PhD Student Spotlight: Research Opportunities Through the Trader Lab Brought Cody Loy to UC Irvine from Purdue University 

“I hope that I will be able to make an impact in this field and help bring up future generations of scientists,” said Cody Loy, a PhD student in the UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences.

A graduate of Ball State University, Loy began pursuing his PhD at Purdue University as a student in their medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology program and researcher in the Trader Lab. During Loy’s second year as a PhD student, Dr. Darci J. Trader accepted a position within the UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, relocating her lab to Southern California. Loy made the choice to join Dr. Trader and officially became an Anteater in July 2023.

“I decided it would be best for my research and my future to continue working under Dr. Trader here at UCI, and I was able to transfer in as a third-year student,” he said.

Research within the Trader Lab “focuses on the development of chemical strategies to control and harness proteasome-mediated protein degradation.”

Loy “works on harnessing the cleavage preferences to selectively release therapeutics and diagnostics into a desired cellular environment,” he shared. “I mostly do chemical biology work, studying the protein degradation machinery of the proteasome and its various isoforms. I have also had the opportunity to be involved in a wide variety of projects that have allowed my interdisciplinary skills to grow.”

Since transferring to UCI, Loy has contributed to his first published research paper, “Discovery of a non-covalent ligand for Rpn-13, a therapeutic target for hematological cancers,” along with Dr. Trader and other researchers.

Loy has also had the opportunity to serve as a representative of the lab and the PhD program, working as a mentor to first-year students.

He will graduate in 2026. Following graduation, he would like to establish his own lab and become a Principal Investigator (PI).

“My long-term goal is to contribute to the development of improved therapeutic and diagnostic options for oncology and inflammatory diseases,” he stated. 

In addition to allowing him to conduct research, Loy hopes his own lab will give him a space to continue mentoring students: “I really enjoy helping others find their passions in this field and work toward becoming independent researchers. I’ve always had a desire to teach and mentor others, allowing them to reach their full potential.”