Graduate Student Ivan Salladay-Perez Awarded the 2023-2024 Suzanne Eaton, Ph.D. Memorial Prize

Congratulations to MIMG graduate student Ivan Salladay-Perez who was awarded the 2023-2024 Suzanne Eaton, Ph.D. Memorial Prize. In September 2019, the Suzanne Eaton, Ph.D. Memorial Prize was established at UCLA. This prize honors the life and work of Dr. Suzanne Eaton. 

Ivan is a doctoral candidate supervised and mentored by Anthony J. Covarrubias in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at UCLA. His research utilizes computational and high throughput methods to explore globally deregulated processes in aging immune systems. Throughout his doctoral studies, Ivan has been recognized with several prestigious fellowships and awards, including the Best Graduate Student Presentation Award at the 1st Annual Gerontology Los Angeles Meeting and the recent Whitcome Predoctoral Fellowship.

Ivan, a native of Southern California from Long Beach, CA, began his academic journey at Long Beach City College, where he excelled as a biology student and as an athlete in track and field for the CCCAA. He later pursued and completed a bachelor’s degree in general biology with a focus on molecular parasitology research at CSU-Long Beach and a master's in biochemistry with a research focus in bioenergetic mitochondrial metabolism.

Outside of academia, Ivan cherishes time with his family – his wife and two daughters – enjoys culinary adventures, and at times competes in small basketball leagues. Looking ahead, Ivan aims to leverage his PhD to pursue a career as a faculty member or mentor at a research-focused institution, integrating his experiences from UCLA into his teaching and research endeavors