbrook and Martínez labs to work on annotating and characterizing microproteins driven by oncogenic KRAS signaling in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. She obtained a Latin American Pew Fellowship to work on this project. Outside the lab, she enjoys hiking, going to the gym, and exploring SoCal.

Austin completed his bachelor’s degree and PhD at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. As a PhD student, his main focus was on detailing the role glycosylation plays in pancreatic cancer. Currently, as a Postdoc in the Halbrook Lab, he is assessing how metabolism impacts pancreatic cancer. In his free time, he enjoys watching and playing sports, hiking, and traveling. 

Cecily earned her bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of California Irvine. After graduating she joined the biotech industry and worked there for 7 years. During that time her main focus was CAR-T therapy. Currently, as a PhD student through the Halbrook Lab, she is studying the mechanisms of pancreatic cancer. In her free time, she enjoys aerial dance, reading romance novels, and traveling.  

Rima completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from San Francisco State University. She worked in biotech for a year focusing on plasmablast-mediated immunotherapy. Currently, she’s studying immune programming in the pancreatic cancer primary vs. metastatic niche in the Halbrook Lab. Apart from science, Rima is continuing her training in contemporary and hip-hop dancing. She loves dancing, working out, yoga, pilates- basically anything that will keep her body moving. 

Taryn completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Davis. After graduating, she worked for UC Davis Health for 4 years investigating targeted therapies for glioblastoma and novel fluorescent microscopy techniques. Currently, Taryn is focusing on the metabolic heterogeneity of pancreatic cancer in the Halbrook Lab. Outside the lab, she enjoys horseback riding, playing with her corgi Minnie, watching sports, and traveling.

Sabrina completed her bachelor’s degree at California State University, Long Beach where she focused on leaf senescence genetics. Currently, she is studying the mechanisms of chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer at the Halbrook Lab. In her free time, she enjoys painting, discovering new beaches, and playing with her cat, Salem.

Mariam is a PhD student in the Wagar and Halbrook labs at UC Irvine. She earned her B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of New Mexico and her M.S. in Medical Sciences from Creighton University. Before starting her PhD, Mariam worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where she contributed to the development of vaccine candidates targeting Chlamydia trachomatis. Her current research integrates immunology and cancer biology, focusing on interactions between pancreatic tumors and immune cells. Mariam is broadly interested in host-pathogen interactions, tumor immunology, and translational vaccine strategies. Outside of research, she enjoys pilates, coffee, and spending time with friends, family, and her cat!

Cavina completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of San Francisco where she modified a known antimicrobial compound to study antibiotic resistance. She also interned at a biotech startup focused on molecular diagnostics using Ultra-dPCR as part of the Assay Design and Development team. Currently, she is working on various projects using computational methods and tools. Outside the lab, Cavina enjoys making matcha, traveling, and gambling .. on blind boxes and Pokemon cards.

Sophia completed her bachelor’s degree and post-baccalareate at California State University, Long Beach. Following graduation, she received a CIRM internship and performed pediatric oncology research at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Currently, she is modeling cholangiocarcinoma on vascularized micro-tumor platforms. In her free time, Sophia enjoys reading on the beach, Muay Thai, watching Formula 1, and traveling.

Ethan is the lab manager for the Halbrook lab. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering at the University of California – Irvine (Zot Zot!), and his master’s degree in bioengineering from the University of California – San Diego. Currently he manages the lab to ensure everything runs smoothly for experiments. In his free time, he likes to travel and spend time with friends and loved ones.

Avary Baker is an undergraduate at UC Irvine working towards her major in Biological Sciences. She enjoys working out, listening to music, reading, spending time with loved ones, and helping Austin with his projects.

Arjun Sapru is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Biological Sciences at UC Irvine. Besides assisting Cavina on her projects, Arjun enjoys snowboarding, traveling, and spending time with loved ones.