Currently a masters student in the Kwon lab at the University of Washington, Olaf is studying the development of osteoblasts in Zebrafish. He has previously worked in science policy as a Science Assistant at the National Science Foundation and as an intern in the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Olaf graduated from George Washington University while working in Martin lab on the wing patterning of butterflies.
I am a scientist focused on understanding the role of extracellular vesicles (including exosomes) in cell communication and learning how to exploit this to inform biomimetic drug delivery. My work has largely focused on understanding the intersection of extracellular vesicle heterogeneity with their use as both therapeutics and diagnostics.
Hi! My name is Mia, and I’m from Salt Lake City, UT originally! I went to Dartmouth College for undergrad where I studied Biomedical Engineering, and now I’m excited to be starting this year in the Molecular Engineering PhD program at University of Washington. I’m excited about studying Synthetic Biology, specifically biological circuits, but I am currently rotating in various labs for my first year, so we’ll see what application of bio circuits I end up working on!
As an engineering and biotechnology enthusiast, I am passionate about innovation in life sciences. My experience spans from conducting preclinical research on neurobiology to biopharmaceutical production, and so on. My goal is to leverage these experiences to contribute to advancing biotechnology and engineering developments.
Gloria is a Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Fuzhong Zhang’s lab at Washington University in St. Louis. She obtained her B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Cornell University in 2021. Her current research is focused on using single-cell strategies to better understand and regulate cell-to-cell heterogeneities in microbial bioproduction. Outside of the lab, Gloria enjoys skiing, watching TV shows, and playing games with friends.
I am a PhD candidate in the Han Li lab at UCI, where I work on projects in cofactor engineering and cell free biocatalysis.
I am Divya Naradasu from India, a Biotechnology undergrad with a Master’s in Environmental Engineering. I moved to Japan to pursue a Ph.D. in Microbial Electrochemistry at The University of Tokyo after receiving a MEXT Japanese scholarship. The fundamental idea behind my research is based on an extraordinary phenomenon known as “Extracellular electron transfer (EET)”, in which microbes transfer their metabolically generated electrons to extracellular surfaces like iron oxides or solid electrodes, or in other words, breathe anaerobically to external electron acceptors in the absence of oxygen. In order to comprehend the microbial community in natural habitats, including human biofilms (oral/gut/skin) and deep-sea thermal vents, EET is being viewed as a survival mechanism. To understand the mechanism of the numerous oral infections, I conducted basic research on the EET capabilities of oral pathogens for my PhD. In understanding the mechanism of EET implicated in pathogen survival, as a postdoc at the University of Bristol, UK, I am continuing my study on the relevance of electron transport pathways in oral pathogens and its implications for host disease.
‘m a fifth-year Bioengineering PhD student at the University of Washington, specializing in mammalian synthetic biology. My current research centers on mRNA splicing, a critical process as most human transcripts undergo alternative splicing, with many disease-related mutations impacting this mechanism. To enhance our understanding, I’m developing advanced machine learning models aimed at accurately predicting the sequence determinants that influence alternative splicing.
I am currently an IIN Postdoctoral Fellow under the mentorship of Prof. Chad Mirkin in the Department of Chemistry at Northwestern University. During my Ph.D. at the University of Münster and the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, I focused on lipid dynamics and cellular membrane trafficking mechanisms—processes that are essential for drug delivery. This research provided me with a deep understanding of the intersection between cell biology and chemistry, particularly in regulating molecular transport within cells. Building on this foundation, my postdoctoral research as a translational chemist and engineer at Northwestern University has enabled me to explore the use of spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) as nanostructures for developing cancer immunotherapies and treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. Leveraging my expertise in cellular processes and nanostructure engineering, I have expanded the frontiers of therapeutic development. Moving forward, I aim to define critical design principles for vaccines to advance current immunotherapies—specifically, to elucidate the structure-function relationships of nucleic acid-based therapeutics that dictate the nanoscale activation of the immune system.
Synthetic Biology enthusiast with years of experience building and launching molecular diagnostic assays and bioinformatics pipelines. Currently rotating in labs at Northwestern University focused on diverse areas of applied synthetic biology. Preoccupied with the intersection of bioeconomy, ethics, and the ongoing social restructuring due to social media, AI, and increasing economic inequality.
My name is Anru and I am currently a second year PhD student in Michael Jewett’s lab at Stanford University. I am interested broadly in biotherapeutics and my current research surrounds cell-free glycosylation. I am originally from Ohio and I love to go on long runs and acquire terrible tan lines!
My name is Yuhan BAO, and I am a Ph.D. in the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University, China. My research primarily revolves around innovation policies, regulatory frameworks, and biosafety policies related to synthetic biology. I am particularly fascinated by the social and policy implications of biotechnology and its intersection with broader societal issues. My academic journey has positioned me as a policy researcher and community mobilizer dedicated to promoting responsible search and innovation not only through research but also through personal engagement and community promotion.
I am a fifth year graduate student in the SSPB program at Rice, working in a chemical engineering lab under Dr. Ross Thyer. I am interested in non-model microbe engineering, as well as high throughput protein engineering efforts. My background is in environmental microbiology, lanthanide biochemistry, protein engineering, and synthetic biology.
I received my BS in Bioengineering from Cornell University. I have experience with research on bioelectrochemical systems for biofuel production using electroactive microbes, as well as gas fermentation for biofuel production. My interests include synthetic biology, sustainability, cell-free systems, protein engineering, and carbon-negative biomanufacturing. I’m also passionate about STEM outreach and science communication.
I’m a PhD student in computational biology who studies protein fitness using a combination of directed evolution experiments, molecular dynamics simulations, and data-driven modeling techniques. I got my Bachelor’s at the University of Washington in bioengineering and applied math, and worked at the biological tissue modeling software company Biocellion before grad school. I’m very interested in self-advocacy and making academia acceptable for people with disabilities and people of all socioeconomic status.
I am currently a PhD Student at the University of Florida, where I am devoting my research to finding solutions to some of agriculture’s most important challenges. Specifically, I am working to develop drought and salt stress resistance in crops, with a focus on studying CAM photosynthesis at the molecular level in the ice plant. To achieve this, I use techniques in the fields of molecular biology, genomics, single-cell transcriptomics, and bioinformatics.