Meet the Team

Nicole RL Sparks, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Program in Public Health.

Dr. Nicole Sparks was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in San Bernardino, California. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree from La Sierra University in Biology. She went on to her master’s degree at CSU San Bernardino, followed by her PhD in Environmental Toxicology at UC Riverside studying the molecular mechanisms of toxicant-mediated bone development inhibition. Dr. Sparks was a recipient of the inaugural NIH K99/R00 MOSAIC award through NIEHS and a previous UC Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow. Her research interests focus on stem cell fate changes due to toxicant exposure that is associated with skeletal birth defects. Specifically, she focuses on embryonic bone development using stem cell and in vivo models, and how environmental toxicant exposure disrupts transcriptional regulators, necessary for proper bone differentiation, which results in bone differentiation defects.

About me: https://uci.academia.edu/NicoleSparks

Fun Fact: My favorite color is purple.

Luisa Bertotto

Project Scientist

Dr. Luísa Bertotto hails from an underrepresented background as a Latin American woman from Brazil. With a solid foundation in molecular biology, toxicology, and neuroscience, her academic trajectory includes a molecular biology-intensive Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology at UC Riverside, exploring neurotoxicity mechanisms in zebrafish. She then conducted a compelling post-doctoral fellowship at the Environmental Protection Agency, where she delved into CRISPR approaches to dissect the role of aryl hydrocarbon receptors in gut-microbiota communication to the central nervous system in zebrafish. Recruited to The Scripps Research Institute as a T32 post-doctoral fellow, Dr. Bertotto led projects that assessed the role of striatal phosphodiesterase 10A in the control of drinking in rats and mice. Her accomplishments encompass multiple first-author publications and accolades. 

Fun Fact: She loves to climb (indoors and outdoors) and is a season ticket holder for the LAFC (that’s a soccer team).

Ruth Meletz

3rd yr. Environmental Health (Toxicology Track) Ph.D. Student

Ruth is from Southern California and obtained her Bachelor’s degree from UC Riverside in Environmental Sciences. She is interested in researching the effects of air pollution, and how exposure may lead to epigenetic changes impacting osteogenesis, potentially resulting in skeletal birth defects. She is also interested in the environmental justice applications of this research and hopes to work with environmental justice communities in Southern California that are disproportionately affected by air pollution.

Fun Fact: I have a pet chihuahua named Winnie 🐕

Madeline Vera-Colón (she/her)

4th yr. Environmental Health (Toxicology Track) Ph.D. Student

Madeline is a first-generation Mexican American and college graduate. She received her BS in Psychology from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2017 and her MS in Environmental Toxicology from the University of California, Riverside in 2022. She has co-authored six publications, delivered 12 posters and 10 oral presentations, and is a member of seven scientific societies and specialty groups. She has received funding for UC Irvine’s Environmental Racism and Health Equity Program, NIEHS Supplement Award Diversity Fellowship, and is currently a funded fellow for Southern California NIOSH Education and Research Center Targeted Research Training Program. Her research interest includes the impact of air pollution, specifically fine particulate matter, on bone development through the utilization of a human embryonic stem cell model to recapitulate osteogenesis. Additionally, she has a personal enthusiasm for mentorship/career guidance for students in historically excluded groups interested in pursuing a STEM-related career.

Fun Fact: I failed community college biology 3x.

  #NeverGiveUp   

Nneamaka Iwobi

4th yr. Pharmacological Sciences (Pharmaceutical Sciences Track) Ph.D. Student

Nneamaka is from Washington, D.C., and attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where she received her Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences and a Philosophy Certificate in Logic and Science. Her research interests lie within the realm of understanding the intricate processes of osteogenesis at the molecular level, particularly in the presence of toxicants, especially Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs), found in our everyday lives. She is also interested in the rescue process of osteogenesis, specifically restoring calcium deposition, in affected cells.

Fun Fact: I love to explore and learn new skills in my free time.

Karishma Khanal

1st year, Masters of Science Environmental Health Sciences

Karishma is pursuing her Master of Science in Environmental Health Sciences. Her focus lies in investigating the impact of particulate matter on bone development. Motivated by a desire to contribute to preventive strategies, health education, and policy initiatives, she aspires to enrich the discourse on how environmental toxicants affect bone development.

Fun fact: When I was living abroad, I had a baby goat as my pet. 

Michael Zepeda obtained his Bachelor’s of Science in Biology at California State
University, San Bernardino, where he is currently pursuing a master’s degree in biology. He has had research opportunities as a Smoking and Tobacco Outreach Program Intern at Charles Drew University and as a research assistant then lab manager in Dr. Nicole Bournias’ Lab at California State University San Bernardino. His research interests include e-cigarette toxicology as well as cell, molecular, and developmental biology. Michael currently is working on his master’s as a California Institute of Regenerative Medicine Bridges Intern in Dr. Nicole Spark’s Lab. Fun Fact: I am “Double Jointed” in both of my thumbs.