Yang Hai, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of California, Santa Barbara
B.S. Chemistry, Peking University, 2011
Ph.D. Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, 2016
LSRF Postdoctoral Fellow, UCLA, 2020
Email: hai[AT]chem.ucsb.edu
Postdoctoral Scholar
Weiwei Chai, Ph.D.
Ph.D. Nankai University (2021)
B.S. Fuzhou University (2015)
Research Interests: Natural product biosynthesis
Favorite Enzyme: Oxidase
Science Hero: Karl Barry Sharpless
Fun Fact: Weiwei likes running, music, and photography
Shubin Mou, Ph.D.
Ph.D. Peking University（2023）
B.S. University of California Santa Barbara (2022)
B.S. East China University of Science and Technology (2017)
Research Interest: Natural product Biosynthesis
Favorite Enzyme: Terpene Cyclase
Science Hero: Phil Baran
Fun Fact: Shubin likes watching variety shows.
Graduate Students
Darwin Lara (22′, BMSE)
B.S. University of California Santa Barbara (2022)
Gene and Susan Lucas Undergrad Research Fund (2021)
Research Interest: Drug design and synthetic chemistry
Favorite Enzyme: Creatine Kinase
Science Hero: Elizabeth S. Sattely
Fun Fact: Darwin likes watching anime.
Zainab Batool (22′, Chemistry)
B.S. Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan (2022)
Jarrod Davidson Memorial Award and the Tokuyama Accelerator Award (2025)
Phi Lambda Upsilon Award (2023)
Wenhui Xi (23′, Chemistry)
B.S. Fudan University (2023)
Research Interest: Natural product biosynthesis and enzymology
Favorite Enzyme: Radical SAM enzymes and non-heme iron dioxygenase
Science Hero: Ikuro Abe
Fun Fact: Wenhui writes Chinese poetry and she likes talking to her cats.
Zixuan Pang (25′, Chemistry)
M.S Nanjing University（2025）
B.E Jiangnan University (2022)
Research Interest: Natural Product Biosynthesis and New Drug Discovery
Favorite Enzyme: P450
Science Hero: Frances H. Arnold
Fun fact: Zixuan likes watching and drawing animation, favorite character is Kujo Jotaro.
Ani Lahiri (25′, IPQB)
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Undergraduate Students
Ruiyuan Shu
Tanisha Tripathy
Group alumni:
Xinyi Li (visiting undergraduate researcher, 2025).
Luke Mitchelson (Undergraduate researcher, 2025), B.S. 2025, UCSB
Alec Lopez (UCSB-CSUCI summer program student, 2025)
Dr. Shaonan Liu, (postdoc, 2022-2025), Current Position: Assistant Professor at Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology
Dr. Jinmin Gao (postdoc, 2021-2025), Current Position: Assistant Professor at China Pharmaceutical University
Dr. Yu Ping (postdoc, 2024-2025)
Bryan Zeng (Undergraduate researcher, 2023-2024), B.S. 2025, UCSB, Current Position: PhD student at Penn State.
Carolyn Nguyen (Undergraduate researcher, 2023-2024), B.S. 2024, UCSB
Shuo Li (Visiting undergraduate student from Huazhong University of Technology, 2024)
Jaiwei Li (Visiting undergraduate student from UCL, 2024)
Andrew Hale (UCSB-CSUCI summer program student, 2024), Current Position: PhD student at UC Davis
Yuki Xu (Undergraduate researcher, 2022-2024) MCDB Distinction in the Major, B.S. 2024, UCSB, Current Position: Research Assistant at UCSF.
Alex Kyranos (Graduate Student, 2022-2024), M.S. 2024, UCSB.
Silin Guo (Undergraduate researcher, 2023). Current Position: Undergraduate student at UC Berkeley
Chris Perucho (Undergraduate researcher, 2022-2023), B.S. 2023. Recipient of the Royal Society of Chemistry Award in DCB. Current Position: MS student at Keck Institute
Chen Zhou (Undergraduate researcher, 2022-2023). B.S. 2023. Current Position: PhD student at Northwestern University
Xu Shay He (Research Assistant, 2022-2023) Current Position: PhD student at Caltech
Emma Chen (visiting undergraduate researcher, 2022) Current Position: PhD student at Yale University
Joey Zhao (Undergraduate student, 2022-2023), BS. 2023, UCSB
Ryan Cheng (Undergraduate researcher, 2022-2023), B.S. 2024, UCSB, Current Position: MS student at Johns Hopkins University.
Chris Yeh (Undergraduate researcher, 2021), BS, 2021, UCSB, Current Position: PhD student at UC Irvine
Zhongrui Li (Research Assistant, 2020-2021) Current Position: PhD student at TSRI with Prof. Chi-Huey Wong
Benjamin Jones (Graduate student, 2021)
Jasper Moh (Undergraduate researcher, 2021-2022), B.S. 2022, UCSB, Current Position: PhD student at Johns Hopkins University
Yan Jin (Graduate student, 2021)
Asish Chacko (Graduate student, 2021)
Zixuan Jiang (Undergraduate student, 2020-2021)
Chloe Reavill (Undergraduate student, 2021)
Matthew Hurtado (Undergraduate student, 2021)
Wendy Wang (Undergraduate student, 2021)
Darwin Lara (2022), B.S. 2022, UCSB, Current Position: PhD student at UCSB BMSE program
Hai Lab UCSB 