Executive Board
Sophia Tesic
Co-President
Sophia is a junior double majoring in Data Science and Biology, Health, and Society along with a minor in Math. In college, Sophia is focused on further developing technical and interpersonal skills while exploring passions in medicine and research. Following her undergraduate degree, she plans to attend medical school and become a physician. Sophia joined MSBT to gain deeper insight into biological systems research, specifically helping in planning experimentation, and to collaborate with other undergraduates on an involved project that is connected to the local community.
Emily Wallace
Co-President
Emily is a senior majoring in Biomedical Engineering major with a minor in Computer Science. Emily is heavily involved in academic research, which she hopes will give her the research skills and expertise to be successful in graduate school and future research endeavors. After college, Emily hopes to pursue a PhD in biological engineering and pursue research which applies synthetic biology principles to therapeutic design. She then aspires to have a research career in either academia or the biotech industry.
Adam Tisch
Co-Science Director
Adam is a senior majoring Biochemistry and minoring in Statistics. Adam's goals for his senior year are to continue learning skills that will be helpful in his future career and finish writing his honors thesis on a novel drug-like compound potentially useful in the treatment of metastatic uveal melanoma. Adam plans to take a gap year to pursue translational research while applying to medical schools. Adam joined MSBT during his freshman year to learn more about engineering biological systems.
Sriram Garapati
Co-Science Director
Sriram is a junior majoring in Biomedical Engineering. In college, Sriram's goals entail graduating and participating in many different extracurriculars (such as MSBT). He also wants to apply and be accepted to med school. After college, he hopes to become a physician and pursue research in cardiology or ophthalmology. He joined MSBT to meet a lot of people in BME and similar majors, as well as get significant research experience in topics and ideas not investigated in his other research experiences.
Kimi Lillios
Finance Director
Kimi is a junior double majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and UX Design. She is looking to learn about the breadth that science and sustainability apply to many fields. While she is still not exactly sure what she wants to pursue as a career, the common thread is an interdisciplinary approach to the fields of industry, research, and education with a focus on sustainability and accessibility. Kimi joined MSBT to not only gain research experience, but also the holistic involvement of fundraising, scientific theory, community outreach, and website development. She also wanted to connect with a community of like-minded, driven scientific peers.
Sabine Meurs
External Affairs Director
Sabine is a senior majoring in Biomedical Engineering with an International Minor for Engineers. In college, Sabine hopes to focus her knowledge and interest on the intersection between medical devices and regenerative medicine. Following college, she hopes to pursue a Master's Degree in Biomedical Engineering and then work in the medical device and biotech industry. She joined MSBT because she has always had a passion for research that can directly impact her community, and the ability to work with a like-minded group of people while doing so was very exciting to her.
Zoe Jackson
Internal Affairs Director
Zoe is a junior double majoring in Biomedical Engineering and Biophysics. Throughout college, Zoe hopes to advance her knowledge in biomedical engineering and cancer biology and have fun with friends. Following college, she hopes to pursue a PhD in cancer biology. She was interested in joining MSBT because she wanted to advance her experimental design skills and find a community of members interested in biomedical sciences.
Surya Sanjay
Computational Modeling Chair
Surya is a junior majoring in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience and minoring in Computer Science. In college, Surya aspires to meet Jim Harbaugh, the University of Michigan head football coach. Once he finishes college, Surya plans on earning an MD degree and specializing in cardiac surgery. He joined MSBT because he felt it is a unique student organization on campus as it explores applied computational biology research.
Erika Hochstein
Technology Chair
Erika is a junior majoring in Computer Science. Her college goals are to learn how to use computer science within a variety of different disciplines to solve problems. Her post college plans are to join the tech industry and work as a software engineer on a product that improves the lives of its users. She joined MSBT to learn more about the intersection between technology and biology.
Team Members
Aditi Ganesan
Aditi is a sophomore majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Electrical Engineering. Her goals for college are to explore different fields of science and learn a lot along the way. After graduation, Aditi hopes to pursue a PhD in oncology research. She joined MSBT because she resonated with the idea of student-directed research projects and design.
Amruta Venkatesh
Amruta is a junior majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Biology. Her collegiate goals are to contribute well to the project teams she is a member of. After college, she wishes to work in the computer science industry. She joined MSBT to contribute to synthetic biology through computational modeling and wet lab.
Ankita Agrawal
Ankita is a sophomore majoring in Chemical Engineering with a minor in both Computer Science and Biochemistry. In college, Anika hopes to learn as much as possible, become a good engineer, and explore new areas. Once Ankita graduates, she hopes to go to graduate school, and ultimately work in R&D at a biotechnology company. She joined MSBT due to it being a unique opportunity to be involved in the entire research process, in addition to MSBT having very cool projects and a great set of members.
Brady Braund
Brady is a junior majoring in Neuroscience. His goals in college are to acquire research, clinical, and volunteer experience to prepare for medical school. After college, he plans to work within the healthcare field as an Emergency Medical Technician and eventually attend medical school. Brady joined MSBT in order to gain experience in not only running experiments, but contribute to the planning and background behind a project.
Grace Lombardo
Grace is a sophomore majoring in Biochemistry. Her collegiate goals are to learn as much as she can about Biochemistry and prepare for her graduate studies and career in science through involvement in research and student organizations like MSBT. After college, she plans to attend graduate school and possibly pursue a PhD. She joined MSBT to learn more about synthetic biology and contribute to a meaningful research project.
Haniya Farooq
Haniya is a sophomore majoring in Biomedical Engineering and double minoring in Computer Science and Math. Her collegiate goals are to explore various fields in Biomedical Engineering, especially by participating in research. After college, she plans to go to grad school, either for a masters degree or a PhD. Haniya is greatly fascinated by synthetic biology and wanted to gain more hands-on experience in both planning and executing such a meaningful project.
Jaclyn Carrannanto
Jaclyn is a junior majoring in Biochemistry. Her goals for college are to have an internship experience, graduate with high honors, and present an honors thesis of her undergraduate research. After college, she hopes to continue research in industry or academia and potentially continue to graduate school. She joined MSBT to be introduced to the research and wet lab processes and to enrich her learning within biochemical sciences.
Joel Groves
Joel is a sophomore majoring in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology. He joined MSBT to gain career insights and experience in the medical and laboratory setting. After college he plans to pursue a career in geriatric medicine. He joined MSBT because he feels it is a great opportunity to have control over a research project as an undergrad and gain insight into experimental troubleshooting. He is motivated by the opportunity to be hands-on with all aspects of a research project.
Maurice Barroso
Maurice is a junior majoring in Business Administration. His goals for college are to contribute to MSBT's success as an iGEM competitor, in addition to completing his degree. After college, Maurice aspires to work as a financial analyst in the biotechnology industry. He joined MSBT to mix his passions for biology and finance towards a meaningful project.
Mihika Rayan
Mihika is a junior majoring in Biomedical Engineering and minoring in Computer Science. Her goals for college include exploring various pathways in BME through classes, extracurriculars, and research. She aims to understand more about the factors that affect how diagnostic and therapeutic agents reach affected communities. Currently, she plans to attend grad school after college and work in industry under drug discovery, cancer biology, or regenerative medicine. Mihika joined MSBT to get involved in a student-run lab experience in the context of medical equity.
Nikita Lebedz
Nikita is a junior majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science. His goals for college are to gain experience with skills at the intersection of biomedical research and biotechnology. Nikita hopes to pursue a PhD and one day work in research that combines neural engineering, tissue engineering, and prosthetics. He joined MSBT to gain valuable experience and work in a dedicated team with shared interests and goals.
Noah Black
Noah is a sophomore majoring in Biophysics. His college goals are to “survive and (possibly) thrive.” He plans to pursue a PhD after completing his undergraduate degree in the field of materials. He joined MSBT because he is excited by research in the field of synthetic biology.
Rachel Dow
Rachel is a senior majoring in Microbiology, and her goal for college is to prepare herself for a graduate program and to publish her senior thesis. After college, she plans to apply to grad school and continue her research into bacterial organization and/or stem cell biology. She joined MSBT to improve her laboratory problem-solving skills and have the opportunity to see a research project through from conception to presentation.
Sashider Rajesh
Sashider is a junior majoring in Biochemistry. Through college, he hopes to meet new people, keep in touch with old friends, and practice healthy routines. Furthermore, he hopes to diversify his knowledge base while also building his science foundations for medical school. After medical school, he would like to work in a hospital and pursue immunological research. He joined MSBT because he really liked the idea of being part of a student-run, wet-lab team that thought of their own projects and guided their own understanding of the project idea. He liked how the team thought of their own experiments and worked through the management and science aspects as students. It felt like MSBT was running its own research lab, which piqued his interest.
Schuyler Byrn
Schuyler is a majoring in Chemistry with a double minor in Math and Computer Science. Schuyler hopes to come out of college knowing as much as he can about science and about life, whatever that means. Of course, he also hopes to graduate with a good plan for either further studies or a job that he will love. Schuyler is hoping to possibly pursue a Ph.D. after undergrad, most likely in some discipline of Chemistry. Schuyler joined MSBT because he wanted to be a part of a research-based project team to learn more about science outside of school and the lab he works in. He also was hoping to meet cool people who were equally interested in science.
Vamsi Gollapalli
Vamsi is a junior majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. For college, Vamsi aims to finish his B.S. degree and finish an honors thesis project. After college, he plans on attending medical school and traveling, specifically around Europe. He joined MSBT because he is interested in human biology and biology research projects that aim to solve real-world medical issues.
Xuan An Le
An is a junior majoring in Biomedical Engineering and minoring in Materials Science Engineering. In college, An hopes to explore future careers in research and biotechnology. Additionally he hopes to make friends. After An finishes college, he plans to pursue a PhD, then work in the industry. He joined MBST because he is interested in synthetic biology and wanted to join an exciting group of talented individuals. He also views the opportunity to gain wet lab experience as a great benefit.
Advisors
Kareem Aboulhosn
Kareem is a PhD student in Chemical Biology at the University of Michigan. After his PhD he plans to be a professor/PI. He joined MSBT because he loves research and helping undergraduates achieve their science and career goals.
George Rabadi
George is a masters student in the Advanced Medical Product Engineering and Development program. He has an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering with minors in Math and Political Science and plans to earn a PhD in the future. George returned to MSBT as an advisor because he is passionate about synthetic biology and biotechnology research.
Marcus Ammerlaan
Dr. Marcus Ammerlaan is a lecturer in Program in Biology at the University of Michigan. He earned his PhD in Microbiology from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Ammerlaan has been the PI for Michigan iGEM since 2010.