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About our Team

The Singh Laboratory is a multidisciplinary research team dedicated to understanding the complex interactions between fungal pathogens and their hosts. Our members bring together expertise in fungal biology, immunology, microbiology, molecular genetics, and translational medicine to address fundamental questions in infectious disease research. Together, we are committed to advancing the frontiers of fungal pathogenesis, host immunity, and therapeutic development.

Team Leader

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Shakti Singh, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

The Lundquist Institute, Torrance, California

Assistant Professor-in-Residence

David Geffen School of Medicine, 

University of California, Los Angeles, California

Dr. Singh is an Assistant Professor-in-Residence at The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and an Investigator at the Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. His research is focused on Candida-host interaction, fungal virulence mechanisms, immunology, and vaccine / immunotherapeutic development for drug-resistant fungal infections.

Team Members

Shakti Singh, Investogator
Kaustav Das Gupta

Postdoctoral Fellow

2024 - Current

Ph.D.

2013 - 2018: The University of Queensland, Australia

Shakti Singh, Investogator
Derek Quintanilla

Ph.D. Student

2023 - Current

B.S. Biological Sciences

2015 - 2017 : University of California, Santa Barbara, CA

Shakti Singh, Investogator
Kavya Kumar

Research Intern

June 2025 - Current

B.S. Neuroscience

2023 - 2026 : University of California, Los Angeles, California

Shakti Singh, Investogator
Matin Gheysar

Research Intern

June 2025 - Current

High School

2025 - Current: Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in Rolling Hills Estates, CA

Shakti Singh, Investogator
Sophia Zandpour

Research Intern

Aug 2026- Current

High School

2026- Current : Mira Costa High School, Manhatten Beach, CA

Shakti Singh, Investogator
Ashley Plummer

Research Intern

June 2026- Current

High School

2026- Current: Mira Costa High School, Manhatten Beach, California

Shakti Singh, Investogator
Ivon Gonzalez Perez

Master of Science in Biology (CSU, DH) Intern

Oct 2026 - Current

Bachelor of Arts in Biology

2020- 2024: California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, California

Alumni

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Eliciane C. Mattos

Postdoctoral Research Scientist

2023 - 2024

Ph.D. Biological Sciences

University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil

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Haley Hautau

Research Assistant

2022 - 2024

B.S. Microbial Biology

University of California Berkeley, California

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Kayleigh Fort

Research Trainee

June 1 -Aug 15, 2023

B.S. Molecular Environmental Biology

University of California Berkeley, California

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Tatiana Liang

High School Summer Research Fellow

June 20 -Aug 4, 2023

High School

Temple City High School, Temple City, California

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Dorna Dovani

Visiting Research Intern (Doctoral)

June 01 -July 31, 2026

Ph.D. Pharmaceutical Sciences (Student)

Chapman University, Irvine, California

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Riya Natarajan

Visiting Research Intern (Undergraduate))

June 01 -July 31, 2026

B.A. Biological Sciences

Baylor University, Waco, Texas

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Tyler Do

High School Summer Research Fellow

June 15 - Aug 4, 2026

High School

Los Osos High School, Rancho Cucamonga, California

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