Masters Student

(September 2025-Present)

Vanessa Wiratmo is a second-year M.S. student in Applied Chemistry. She received her B.S. in Biochemistry from UCLA in 2025. Her research focuses on using quadrupole time-of-flight (QToF) mass spectrometry to verify protein modifications and assess the efficacy of fluorescent labeling. Working with Ph.D. student Izaiah Cole, she is investigating the role of eIF5A in translation elongation and termination to better understand the mechanisms that regulate protein synthesis. A full-circle moment: before joining the Lawson Lab, she was a student in Professor Mike Lawson’s very first class at UCLA.