OUR TEAM
Yan Zhe (Leo) Liu, one of our team leaders. He received a Bioengineering: Biotechnology degree from the University of California San Diego in 2023. Along with guiding the team, he has worked hard on collecting GC-MS data and pushing the TALE cell lines. Leo is known for his unique flip flop collection and his random outbursts of laughter. He believes he embodies DNA sequencers because learning about DNA is what got him interested in pursuing biology and if he could be any instrument, he would want to be the instrument that unravels the code of life!
Aishwarya Mitra, known to her friends and colleagues as Sparky, is a co-leader of the team and graduated from UC San Diego this year with a degree in Bioengineering: Biosystems. Her research has been in the realms of synthetic biology for quite a while, with her projects ranging from applications in biofuels to gut health, and from climate solutions to drought-resistant crops. She hopes to continue in the field and academia while embedding machine-learning into her research. She also manages research projects at a San Diego-based nonprofit that focus on housing justice and voting rights. If she could be any lab instrument, she’d be a magnetic stir bar because they are simple yet useful and because of the fun rides they go on when on a heat plate!
Amit Klein is one of the co-leaders of our team. He recently graduated with a Bioengineering: Bioinformatics degree from UC San Diego. Amit has been involved in bioinformatics and machine learning research throughout his undergraduate career and brought his knowledge to the MACS project. He has also driven much of the plasmid construction work for the project. When he’s not in the lab, Amit likes to surf, read, and tend to his garden of herbs and vegetables. If Amit was a piece of lab equipment, he would be a sequencing machine.
Neel Dhar is a recent graduate of UC San Diego, where he received a degree in Bioengineering: Bioengineering. Neel has performed literature search, and wet lab experiments for the MACS project. He currently works in the Nanobiotechnology-Synthetic Biology lab at Columbia, and his past research as an undergraduate involved ASSR and the development of artificial coral reefs. When he is not in the lab Neel likes to take hikes through the forests to look at plants, and he is also into photography. If Neel was a lab apparatus, he would be a -80 fridge.
Andrew Nguyen is a recent graduate of UC San Diego where he received a degree in Bioengineering: Biosystems. He has performed literature research, wet lab experiments, and outreach for the MACS project. His research experience includes studying biofuel production and amyloid-beta related Alzheimer’s research using electrophysiology and atomic force microscopy. A career goal of his is to travel the world and provide medical aid as a surgeon. He also recently acted in a play and signed up to run a full marathon. If Andrew was a piece of lab equipment, he would be a centrifuge.
Myra Ashraf is a current fourth-year undergraduate student studying Bioengineering: Biotechnology at UC San Diego. She is a research fellow at the J. Craig Venter Institute, where she has performed wet lab research, contributed to the creation of the iGEM promotional video, and connected with potential sponsors for the iGEM team. Her past research involved cancer immunotherapy and biosensor development, and she aims to get a Ph.D. in Bioengineering in the future. Myra’s favorite activity is creating new outfits for MACS using her impressive digital art skills! If Myra was a lab apparatus, she would be a 384 plate.
Rridhisha Kumar is a Bioengineering: Biotechnology major in her senior year at UC San Diego and aims to pursue a Ph.D. in Bioengineering. She is currently a research fellow at the J. Craig Venter Institute, and has performed research, directed the promotional video, and communicated with sponsors to facilitate this project. Rridhisha enjoys digital art, traveling home to India, and bantering with Myra over MACS’ outfits and animations. If Rridhisha was a lab apparatus, she would be a spirit lamp because it creates a sterile work environment and it’s like a mini lab candle!
Sarah Chittle is currently a fourth-year Bioengineering: Biotechnology student at UC San Diego. As a research fellow at JCVI, she has performed wet lab research and content production for the MACS project. Sarah also currently works as an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the Aguado iBiomaterials Lab at UC San Diego researching sex differences in health and disease. Her future goal is to complete a PhD in Bioengineering with a focus in tissue engineering. In her free time Sarah likes to go on hikes, do crafts, and drink LaCroix sparkling water. If Sarah was a piece of lab equipment, she would be an analytical balance.
Parisa Shahabi is a Bioengineering: Biotechnology student in her senior year at UC San Diego. She is a current research fellow at JCVI, and has performed wet lab work, fundraising, outreach exposure and content production for the MACS iGEM project. In addition to synthetic biology, her research experience includes cardiovascular biomechanics in the DVJ Lab at UC San Diego studying pulmonary arterial hypertension. Her hobbies include nail art, beach bonfires, and attending music festivals. If she were a piece of lab equipment she would be a laboratory shaker because she loves to dance!
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS
Dr. Yo Suzuki is a Principal Investigator of the iGEM JCVI-UCSD team and an associate professor at JCVI. Dr. Suzuki is a part of the Synthetic Biology group at JCVI, his research is focused on systematic investigation of gene functions in various organisms. Dr. Suzuki has guided the team throughout the creation of the MACS project with his expertise in the minimal cell. Dr. Suzuki received his undergraduate degree from Nagoya University in Japan and his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Previous to joining JCVI, Dr. Suzuki was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School and a research associate at Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Boulder, Colorado.
Dr. Immo Burkhardt is a Principal Investigator of the iGEM JCVI-UCSD team and a postdoctoral fellow at the Moore Lab at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Immo received his bachelor’s degree along with his master’s degree at the Technical University of Braunschweig. For pursuing his PhD he joined the group of Prof. Jeroen Dickschat at the University of Bonn to work in the fields of natural products chemistry and biosynthesis with a focus on fungal isoprenoids. He joined the Moore lab in October 2019, where he has been working on natural products research.
MENTORS
Dr. John Glass is a mentor to the iGEM JCVI-UCSD team, as well as a professor and the leader of the JCVI Synthetic Biology group. He is a part of the Venter Institute research group that created a synthetic bacterial cell and led the JCVI collaboration project with Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Inc. and Synthetic Genomics, Inc. that created synthetic influenza virus vaccine strains. He has also led other projects at JCVI, including bacterial outer membrane vesicle based vaccine, genome transplantation, and Mycoplasma genitalium minimal genome projects. His expertise in molecular biology and microbial genomics have guided our team throughout the MACS project. Dr. Glass received his undergraduate degree in Biology and his graduate degrees in Genetics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was a postdoctoral fellow and faculty member at University of Alabama at Birmingham. Before he joined JCVI, Dr. Glass directed a hepatitis C virology group and a microbial genomics group at Eli Lilly.
NOT PICTURED
Ayako Muraro : Ayako is another member of Yo's lab at JCVI, and offered help in the way of helping us understand typical lab procedures and developing new procedures of our own using her prior knowledge in the field.
Diana Hernandez : Diana was a member of the Yo lab for a couple of years and is a former student at UCSD. She has been around the lab for some time, and so she had general knowledge of lab procedures and typical results we can expect form basic experiments. Yo pointed us to her when it came to troubleshooting experiments (investigation), as well as deciphering what results meant when we were confused (analysis).
Wesam Kanim : Wesam was a student and member of the Suzuki Lab who primarily aided in initial laboratory exercises needed to jumpstart the genetic engineering process. He also drafted multiple iterations of a team-wide manuscript aimed at compiling background and possible solution to the target problem.