UCLA PI Name: Louis Bouchard
Division/Department: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Lab website: https://sites.google.com/view/bouchardlabucla/
Expected Weekly Time Commitment: 10 hours per week

Job Description:

Our lab, led by Professor Louis Bouchard, focuses on developing computational methods at the intersection of chemistry, biochemistry, physics, and data science. We are looking to onboard students to join either the dry lab or wet lab sides of the project.

Dry Lab Description:
The dry-lab position is centered on numerical modeling, data analysis, and algorithm development. One of our current projects investigates signal denoising, the process of recovering clean signals from noisy measurements, which is a major topic in spectroscopy, medical imaging, and other data-intensive experimental sciences. The project explores a generalized denoising framework based on stochastic differential equations (SDEs), drawing inspiration from modern diffusion models and score-based generative modeling.

As a research assistant, you will work with modern Python-based tools for signal processing and machine learning, benchmark SDE-based denoising methods against established baselines, and contribute to the theoretical and computational validation of a framework with potential applications across multiple scientific domains. This position is particularly well-suited for students interested in applied mathematics, machine learning, computational chemistry or physics, and data-driven modeling. Prior experience with Python programming is required, and familiarity with scientific computing or statistics is a plus.

Wet Lab Description:
The wet-lab side consists of students coculturing cells and collecting data using H-NMR and microscopy. Experimental results will be used to guide future applications of H-NMR as a novel technique to quantify cell-cell interactions. Individuals with prior experience in flow cytometry, cell culturing, NMR, and microscopy are preferred, but we will be open to teaching interested newcomers the necessary skills.

Application Instructions:

Please fill out the following Google form, and attach your resume/CV. For dry-lab inquiries, email jonathankim1626@ucla.edu. For wet-lab inquiries, email dylandang@ucla.edu.

Dry-lab Recruitment Form:
https://forms.gle/8PiVqzdeLLoYqJic7

Wet-lab Recruitment Form:
https://forms.gle/kPxiJNNsUMJsKoWU7