Applicants, SPA

  • Ruchi Singh

    I am a PhD graduate student at University Of Houston working on interaction of cells with electromagnetic radiation. It includes electrical field s as well as magnetic field. This research also has application in Space biology. It will be a good opportunity for me to be a part of this community.

  • Unyime Effiong

    I am a PhD candidate in the Belardi Lab at the University of Texas at Austin where I design and engineer protein-based tools for manipulating protein binding to cytoskeletal F-actin. I completed my undergraduate studies in Chemical Engineering at Prairie View A&M University with a concentration in Bioengineering. In my free time, I enjoy watching foreign-language TV shows and learning those languages as well.

  • Hasani Everett

    Born and raised in Jamaica, I am passionate about pursuing ambitions in synthetic biology and science policy, seeking effective ways to implement biological research to serve my communities.

  • Jessica Rubira Gamba

  • Eric Heinze

    I am originally from Blacksburg, Virginia. I have been deaf since a young age, which led me to Gallaudet University, the only university in the world for the deaf, for my bachelor’s degree in biology. After investigating the evolution of weedy rice at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst under Dr. Ana Caicedo, I decided to join the PhD program in Evolution, Ecology, Genetics, and Genomics at the University of Rochester. I was also the teaching assistant for Rochester’s iGEM team, which developed a carbon-negative biophotovoltaic cell with engineered cyanobacteria that sequestered carbon to produce electricity and ethanol as a by-product.

  • Mayesha Sahir Mim

    I am a Ph.D. candidate in Bioengineering at the University of Notre Dame, graduating in January 2025. My doctoral research involved investigating the calcium signaling pathway and its role in organogenesis and tissue mechanics. I was an Indiana Science Policy: Educate, Collaborate, Transform (INSPECT) Fellow in 2024, where I served the Indiana Department of Transportation. I aspire to build a career where I can combine my expertise in Bioengineering and Science Policy/Communication.

  • Asal Sahami Moghaddam

  • Erik Hasenoehrl

    I am a physician scientist and a clinical research fellow in Gastroenterology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. My scientific training is in microbiology, with a particular emphasis on genetic engineering and metabolic pathway profiling. My future research interests are in understanding shared host-microbe metabolic pathways and their effects on inflammatory GI diseases, with an emphasis on primary sclerosing cholangitis.

  • Daniel de Castro Assumpcao

    I am a Brazilian chemical engineer with undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Campinas. I worked in deploying technologies for converting non-edible biomass into ethanol and scaling biomanufacturing processes in the Brazilian Northeast and Italy. After moving to the U.S. in 2018, he worked as a fermentation process development engineer in the biotech sector at Codexis and Amyris in the Bay Area. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD at Northwestern University, focusing on using protein engineering tools to develop targeted drug delivery vehicles.

  • Ines Yousfi

    Hi ! I am an assistant engineer in microbiology/molecular biology/synthetic biology in IBPC Paris, France. I have a master’s in microbiology from UCBL in Lyon, France and I am looking for new opportunities in France as well as Germany, Canada and am open to other countries.

  • Cristian Silva

    I am a master student at University of Borås, Sweden. I’m interested in bio refineries and lige cycles assessment of bio based production

  • Boqian Zhang

  • Hayley Brawley

    I am a highly accomplished analytical chemist and postdoctoral researcher with a focus on bioanalytical method development and space-related medical research. I earned my PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Texas A&M University in 2021. I’ve completed postdoctoral appointments in academia (molecular nutrition; PI: Patrick J. Stover) and in government (NASA JSC Nutritional Biochemistry Laboratory; PI: Scott M. Smith). My current postdoctoral appointment is with the Clinical and Operational Space Medicine Innovation Consortium (COSMIC) of the Air Force (PI: Craig D. Nowadly). I have contributed to several high-impact publications and presentations, spanning from metal metabolism to animal models of sustained acceleration and decompression sickness. I am active member of the American Society of Nutrition, National Postdoctoral Association, and the American Chemical Society, where I contribute to seminars, blog posts, and annual meeting planning.

  • Vedika Sonje

    A highly motivated and detail-oriented Biotechnology student with a passion for scientific research and innovation. Seeking opportunities to apply theoretical knowledge and hands-on skills in a dynamic research environment to contribute to groundbreaking projects and advance knowledge in the field.

  • Amanda Ruiz

    Amanda Elyssa Ruiz is a postdoctoral fellow in biological engineering whose research interests are in immunology, vaccine development, and global health. Specifically, Amanda’s work concentrates on the development of novel vaccine candidates against flaviviruses, a family of RNA viruses – including Dengue, Zika, and West Nile viruses – that lead to significant morbidity and mortality on a global scale. By leveraging protein engineering strategies alongside platforms to elucidate evolutionary antibody dynamics in humans and natural animal reservoirs, Amanda hopes to shed light on how these viruses have evaded the mammalian immune system for centuries. In her doctoral research, Amanda studied protective immune responses to the neglected tropical disease schistosomiasis. A postdoctoral fellowship will support her on-going work to develop platforms and techniques to manipulate immune recognition, enhance immune responses using nanotechnologies, and perturb the host-pathogen interface. The broader goals of Amanda’s research are to contribute to the understanding of adaptive immune responses implicated in neglected tropical diseases and to develop preventative and therapeutic solutions for infectious diseases. Her work holds great promise to advance affordable vaccine design, thus improving global health.

  • Anchita Sharma

  • Robert Spicer

    I grew up in Southern New Jersey and received a B.S. in Biological Sciences from the small public University, Rowan University. I then attended the University of Minnesota where I received a M.S. in plant breeding focusing on molecular genetics. Currently I am a 2nd year PhD student preparing for qualifying exams at the University of Florida where I research the plant cell wall using synthetic biology approaches. When I am not conducting research, I like to go for runs, build terrariums, and go to antique stores.

  • Jie Lu

  • Kathryn Hoyt

    Katie’s research focuses on using 13C isotopic tracers to elucidate the metabolism of Eubacterium limosum growing on methanol. Prior to starting her PhD at Northeastern, she worked as an environmental consultant, providing air quality and process safety management compliance services to industrial clients. Outside the lab, Katie enjoys gardening, movies and spending time outdoors.

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