Current lab members

Dr. Karin Crowhurst
Principal investigator
About me: I grew up in western Canada (Calgary and Vancouver) but travelled east to pursue my university degrees. During undergrad (at Queen’s University) I met my future husband and entertained myself by making contact explosives. I continued my education at the University of Toronto where I completed my PhD in Biochemistry and Biomolecular Structure in the Forman-Kay lab before moving to Los Angeles in 2003 to join the Mayo lab at Caltech for my postdoc. I joined CSUN as an Assistant Professor in 2007. Since then my students and I have worked hard to move our research forward, and create a fun and inclusive lab environment.
Other interests: I have been a radio DJ in my past and in rare periods of spare time these days I like to make stuff and go exploring (locally and globally). I also have a garden and grow amazing tomatoes and berries and veggies in the summer.

Beth Allen 
Graduate student, Biochemistry
Joined: fall 2023

About me: Coming soon
Other interests: TBA.

Tania Balian 
Postbac student, Cell and Molecular Biology
Joined: spring 2023 

About me: coming soon
Other interests: TBA.

Ruben Bautista 
Undergraduate student, Biochemistry
Joined: summer 2022

About me: Coming soon
Other interests: TBA.

Angelique Bayardo 
Undergraduate student, Microbiology
Joined: summer 2023 

About me: coming soon
Other interests: TBA.

Demi De La Vara 
Undergraduate student, Biochemistry
Joined: fall 2022 

About me: Coming soon.
Other interests: TBA

Toryan Georgian 
Undergraduate student, Biochemistry
Joined: summer 2022 

About me: coming soon
Other interests: TBA.

Nicholas Mead 
Graduate student, Biochemistry
Joined: fall 2020 

About me: I graduated from Brandeis in 2013 with a degree in biochemistry. In the meantime since undergrad I have worked for LabCorp as a project analyst, which is a corporate title for problem fixer. I have aspirations of being a professor in the future and enjoy assisting others in achieving their goals.
Other interests: I like to go rock climbing and spend time with my dog L.

Hiep Nguyen 
Graduate student, Biochemistry
Joined: summer 2019 

About me: Hiep has steadfastly refused to enter information here.
Other interests: Assume he has no interests.

Yue (Scarlett) Shi
Graduate student, Biochemistry
Joined: spring 2021 

About me: I first came to the States to pursue a bachelor’s degree, and now it’s the time for me to dive deeper. I grew up in China, and thanks to my parents, I’ve had great interest in science since I was a little kid. “Why am I here? How was I born?” these questions have echoed in my head over years. My dad is a chemical engineering professor, and my mom is a doctor. I, as a biochemist, am a combination of them! Also, I feel so honored to join this superb lab with fantastic people.
Other interests: I like to build plastic models (and LEGOs too) and travel. I’ve been to so many places around the world. I also like to draw, but each drawing takes me months to finish.