UCLA Samueli New Faculty

As part of the school’s continued expansion to meet the growing demand from students and industry, UCLA Samueli has recruited more than two dozen new faculty members in FY 2023–2025 with expertise spanning AI/machine learning, network systems, semiconductors, sustainable transportation, gene editing, genomics, autonomous robotics and beyond. Following is a brief introduction to the new faculty.

Mohamad Abedi
Mohamad Abedi
Assistant Professor​

Bioengineering
Start Date: July 1, 2026

  • Computational protein engineering to control cell signaling and advance cell therapies ​
  • Currently a postdoc at University of Washington​
  • Ph.D. from Caltech​

Sandra Batista
Sandra Batista
Assistant Teaching Professor

Start Date: July 1, 2024
Computer Science

  • Statistical methods for computational genetics
  • Previously a visiting professor at Loyola Marymount University
  • Ph.D. from UCLA

Alberto Casillas-Trasvina
Alberto Casillas-Trasvina
Assistant Professor​

Civil and Environmental Engineering
Start Date: Nov. 1, 2025

  • Hydrogeology and hydrochemistry for groundwater modelling
  • Previously a lecturer and researcher at Technical University Berlin
  • Ph.D. from University of Ghent, Belgium

Jason Choi
Jason Choi
Assistant Professor​

Electrical and Computer Engineering​
Start Date: Nov. 1, 2025

  • Safer decisions in autonomous physical systems​
  • Previously a visiting scholar at Stanford​
  • Ph.D. from UC Berkeley​

Yuchen Cui
Yuchen Cui
Assistant Professor

Start Date: July 1, 2024
Computer Science

  • Machine learning through human-robot interaction
  • Previously a postdoc at Stanford University
  • Ph.D. from University of Texas at Austin

Hooman Darabi
Hooman Darabi
Assistant Teaching Professor​

Electrical and Computer Engineering​
Start Date: July 1, 2025

  • Next-gen cellular and connectivity radios​
  • Previously taught circuit design classes at UCLA for more than 20 years as a lecturer and adjunct professor​
  • Broadcom Fellow​
  • Ph.D. from UCLA

Pedro de Souza
Pedro de Souza
Assistant Professor​

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering ​
Start Date: Mar. 1, 2026

  • Mechanisms of colloid assembly​
  • Previously a postdoc at Princeton​
  • Ph.D. from MIT​

Yangruibo (Robin) Ding
Yangruibo (Robin) Ding
Assistant Professor​

Computer Science ​
Start Date: July 1, 2026

  • Large language models for generating, analyzing and refining software​
  • Previous experience with Google DeepMind, Amazon AI Labs, IBM Research​
  • Ph.D. from Columbia​

Tobias Dürschmid
Tobias Dürschmid
Assistant Teaching Professor​

Computer Science ​
Start Date: July 1, 2025

  • Complex software systems​
  • Previously designed two courses on application programing interface (required for M.S.) and large-scale software systems (an elective for B.S. and M.S. students)
  • Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon​

Vatsa Gandhi
Vatsa Gandhi
Assistant Professor

Start Date: Jan. 1, 2025
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

  • Mechanics of high-durability materials under high-impact shocks
  • Previously a postdoc at University of Cambridge
  • Ph.D. from Caltech

Md Shafayat Hossain
Md Shafayat Hossain
Assistant Professor​

Materials Science and Engineering​
Start Date: July 1, 2025

  • Nanoscale interactions at ultra-low temperatures and in high magnetic fields​
  • Postdoc at Princeton​
  • Ph.D. from Princeton

Liz Izhikevich
Liz Izhikevich
Assistant Professor

Start Date: July 1, 2024
Electrical and Computer Engineering

  • Improving internet performance and security
  • Previously a research fellow at Netflix
  • Ph.D. from Stanford University

Allen Jiang
Allen Jiang
Assistant Professor​

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering ​
Start Date: July 1, 2027

  • mRNA technologies and gene editing for treatment of disease​
  • Currently a postdoc at the Broad Institute of Harvard/MIT​
  • Ph.D. from MIT

Konstantinos Kallas
Konstantinos Kallas
Assistant Professor

Start Date: Oct. 1, 2024
Computer Science

  • Optimized systems, compilers and programming languages for faster software
  • Previously designed two computer ecosystems which greatly sped command execution on multiple platforms
  • Ph.D. from University of Pennsylvania

Youngseo Kim
Youngseo Kim
Assistant Professor​

Civil and Environmental Engineering
Start Date: July 1, 2025

  • Network systems theory for multimodal, coordinated transportation systems​
  • Part of Federal Highway-funded Mobility Center​
  • Ph.D. from Cornell

Yue Liu
Yue Liu
Assistant Professor​

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering​
Start Date: July 1, 2025

  • Micromechanical devices that interface with the human body​
  • Postdoc at MIT and a researcher at  Michigan​
  • Ph.D. from Brown​

Di Luo
Di Luo
Assistant Professor

Start Date: July 1, 2024
Electrical and Computer Engineering
(Now an associate professor of physics at Tsinghua University)

  • Quantum algorithms for new scientific discoveries
  • Member of UCLA’s Center for Quantum Science and Engineering
  • Previously a fellow at the joint MIT-Harvard Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions
  • Ph.D. from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Ying Sheng
Ying Sheng
Assistant Professor​

Computer Science ​
Start Date: July 1, 2026

  • Efficient LLMs and automated reasoning models​
  • Co-founder and director of LMSYS.org, non-profit to make AI more accessible​
  • Ph.D. from Stanford

Fang-Yi “Ida” Su
Fang-Yi “Ida” Su
Assistant Professor​

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Start Date: Nov. 1, 2025

  • In vivo engineering the immune system’s
    T cells     ​
  • Previously a postdoc at Georgia Tech​
  • Ph.D. from University of Washington​

Nathan Szymanski
Nathan Szymanski
Assistant Professor​

Materials Science and Engineering​
Start Date: Nov. 1, 2025

  • Theoretical simulations  to develop next-generation energy storage materials​
  • Previously a postdoc at University of Minnesota​
  • Ph.D. from UC Berkeley

Shahriar Talebi
Shahriar Talebi
Assistant Professor​

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Start Date: July 1, 2025

  • Decision-making in dynamic, noisy and uncertain systems​
  • Postdoc at Harvard​
  • Ph.D. from University of Washington​

Chen Tang
Chen Tang
Assistant Professor​

Civil and Environmental Engineering
Start Date: Nov. 1, 2025

  • Autonomous robotic systems for human-centered environments​
  • Previously a postdoc at UT Austin​
  • Will be part of Federal Highway-funded Mobility Center​
  • Ph.D. from UC Berkeley​

Yosuke Tanigawa
Yosuke Tanigawa
Assistant Professor​

Bioengineering​
Start Date: July 1, 2025

  • Statistical methods to analyze the human genome​
  • Previously a research scientist at MIT​
  • Ph.D. from Stanford​

Luca Vialetto
Luca Vialetto
Assistant Professor​

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Start Date: July 1, 2026

  • Plasma modelling including, how they interact and chemically react with other surfaces and materials​
  • Currently a postdoc at Stanford​
  • Ph.D. from Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands​

Hanrui Wang
Hanrui Wang
Assistant Professor

Start Date: Nov. 1, 2027
Computer Science

  • Quantum computing for faster, more efficient AI
  • Previously a visiting scholar with the University of Chicago
  • Ph.D. from MIT

Tiwei Wei
Tiwei Wei
Assistant Professor​

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Start Date: July 1, 2025

  • Processing, materials and architecture development for future semiconductor interconnects and packaging technologies ​
  • Will be associate director for CHIPS​
  • Previously an assistant professor at Purdue University, and a postdoc at Stanford​
  • Ph.D. from KU Leuven, Belgium

Sean Yamada-Hunter
Sean Yamada-Hunter
Assistant Professor​

Bioengineering​
Start Date: Nov. 1, 2025

  • Engineering proteins for use in cellular immunotherapy​
  • Previously a postdoc at Stanford and a researcher with Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy​
  • Ph.D. from Stanford, B.S. from UCLA

Kyle Yoshida
Kyle Yoshida
Assistant Professor

Start Date: July 1, 2025
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

  • Soft, wearable or haptic robotic technology
  • Joint appointment in the UCLA American Indian Studies Center
  • Previously a postdoc at Washington State University
  • Ph.D. from Stanford University

J.D. Zamfirescu-Pereira
J.D. Zamfirescu-Pereira
Assistant Professor​

Computer Science
Start Date: Nov. 1, 2025

  • Human-AI interactions for design​
  • 13-year industry experience before starting Ph.D., including at Google, and co-founding a startup that was acquired by Google​
  • Ph.D. from UC Berkeley

Jason Zhang
Jason Zhang
Assistant Professor​

Bioengineering
Start Date: Nov. 1, 2025

  • Cell signaling by engineering new molecular tools​
  • Previously a postdoc at University of Washington​
  • Ph.D. from UC Berkeley

Lianmin Zheng
Lianmin Zheng
Assistant Professor​

Computer Science ​
Start Date: July 1, 2026
(Offer declined for personal reasons after initial acceptance)

  • Systems to train large language models​
  • Currently a member of xAI technical staff​
  • Ph.D. from UC Berkeley​

Yu Zheng
Yu Zheng
Assistant Professor​

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Start Date: March 1, 2026
(Offer declined for personal reasons after initial acceptance)

  • Polymer networks for novel materials and soft electronics​
  • Previously a postdoc at MIT​
  • Ph.D. from Stanford

Leo Zhou
Leo Zhou
Assistant Professor

Start Date: Nov. 1 2024
Electrical and Computer Engineering

  • Quantum information theory with a mathematical and particle physics approach
  • Previously a postdoc at Caltech
  • Ph.D. from Harvard