PhD Student Spotlight: Daanish Kulkarni Found Research Opportunities and Mentorship at UC Irvine
“I decided to pursue my PhD at UC Irvine because of the cutting-edge research being conducted here, specifically in the field of translational neuroimmunology,” said Daanish Kulkarni, a PhD in Pharmacological Sciences student in the UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in biopsychology from UC Santa Barbara, Kulkarni enrolled in the PhD in Pharmacological Sciences program at UCI. He is a researcher in the lab of Dr. Wendy Liu, within the UCI Samueli School of Engineering.
“The focus of my research is neuroimmunology and mechanobiology,” said Kulkarni. “Specifically, I’m interested in how biophysical cues affect the function and metabolic flux of microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells, in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease through the mechanosensitive Piezo1 receptor. Using engineering approaches and stem cell-derived microglia, we hope to leverage mechanotransduction for therapeutic polarization of these cells.”
Kulkarni will graduate from the PhD in Pharmacological Sciences program in 2026, upon which he is considering entering the industry or continuing his research in a postdoctoral position. For now, he is focused on making academic and professional connections and serving as a mentor to a new generation of scientists. He shared that he has benefited greatly from the contributions of his own mentors and peers, and he hopes to further this spirit of collaborative education.
“I have a supportive Principal Investigator (PI) who has helped me grow in my academic career by mentoring me in things such as grant writing and challenging my work in a way that’s conducive to my growth. I’ve also had many opportunities to explore interdisciplinary approaches to my projects through the diversity of research on campus and working with several collaborators to develop new ideas,” he stated. “I want to be a catalyst to the future success of my undergraduate students!”