Alex Pei, Bsc

Alex grew up in southern China, where mosquito is ubiquitous and insecticide resistance is increasingly prevalent. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with degrees in Chemistry and Pharmacology. During his time at UCSB, Alex conducted research in Craig Montell’s lab, where he became increasingly interested in controlling mosquitoes—often described as the world’s deadliest animals. He joined the Ke Dong Lab in Fall 2025 to pursue this interest further.

Drawing on his background in chemistry and pharmacology, Alex studies synergistic interactions between mosquito repellents and the neural mechanisms underlying these effects, with the goal of developing more effective and selective repellent formulations. He is also interested in contact repellency and sensory circuits beyond the classical odorant receptor pathways.