Principal Investigator

Pirouz Kavehpour, Professor

Pirouz Kavehpour is a Professor in the UCLA Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in 2003. His research addresses various aspects of microfluidics and biofluidics, biofuel cells, cardiovascular flow, complex fluids, interfacial physics, micro-tribology, non-isothermal flows, drug delivery systems, and artificial organs. He serves as the Faculty Director of the University of California Leadership Excellence through Advanced DegreeS (UC LEADS) program, a two-year capstone program that offers resources and research opportunities for first generation and minority science and engineering students. He was awarded the L. E. Scriven Young Investigator Award in 2010.

Graduate Students


John Hollister, PhD Candidate

John is a PhD Candidate in Mechanical Engineering at UCLA studying the fluid mechanics of head injury and the rheology of biofluids. His main focus is in characterizing the aggregation behavior of tau protein, which has implications for the understanding of diseases such as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and Alzheimer's Disease. John enjoys the interdisciplinary nature of his research and has a passion for teaching and mentorship.

Peiwen Yan, PhD Candidate

Peiwen is a PhD candidate at UCLA in Mechanical Engineering focusing on fluid dynamics. His current research interest is on splashing of a freezing droplet, including various hydrodynamical instabilities and solidification physics at micro-scale contact line. He has always been a passionate observer of the fascinating nature of turbulence as well as the intriguing complexity of humanity. B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering, 2021 (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute)

Parnian Hemmati, PhD student

Parnian is a PhD student in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department at UCLA, specializing in fluid mechanics. Her research primarily revolves around the mechanics of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) resulting from head impacts, investigating the mechanisms leading to tissue damage and conditions like Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). Parnian is passionate about applying engineering knowledge in biomedical applications.

Alumni

  • Gabriela Bran-Anleu, Ph.D
  • Alireza Mohammad Karim, Ph.D
  • Faryar Tavakoli, Ph.D
  • Pooria Sharif-Kashani, Ph.D
  • Brian Hardy, Ph.D
  • Hamarz Aryafar, Ph.D
  • Kevin Lu, Ph.D
  • Sammy Houssainy, Ph.D
  • Kelly Connelly, Ph.D
  • Peggy Ip, Ph.D
  • Aysan Rangchian, Ph.D
  • Rommina Ghavami, M.S.
  • Sofy Kabachek, M.S.
  • Anna Hoang, M.S.
  • Janet Zhen, M.S.
  • Kawika Uechi, M.S.
  • Aleksandra Sasha Lukyanets, M.S.
  • Eliza Honey, M.S.
  • Helen Hani Lou, B.S.
  • Maziar Hemati, B.S.
  • Megan Matal, B.S.
  • Jerry Huang, B.S.