MEET THE LAB
Carrie Partch (CV)
Principal Investigator
Email Address: cpartch@ucsc.edu
Superpower: Prolific consumption of caffeinated beverages
I graduated from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Biophysics, where I worked with Aziz Sancar to study the molecular basis of circadian rhythmicity. I went to the 'dark side' for my postdoctoral fellowship, training in biophysical techniques including solution NMR spectroscopy at UT Southwestern Medical Center. I worked with Kevin Gardner to identify novel structural regulatory motifs on the hypoxia-inducible transcription factor, HIF, and with Joe Takahashi, to study the related bHLH-PAS transcription factor that drives circadian rhythmicity, CLOCK:BMAL1. In our lab, we strive to address these questions: How do animals measure time and use it to control biology on a daily basis?
Nicholas Bender
Undergraduate student
Superpower: Protein Machine
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Valentin Duprat
Undergraduate
Superpower: Keeping my workspace as minimalist as possible
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I am currently an undergraduate at University of California Santa Cruz studying biochemistry and molecular biology.
John Dzimianski
Research Specialist II
Superpower: Surviving graduate school and a postdoc without coffee
I discovered the magic of Structural Biology in graduate school while under the mentorship of Scott Pegan at the University of Georgia. Using X-ray crystallography and biochemical assays, I studied the dynamic molecular landscape of virus-host interactions across divergent viruses and hosts. After graduating from the Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences with my Ph.D. in 2019, I began a postdoctoral appointment in the lab of Rebecca DuBois at UCSC, studying antibody-mediated immunity to viruses. My postdoc projects primarily used X-ray crystallography, Cryo-EM, and other biophysical methods to understand broadly protective antibody responses in the context of next-generation influenza vaccine design. In 2024, I joined the UCSC Biomolecular Cryo-EM Facility, in conjunction with the Partch lab, as a staff scientist to assist facility users with their Cryo-EM data and Structural Biology projects.
Ellie Giles
High school student
Superpower: A curious knowledge of niche ocean facts
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Ray Harold
Postdoctoral fellow
Superpower: Whipping floppy protein tails into line
I graduated from the University of Montevallo with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Chemistry.
Ryan Kenny
Postdoctoral fellow
Superpower: The ability to turn a small amount of a compound into a vanishingly small amount of a compound.
I graduated from Macquarie University (Australia) with a Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry, where I studied organocatalyzed proton transfer mechanisms and propagative symmetry-breaking events under the mentorship of Fei Liu. After this, I continued working with Fei on a series of industry projects that focused on addressing unmet needs in the agriculture industry and neurodegenerative diseases. Throughout these projects, I became increasingly fascinated (and somewhat overwhelmed) by the complexity of biological systems. In 2025, ready to take the plunge into mechanistic biology, I moved from the sunny shores of Sydney and organic chemistry to the sunny beaches of Santa Cruz and biochemistry. In the Partch lab, I will develop small-molecule approaches to modulate the circadian rhythm.
McClain Kressman
Joint graduate student with Scott Lokey's lab
Superpower: Crying about CRY
Graduated from Cal Poly with a B.S. in Molecular Biology, and joined the Partch Lab to help in drug discovery efforts around the circadian rhythm.
Nathan Lee
Undergraduate student
Superpower: Being reliably 10 minutes early or 20 minutes late
Hey there! I am a second-year student from San Diego pursuing a B.S. in Neuroscience at UCSC. My dream is to pursue a career in radiation oncology and medicine, but along the way, I've discovered a love for biotechnology and lab work in biochemistry. I joined the Partch lab in 2024 as an undergraduate researcher to work hands-on in research and apply my studies to make a difference in understanding our cellular biology.
James Partch
Scientific artist
Superpower: Master of everything, expert at nothing
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Diksha Sharma
Graduate student
Superpower: A passion for PAS domains!
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Becca Spangler
Postdoctoral fellow
Superpower: Making it all look so easy...
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I graduated from San Jose State University with a B.S. in Biochemistry and a minor in Biology. In 2019, I joined the Partch lab to study the similarities between different biological time-keeping mechanisms.
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Megan Torgrimson
Graduate student
Superpower: Bringing order to chaos​
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Emery Usher
NIH F32 Postdoctoral Fellow co-mentor - Alex Holehouse lab, Washington University
Superpower: Spotting and identifying mismatched fonts on a PowerPoint slide from
across the seminar room​
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I graduated from Clarkson University in 2016 with a B.S. in Chemistry and a
minor in Engineering Science, but it was actually a summer research experience at the
Scripps Research Institute in 2015 that piqued my interest in biochemistry and
biophysics. In 2022, I graduated from the Pennsylvania State University with a Ph.D. in
Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology. I performed my graduate studies in
the lab of Scott Showalter, where I learned about the fascinating (un)structural biology
of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). I used NMR spectroscopy, X-ray
crystallography, and a smattering of different biophysical methods to understand the
functional interaction between the intrinsically disordered transcription factor, PDX1, and
its negative regulatory partner, SPOP. Through this project and others in the Showalter
lab, I became excited about how post-translational modifications, such as
phosphorylation, can influence IDP ensemble properties, interactions, and functions. To
this end, I joined the lab of Alex Holehouse at Washington University in St. Louis to train
in molecular simulations of IDPs to complement my experimental biophysics
background. In 2025, I moved to UC Santa Cruz and affiliated with the Partch lab. With
joint mentorship from Drs. Holehouse and Partch, I am leveraging simulations and
biophysical experiments to understand how phosphorylation affects the properties and
functions of critical regulatory IDPs, such as those found in the circadian core clock and
the cell cycle.
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Ethen West
Undergraduate student
Superpower: I’m always laughing
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Gia Wicaksono
Graduate student
Superpower: Bringing law & RORder to rogue cells
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I earned my B.A. in Molecular & Cell Biology at UC Berkeley, where I studied translational control of protein isoforms and developed a passion for protein biochemistry and engineering. Afterward, I worked at UCSF developing antigen-binding domains for novel CAR-T therapies to treat blood cancers. I joined the Partch lab to investigate mechanisms of circadian amplitude modulation and explore the therapeutic potential of rhythm-amplifying drugs.​​​
Matylda Ziętek
Research Specialist
Superpower: Boundless enthusiasm for nature - from molecules to ecosystems - people included :). Best explored by foot, bike, swim, brain... and hugs!
I earned my M.Sc. in Molecular Biology from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland. I gained early research experience in human genetics at the Polish Academy of Sciences (Poznań) and in human immunology at the Public Health Research Institute in Newark, New Jersey.
My journey into microbiology, high-throughput screening, and lab automation began in the Carol Gross lab at UCSF and continued in the Nassos Typas lab at EMBL in Heidelberg, Germany. I later returned to the U.S. to join the Chemical Screening Center at UC Santa Cruz, where I advanced the development of the Cell Painting assay.
I'm excited to bring this diverse background to the study of the circadian clock!
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Former lab members
Irene Franco, UCSC PBSE grad program
José Costa, Graduate student, Chile
Dr. Priya Crosby, Assistant Professor, University of Edinburgh
Rafael Robles, Chemistry Lecturer, Hartnell College
Dr. Jonathan Philpott, Biochemist, Unnatural Products
Daniel Wruck, B.S. UCSC, Research Associate, Sardona Therapeutics
Noelle Yaitanes, B.S. UCSC, Scientist, Wayfinder Biosciences
Isabella Aldama, B.S. UCSC, Scientist, Vaxcyte
David Segal, B.S. UCSC, Jr. Specialist, Fitnat Yildiz lab (UCSC)
Dr. Jeff Swan, Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellow, lab of Chris Hill (U of Utah)
Dr. Gian Carlo Parico (HHMI Gilliam Fellow); Scientist,Denali
Crystal Garcia (NIH MARC Scholar), B.S. UCSC; MS program, SJSU
David Cardenas (NIH ACCESS Scholar), Hartnell College
Adriana Gracia (UC LEADS Scholar), B.S. UCSC
Andrea Ramos Coronado (IMSD Scholar), B.S. UCSC
Moriah Godes, B.S. UCSC
Dr. Jenny Fribourgh, Cell Biology Lead, Unnatural Products
Maria Ayala Hernandez (STEM Dreamers Scholar), B.S. UCSC; UC Davis Graduate Program
Diana Etwaru, B.S. UCSC; UCSF Graduate Program
Joseph Palacios (IMSD Scholar), B.S. UCSC; UCSD Graduate Program
Taylor Holt, B.S. UCSC
Britney Hernandez, B.S. UCSC; UCSC Chemical Screening Center
Dr. Sabrina Hunt; Research Scientist, Epicypher
Lauren Yee, B.S. UCSC
Dr. Efrain Ceh Pavia; Research Scientist, Planet Pharma/Grifols Diagnostics Solutions
Ivette Perez, B.S. UCSC (IMSD Scholar); Vanderbilt University Graduate Program / NSF Predoctoral Fellow
Kiernan Kringen, B.S. UCSC; Manufacturing Associate, BioMarin
Ali Yousefi, B.S. UCSC
Courtney Dailley, B.S. UCSC; University of Utah Graduate Program
Leslee Nguyen, B.S. UCSC; Stanford University Graduate Program
Priyanka Panchal (NIH ACCESS Scholar), B.S. UC Davis
Dr. Alicia Michael, Ph.D. UCSC; EMBO and HFSP Postdoctoral Fellow, Lab of Nico Thomä (FMI, Basel, Switzerland)
Divya Ramani, B.S. UCSC
Riley Mahn, B.S. UCSC
Dr. Hande Asimgil; Research Scientist, LMU Munich
Dr. Chelsea Gustafson, Ph.D UCSC; Professor, Dept. of Natural Sciences, South Puget Sound Comm. College
Niki Goularte, B.S. UCSC; Stanford University Dept. of Structural Biology Ph.D. program / NSF Predoctoral Fellow
Kyle Franks, B.S. UCSC; Inside Sales Representative, Thermo Fisher
Jansen Luu, B.S. UCSC; Manufacturing Associate, Biomarin
Ashley Kern, M.S. UCSC; Scientist, Wellnext
Chris Ahlbach, B.S. UCSC; M.D. program, UCSF Medical School
Marisol Sanchez (NIH ACCESS Scholar), UC Davis undergraduate
Nicole Parsley, B.S. UCSC; UNC Dept. of Chemistry Ph.D. program
Colby Sandate, B.S. UCSC; Ph.D, Scripps Research Institute (NSF Predoctoral Fellow); Postdoctoral Fellow, Nico Thomä (FMI)
Michael Sanchez (NIH ACCESS Scholar), B.S. UCSC
Dr. Stacy Harvey; Scientist, Ontera Biosciences
Jaclyn Schmitt, M.S., Cabrillo College, Adjunct Lecturer
Patrick Sammons, B.S. UCSC; M.D. program, USC Medical School
Hema Kopalle, B.A. UCSC; Neuroscience graduate program, UCSD
Kathy Huang, B.S. UCSC
Mariah Heller (NIH ACCESS Scholar), B.S. UC Davis
Kevin Hagy, B.S. UCSC; UCSC Dept. of MCD Biology Ph.D. program
Matthew Chung, B.S., UCSC; Research Assistant, Stanford University School of Medicine
Paul Wang, B.S., UCSC; Research Assistant, UCSF Center for Aging and Memory
Jessica Macias (NIH MARC Scholar), B.S. UCSC; CSUMB Dept. of Marine Science M.S. Program; SACNAS Administration