Orchid Pyone
Incoming Second-Year M.S. Student, UCLA Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Srivastava Lab; UCLA B.S. Chemical Engineering, 2025
“The future depends on what you do today.”
Orchid Pyone’s path through UCLA Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering has taken her from undergraduate student to graduate researcher, teaching assistant, and soon, she hopes, Ph.D. student. After completing her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering at UCLA, Orchid continued in the department as a master’s student in Professor Samanvaya Srivastava’s lab. She is now entering her second year of the M.S. program, with plans to transition into the Ph.D. program down the line.
“It has been an incredible experience to grow from an undergraduate student into a graduate researcher while staying within the same department and community,” Orchid said. “I’m excited to continue this journey in the UCLA CBE Department and become a triple Bruin.”
In the Srivastava Lab, Orchid studies polymers designed for challenging real-world environments. Her research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of block copolymers with potential applications as biomimetic underwater adhesives, as well as interpenetrating polymer networks that can combine the strengths of different materials while addressing their individual limitations.
For a broad audience, the motivation is easy to see: many of the materials we rely on struggle in wet, complex, or demanding environments. By designing polymers that can stick, stretch, or function under difficult conditions, researchers can create new materials for applications ranging from medicine and soft robotics to energy, coatings, and infrastructure.
“Through my research, I hope to design materials that bridge fundamental science and real-world applications while pushing the boundaries of polymer science,” Orchid said.
Orchid credits UCLA CBE with giving her both a strong technical foundation and a community that made her want to stay.
“UCLA CBE has given me a welcoming community that I proudly call my second home,” she said. “I have received immense support from the faculty and incredible graduate student mentors throughout both my academic and research journeys.”
She gave a special shoutout to graduate student mentors Holly and Fahed, who helped support her development as a student and researcher.
Orchid has also contributed to the department as a teaching assistant for the senior capstone course. In that role, she watched students grow over two quarters, both in technical knowledge and in their development as professional chemical engineers.
“As a TA for the senior capstone course, I also experienced my own learning curve for strengthening my ability to communicate concepts clearly while finding the right balance between supporting students and challenging them to push beyond their comfort zones,” she said.
Her efforts were recognized with the Best TA Award, an honor she described as especially meaningful.
“Receiving the Best TA Award was really meaningful because it reflected the positive impact I was able to have on the students,” Orchid said. “Knowing that my efforts were appreciated made the award extremely rewarding.”
One of her favorite TA memories was watching students present their final capstone projects after seeing the hard work they had put in throughout the year. As a student, some of her favorite memories came from late nights in Boelter Hall with her Chem-E-Car team, troubleshooting reaction mechanisms before competition, and from study sessions with classmates.
Those experiences, from lab research to teaching to student teamwork, have shaped Orchid’s view of UCLA CBE as both an academic home and a place to grow into the next stage of her career.
As she continues her graduate journey, Orchid is excited to keep building on the foundation she developed as a UCLA undergraduate, mentor, teacher, and researcher.
Congratulations to Orchid Pyone on receiving the Best TA Award and on continuing her path in UCLA CBE.