Luis Perez
Location
New Haven, CT
Ivy Bound since 2026
Undergrad
Prepared to Tutor:
Tests
STEM & Non-STEM Subjects
AP Physics 1
Calculus/Math
Biology
About me
Education
Ph.D. in Physics
Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
August 2019 – May 2025
• Dissertation: The effects of mitochondrial physical properties on insulin secretion in
mouse pancreatic beta cell (β-cell) line MIN6
• Advisors: Shankar Mukherji & David Piston
Masters of Arts in Physics
Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
August 2017 – July 2019
Bachelor of Arts in Physics
College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA
August 2013- July 2017
• Honors: 3x Cum Laude
Test Scores and Credentials
Research Experience:
Graduate Research Fellow, Washington University in St. Louis (PI: Shankar Mukherji, PhD &
David Piston, PhD)
September 2019-Present
• Developed model correlating mitochondria biophysical properties to metabolism in beta-
cell like mouse pancreatic MIN6 cells
• Maintained pancreatic cells in culture, along with various transfections/staining protocols
• Used Nikon Spinning Disc Confocal Microscope for live cell imaging protocols,
perturbing cells with different media conditions and external stimuli/drugs
• Analyzed data using computer software such as Mitograph, ImageJ, Matlab, R
Graduate Research Fellow, Washington University in St. Louis (PI: Shankar Mukherji, PhD)
November 2017-July 2019
• Developed model correlating organelle size and abundance in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae
• Fluorescently labeled six organelles, and an ATP-FRET sensor in yeast strains to
investigate metabolism
• Used Nikon Inverted Confocal Microscope for imaging procedures
• Analyzed data using computer software such as ImageJ, Matlab, Mathematica
Research Experience:
Undergraduate Research Assistant, Baylor University, Center for Astrophysics and Space
Engineering Research (PI: Ke Qiao, PhD)
May 2016 - August 2016
• Worked with a research group and faculty advisor to study astrophysical phenomena
• Studied characteristics and properties of laboratory dusty plasmas, also known as
Complex Plasmas
• Used Gasous Electronic Conference radio frequency reference cell for experimental
procedures
• Analyzed data using computer software such as ImageJ, Matlab, Microsoft Excel