Dr. Seoyeon Seonu received her PhD from Chung-Ang University in South Korea. She joined the Choi Lab in July 2024 as a Postdoctoral Scientist. Her research primarily focuses on the roles of mast cells and macrophages in the development of asthma and lung fibrosis.

Beulah recently earned her PhD in immunobiology from Iowa State University, where her doctoral research focused on the innate immune training potential of the BCG vaccine in cattle, specifically in enhancing resistance to respiratory diseases. She joined the Choi Lab in January 2025, where her research will investigate the role of macrophages in rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung diseases (RA-ILD) using the lung fibrosis mouse model.

Vihaan is a second-year undergrad student at UCLA majoring in molecular, cell and developmental biology with a minor in brain and behavioral health. He joined the Choi Lab in June 2025 because of his interest in rheumatoid arthritis’s effect on the whole body, and is investigating the role of MCEMP1 in the pathogenesis of lung fibrosis and RA-ILD. He hopes to go to medical school and possibly get a PhD as well.

Rosalia is a third-year undergraduate student at UCLA majoring in molecular, cell and developmental biology. She joined the Choi Lab in October 2025 due to her interest in immunological mechanisms underlying tissue repair and inflammation. Drawn to the lab’s focus on lung immunology and its integrative approach combining molecular biology, cell-based assays and in vivo models, Rosalia was particularly intrigued by how innate immune regulators influence disease progression in lung fibrosis. Her research investigates the potential role of MCEMP1 in tissue reparative macrophages, aiming to better understand how these immune cells contribute to lung repair following inflammation or injury.