UC Berkeley · College of Chemistry

Nicholas Foster

Chemical biology student working in the Nomura Research Group — and building software for the lab.

About

Chemical biology at Berkeley, and software for the lab

I'm a chemical biology student at UC Berkeley's College of Chemistry, working in the Nomura Research Group. Alongside research, I build software for the lab — tools that automate proteomics processing, analysis, and reporting. Whether it's protein degradation research or lab software, I'm drawn to problems that don't fit inside one discipline.

The lab

Research

The Nomura Research Group — jointly based in UC Berkeley's Departments of Chemistry and Molecular & Cell Biology — uses chemoproteomic platforms, including covalent ligand discovery and targeted protein degradation, to drug the ~90% of the proteome considered “undruggable.”

Learn more at nomuraresearchgroup.com →

Structures

Structure explorer

Interactive molecular structures, rendered in the browser.

Work

Projects

Open source

Ionomos

Automatic FragPipe processing, analysis, and reports for the Nomura lab proteomics PC.

View on GitHub →

Private

LabWren

AI tool builder for research labs.

Private repository — no public link.

Private

BCA Analyzer

A Streamlit workbench for Tecan BCA assay exports — assign standards and samples on an interactive plate map, then review the standard curve, sample concentrations, and dilution prep volumes.

Private repository — no public link.

Beyond the bench

Experience & impact

From the lab to finance to community health — the roles and teams behind the work.

Research

Nomura Research Group

Undergraduate researcher in targeted protein degradation — running biochemical assays and using data science to interpret the results.

Finance

J.P. Morgan

Former intern — exposure to investment banking and corporate finance, applying quantitative analysis and data-driven modeling to real financial problems.

Award

Karius Case Competition

1st place — led a team to a full commercialization strategy for a biotech diagnostic, combining scientific reasoning with market and go-to-market analysis.

Community

Fenwick Co-op

Health worker & manager — directed health protocols, coordinated crisis response, and ran wellness initiatives for roughly 300 residents.

Service

American Red Cross

Executive committee — organized blood drives, managed student volunteers, and delivered training across the greater Berkeley community.

Campus

UBG & BBI

Active member of the Undergraduate Business Group and the Bio Business Initiative — connecting Berkeley's researchers with the people who commercialize the work.

Get in touch

Contact

Email is the fastest way to reach me — or find my code on GitHub.

fostermnicholas@gmail.com GitHub