Jon Pokorski, PhD
Professor
Professor Pokorski began his scientific career by earning his B.S. in Biochemistry from UCLA in 2002. While at UCLA, he worked in private industry designing and testing biomedical devices that are currently in use around the world. In 2007, Dr. Pokorski received his doctoral degree in organic chemistry from Northwestern University, where he designed, synthesized, and tested diverse peptidomimetic systems for use in medical diagnostics and therapeutics. Dr. Pokorski then moved to The Scripps Research Institute, where he used both chemical and genetic engineering of viral nanoparticles to synthesize novel drug delivery systems. During postdoctoral training, Dr. Pokorski first earned an NIH Ruth Kirschstein fellowship and later secured an NIH Pathway to Independence Award.
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Dr. Pokorski joined the faculty at Case Western Reserve university in the department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering in 2012 and moved to the Nanoengineering department at UCSD in 2018. Pokorski’s laboratory works to bridge chemical synthesis, molecular biology, and materials science to make new materials for biomedical applications. The Pokorski lab is particularly interested in marrying biological and polymer science to generate biocomposite materials for medicine and the environment Research in the Pokorski lab is funded through grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy and the American Chemical Society.
Han Sol Kim, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Han Sol earned his BS and PhD degrees in Chemical & Biological Engineering at Korea University, Seoul, South Korea. During his PhD, he developed enzyme-based nanocomposite materials, and demonstrated their application in energy and environmental fields. Han Sol joined the Pokorski lab in May 2021. He currently focuses on the development of bacteria-incorporated thermoplastic polyurethane to enhance the biodegradation of plastic materials. In his free time, he enjoys playing guitar.
Debika Datta, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Debika joined the team in Spring 2021. Her current research focuses on the development of stimuli-responsive biosynthetic materials, combining polymeric material fabrication with genetic engineering. Prior to joining the lab, she obtained B.Tech in Biotechnology from West Bengal University of Technology and received her Doctoral degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India.
During her PhD research, she developed biocompatible gelators from short self-assembling peptides. In her spare time, she enjoys photography, painting, writing and exploring new places.
Erica Hild
Graduate Student
​Erica joined the lab in August of 2022 after her undergraduate studies in biomedical engineering at the University of Delaware. At UD, Erica worked in the lab of Dr. LaShanda Korley, researching stimuli-responsive materials. Now she is working on bioink formulations for engineered living materials and plant biohybrid systems. Outside of lab, Erica enjoys baking, hiking with friends, 3D printing, and watching cartoons.
Elizabathe Davis
Graduate Student
Elizabathe graduated with her BS-MS dual degree from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, India in 2018 and joined the Pokorski lab in 2019. Elizabathe is currently working on the next-generation of protein/polymer conjugates. In her free time she loves cooking new recipes, enjoying music and exploring new places. She is currently trying to explore more about yoga and meditation
Samuel Hays
Graduate Student
Samuel joined the Pokorski group in Fall 2020 after completing his BS and MS at Georgia Tech, working with Dr. William J. Koros on carbon molecular sieve membranes for gas separations. He is currently working with Dr. Pokorski on biocatalytic membranes for CO2 capture with a focus on melt manufacturing. Outside of the lab, he enjoys hiking, reading, playing and watching soccer, and taking his Newfoundland to the beach.
Luis Palomino
Graduate Student
Luis Palomino earned his BSc in Chemistry at Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Peru. Before joining the lab in 2021, he worked in the synthesis of metallic, polymeric, and carbon nanoparticles for use in the environment, medicine and catalysis. Currently, his research is focused on the development of plant cell-polymer hybrid materials as part of his fellowship in the UCSD Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). He loves to spread information about mental health, practice yoga, and spend his free time on the beach.
