Ethan Smiggs

Biography

Ethan Smiggs, M.S., is an Assistant Specialist and Lab Manager in the Halbrook Lab at the University of California, Irvine. He earned his M.S. in Bioengineering from the University of California, San Diego in 2023, where his thesis research focused on adaptive laboratory evolution of Bacillus bacterial strains for thermoplastic polyurethane degradation. His work contributed to a publication in Nature Communications on biocomposite thermoplastic polyurethanes containing evolved bacterial spores as living fillers to facilitate polymer disintegration.

Smiggs manages a mouse colony of over 350 mice with various strains and genetic backgrounds, performing genotyping, tissue processing, and histological analysis including H&E and immunohistochemistry staining. He ensures laboratory compliance with IACUC and EH&S regulations while overseeing inventory, equipment maintenance, and training of undergraduate researchers in techniques including PCR, gel electrophoresis, tissue processing, and mouse dissections. His research experience spans both bacterial and mammalian systems, including work at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology and extensive undergraduate research in optogenetics, where he cultured hippocampal neurons on multielectrode arrays.

During his graduate studies at UCSD, Smiggs served as Academic Committee Co-Chair for the Bioengineering Graduate Society, organizing bioprocessing seminar series with industry representatives. As an undergraduate at UCI, he held multiple leadership positions in the Engineering Student Council, including Vice-President of Relations, where he coordinated meetings with 28 engineering clubs and allocated over $27,000 in funds. He received six Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program fellowships totaling $4,400 and a Summer Undergraduate Research Program fellowship of $1,400 in support of his research activities.

Education

• B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, 2021
• M.S. in Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, 2023

Distinctions

• UROP Fellow, University of California, Irvine, 2019-2020
• Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Fellowship, University of California, Irvine, 2020
• Dean's Honor List, University of California, Irvine, 2017-2021
• Corporate Affairs Member of the Quarter, Engineering Student Council, 2018
• ESC Student of the Quarter, Engineering Student Council, 2017