I STRONGLY recommend Dr. Kochegarov for MCDB 165A or for any course. Dr. Kochegarov is a very caring professor and always looks out for the success of his students, constantly encouraging students to come to his office hours. I was most impressed at how well he taught this course, considering it was his first course taught at UCLA. His lectures are all on Bruincast, and his tests are very straightforward and fair. During lecture, he makes sure that students understand the material before moving on, always checking in on how students are doing in class. He is very knowledgeable in the material he teaches and lectures at a good pace, utilizing powerpoints and writing on the chalkboard to draw out biological processes. The papers read in this class were very interesting and definitely helps with developing critical thinking skills.