Members of the Rivera-Chávez Lab

Assistant Professor – Principle Investigator

Dr. Fabian Rivera-Chávez completed his B.S in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz and received his Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of California, Davis under the supervision of Prof. Andreas Bäumler. He went on to pursue postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School in the laboratory of Prof. John Mekalanos before starting his lab at UCSD in 2020.

Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Dr. Sedelia Dominguez is a postdoctoral scholar who joined the Rivera-Chávez lab in 2022. Sedelia is a UC San Diego NIGMS-IRACDA postdoctoral fellow. She completed her B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry at St. John’s University in New York. After her bachelors, she pursued her Ph.D. in Molecular Biosciences at Washington State University under the supervision of Dr. Tom Kawula where she worked with Francisella tularensis and investigated how host metabolism contributed to bacterial replication. Currently, she is working on investigating the type II secretion system of Vibrio cholerae and the role type II secreted bacterial proteases may play in intestinal colonization, immune evasion and disease progression. Outside the lab, Sedelia is a certified yoga sculpt teacher at a local hot yoga studio, and enjoys reading, traveling and finding new places to eat in San Diego.

Biological Sciences PhD Candidate

Claire Chapman is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Biological Sciences and joined the Rivera-Chavez lab in 2022. Claire is an NSF Graduate Research Fellow and serves as the Board Chair of the Biology Undergraduate and Master’s Mentorship Program (BUMMP) at UC San Diego. She received her B.S. in Global Disease Biology with minors in Public Health and Medical Entomology from the University of California, Davis, where she graduated summa cum laude as a Regents Scholar. She previously conducted research in the lab of Prof. Chris Barker at UC Davis and studied the behavioral thermoregulation of Aedes aegypti.
Outside of lab she loves reading, cooking, fly fishing, pilates, and her dog!

Biological Sciences PhD Student

Research Assistant

Ivy Tam is a Research Assistant who joined the Rivera-Chavez lab in June 2024. Ivy graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor’s of Science in Microbiology. She later completed her Masters in Biology in the contiguous BS/MS program of the School of Biological Sciences at UCSD. She previously conducted research in the lab of Dr. Varykina Thackray at UCSD, where she investigated the role of Gut Microbial Beta-Glucuronidase Substrate Specificity in Sex Steroid Metabolism. Outside of lab and research, Ivy loves cooking, visiting farmers markets, crocheting, doing random arts and craft, and traveling!

Undergraduate Researcher

Iris Sun is an undergraduate junior at the University of California, San Diego, currently studying Molecular and Cellular Biology with a minor in Chemistry. After graduation, she plans to apply to UCSD’s BS/MS program before applying to either graduate or medical school. In her free time she enjoys listening to music, going on random food trips with her family, pigging out on spicy instant noodles, and binge-solving Sudokus for hours on end.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Jenna Hall is an undergraduate researcher who joined the Rivera-Chavez lab in 2025. Jenna is studying Human Biology at the University of California, San Diego and plans on attending medical school to become a pediatric doctor. In her free time she enjoys reading, hiking, and trying new foods.