Los Angeles, California, United States
Hello all! My name is Sarah Taylor and I am currently a senior at the University of California, Los Angeles. I have long been interested in medicine, which I have refined towards the field of bioengineering throughout my time at UCLA. Specifically, I am passionate about combating disease on the smallest scale possible—whether by genetic, cellular, or molecular manipulation—reflecting my dedication to advance bioengineering in the realm of precision medicine. Beyond the lab, my commitment to making a positive impact extends to volunteering through Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), previously organizing Dance Marathon for Children's Miracle Network, and currently serving as a tour guide for UCLA's Samueli School of Engineering. I also enjoy playing beach volleyball! This balance between academic pursuits and community involvement has equipped me with a diverse skill set and a resilient work ethic.
• Served as the first point of contact for prospective students, families, and student organizations interested in visiting UCLA Samueli School of Engineering • Oversaw tour scheduling on a weekly basis and training of 20+ new ambassadors • Delivered two guest lectures on bioengineering at Santa Monica College to promote transfer pathways
• Led 50+ tours of the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science for prospective students (K-12) and their families • Worked outreach events including Bruin Day, study abroad panels, and WorldStrides info sessions • Serve as a primary representative of the engineering program, communicating academic pathways and research opportunities
• Developed and fabricated microfluidic platforms for automated bioassays and single-cell encapsulation in the Di Carlo Cellular Microfluidics lab • Optimized a capped-particle microfluidic platform enabling high-throughput FACS-based colony growth and sorting; co-authored a manuscript under review (bioRxiv, 2025) • Designed capped-particle experiments for directed evolution of a GCaMP bacterial library to identify variants with enhanced calcium sensitivity
• Designed a CRISPR adenine base editing strategy targeting the pathogenic HNF4α mutation underlying maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY1) • Engineered and validated the dual-plasmid editing system in bacterial and mammalian models with sequence-confirmed construct assembly • Quantified editing outcomes using sequencing analysis and demonstrated statistically significant correction of the HNF4α mutation in HEK293T cells
• Selected for a competitive, 10-week summer fellowship to develop a biotechnology venture from ideation to pitch • Co-developed "Smart Stretch", a wearable stretch sensor that provides users with real-time movement feedback through an app with the goal of improving physical therapy outcomes, from ideation to low-fidelity prototype • Worked on a 5-person student team with guidance from UCLA faculty, entrepreneurs, and investors
• Conducted in vitro potency tests to evaluate CAR-T therapeutic efficacy supporting FDA review of WU-CART-007; benchmarked new cytotoxicity assays for demonstrated reproducibility • Performed plasmid MaxiPreps for lentiviral vector preparation • Assessed effects of positional variability in controlled-rate freezing on CAR-T performance post-thaw • Gained exposure to the entire cell therapy development pipeline, emphasizing assay robustness for clinical translation
• Worked alongside postdoctoral mentor Dr. Pauline Jeanjean in Dr. Christine Mona's Lab for Molecular and Medical Pharmacology • Evaluated a fibroblast activation protein (FAP)–targeted radioligand therapy for glioblastoma using in vitro models and immunocompetent mouse studies; independently performed 100+ PET/CT scans on treated mice and quantified tumor response using medical imaging software • Contributed data and imaging analysis to a peer-reviewed publication in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine and an AACR conference abstract (Clin Cancer Res, 2025) • Trained in cell culture, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and basic flow cytometry