Ph.D. Students

Nicholas A. Cerda, B.S.

Nicholas A. Cerda, B.S.

He/Him/His

Nicholas Cerda earned his B.S. in Biology at the University of Texas at Austin in 2021.  While enrolled at the University of Texas, Nicholas was a member of the Croyle lab, where he completed his honors thesis.  After entering Penn, Nicholas’ passion for vaccines and formulation science led him to be co-mentored by Drs. Drew Weissman and Hamideh Parhiz.  His thesis work focuses on the area of lipid nanoparticles and their interactions with the immune system.  He is also involved in several other projects such as lipid nanoparticle targeting.  While not working in the lab, Nicholas also works on developing leadership skills through serving as an officer for the biomedical graduate student association board.  Following his doctoral studies, Nicholas plans to pursue a postdoctoral position at the Vaccine Research Center in Gaithersburg. 

Rakan El-Mayta, B.S.

Rakan El-Mayta, B.S.