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Aggregated
5050 Alumni Directory - May 2025.xlsx - Unified
C1
Hunter Johnson
hunter.johnson@berkeley.edu
Engineering human pluripotent stem cell technologies for tissue modeling and cell therapy
Berkeley, CA, US
Co-founder and Head of Platform Development at Axent Biosciences
Axent Biosciences
Developing next-generation stem cell therapies to address unmet medical needs in human health.
Founder
I grew up on a deer farm that is now a rescue miniature pony farm!
University of California, Berkeley
PhD Student—year 3
David Schaffer
stem cell bioengineering, biomaterials, cellular biomanufacturing, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, optogenetics
C1
Michelle Teplensky
m.teplensky@northwestern.edu
I use rational design to build nanoscale structured therapeutic vaccines to treat cancer. By taking advantage of structure-function relationships between vaccine design and efficacy, we can harness vaccine architecture, in addition to composition, to improve potency.
Cambridge, MA, US
Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University
Boston University
Engineering nanotechnology to control immunological cell connectivity, processing, and communication by design.
PI
Recently done some Spartan obstacle races and I'm hooked - I love them.
Northwestern University
Postdoc
Chad Mirkin
nanotechnology, nanomedicine, immunotherapeutics
C1
Soufiane Aboulhouda
soufiane_ab@g.harvard.edu
Our research group in the Church Lab carries out pooled, barcoded, and combinatorial in-vivo functional genomics to study and control the biology of cell trafficking. Our goal is to enhance the efficacy and safety of cellular therapies targeting solid tumors.
Cambridge, MA, US
CEO and Chairman of the Board at Nucleate
Nucleate
Empowering tomorrow's biotech leaders by educating today's academic trainees
?
Harvard Wyss Institute
PhD Student—year 4+
George Church
Cell Therapy, Gene Editing, T-cells, SynBio, Immunology
C1
David McIntyre
dpmc@bu.edu
I combine machine-learning guided design and rapid prototyping to build high-throughput droplet microfluidic screening platforms. Currently, I am working on an interdisciplinary team to apply these platforms to develop environmental biosensors using memory elements from synthetic biology.
Cambridge, MA, US
Senior Scientist at Pearl Bio
Pearl Bio
Harnessing the power of synthetic biology to build next-gen biomaterials for smart biologics
Early stage startup
I have a hot-dog themed trophy and article in the school newspaper on my exploits as an amateur competitive eater.
Boston University
PhD Student—year 3
Douglas Densmore
microfluidics; machine learning; synthetic biology; lab automation
C1
Floris Engelhardt
floris.engelhardt@gmail.com
I'm working on biotechnological production of single-stranded DNA to bring DNA Nanotechnology out of the lab and into patient's lives.
Cambridge, MA, US
Co-founder and CEO at Kano Therapeutics
Kano Therapeutics
Working in Biomolecular Design and DNA Nanotechnology, eager to transfer visions into science and science into real-world applications.
Founder
My middle name is Alaska.
MIT
Postdoc
Mark Bathe
DNA Nanotechnology, Synthetic Biology, Industrial Biotechnology
C1
Dylan Cable
dylanmcable@gmail.com
Computational and statistical methods for spatial transcriptomics (spatial RNA sequencing). Cell type identification and cell type-specific differential expression through probabilistic topic modeling. The goal is to detect genes that vary in response to spatial location, cellular environment, or disease, with applications to brain tissue, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer.
Cambridge, MA, US
000 Not sure
I go for a 1.5 hour bike ride once per week!
MIT
PhD Student—year 3
Fei Chen, Rafael Irizarry
Background in mathematics, computer science, and statistics. Current research in computational and statistical methodology, spatial transcriptomics, RNA-sequencing. Prior research in probability theory, computational neuroscience. Also interested in therapeutics discovery and metabolic engineering.
C1
Akos Nyerges
nyergesakos@gmail.com
I am working on an entirely synthetic bacterial genome in George Church's lab that will rely on 59 genetic codons only and enable new-to-nature bioprocesses.
Cambridge, MA, US
Research Associate in Genetic at George Church's Lab, Harvard University
Harvard University
Genome and Genetic Code Engineering
Postdoc?
Harvard Medical School
Postdoc
George M. Church
Synthetic genomics, Genome engineering, Directed evolution, Drug development
C1
Jocelyn (Josie) Kishi
josie@digit.bio
I'm building a spatial biology platform to enable high dimensional multi-omic screening of therapeutics. Ultimately I want to combine the multi-modal datasets from the platform with machine learning to generate deep insights into drug discovery.
Cambridge, MA, US
Co-founder and President
Dibital Biology
Building a precision measurement platform to streamline design of next-generation therapies.
Founder
I once cooked dinner for Stephen Hawking.
Wyss Institute, Harvard University
Postdoc
Peng Yin
DNA nanotechnology, DNA synthesis, DNA-based imaging tools, nucleic acid barcoding, spatial -omics, AI-based drug discovery
C1
Carmen Martin Alonso
mcm114@mit.edu
By leveraging tools from nanomedicine, I am developing a liquid biopsy “contrast agent” that will boost the quantitative recovery of circulating biomarker molecules, enhancing its sensitivity for early cancer detection. In addition, I am also developing tools to further our understanding of protease dysregulation in cancer. These tools are particularly well suited to inform the design of protease-activatable immunotherapies, an emerging therapeutic modality that exploits the fundamental differences in protease biology between normal tissues and tumors to selectively target cancer cells and overcome the otherwise dose-limiting toxicity of promising immunotherapies.
Cambridge, MA, US
Founding Scientist, Program Lead at Amplifyer Bio
Amplifyer Bio
Unleashing the power of liquid biopsy
Founder
Love languages, currently learning Greek
MIT, Harvard
PhD Student—year 3
Sangeeta Bhatia
Early detection of cancer, liquid biopsy, nanomedicine, protease biology
C1
Sachit Saksena
sachit@mit.edu
Broadly, I work on machine-learning guided biological discovery and experimental design. Currently, I am working on methods for the generative design of synthetic antibody libraries that can expedite discovery of novel therapeutics with optimal developability characteristics. I am also working on inferring the peptide-MHC interactions of the tuberculosis proteome in order to computationally design novel peptide vaccines with optimal population coverage. Recently, I developed a generative model of longitudinal single-cell RNA-seq for inferring "differentiation potential" landscapes, enabling simulation of trajectories for cells with complex in silico genetic perturbations.
Cambridge, MA, US
Senior Associate at Flagship Pioneering
Flagship Pioneering
VC
I was born on an island in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean called Curaçao!
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
PhD Student—year 3
David Gifford
generative models; generalizable machine learning; single-cell transcriptomics; antibody therapeutics; vaccine design
C1
Anastasia Ershova
aershova@g.harvard.edu
I am working on novel DNA self-assembly strategies that can allow us to robustly build micron-scale structures with nano-scale features for algorithmic assembly, nanofabrication, and diagnostics.
Cambridge, MA, US
Staff Scientist I - Molecular Robotics, Wyss Insitute at Harvard University
Harvard University
Working molecular robitics
Postdoc/Scientist
I am native in three languages!
Harvard University
PhD Student—year 3
William Shih
Current research interests: DNA nanotechnology, molecular programming, diagnostics, nucleation, self-assembly, bioengineering
Background: pharmacology, materials science, data science
C1
Anika Gupta
anikagupta@g.harvard.edu
I’m inferring causal gene regulation from stochastic transcriptional variation in cells at steady state. I’ve developed and tested theory on time-shifted co-variation between gene pairs that can be used to infer causality from observational single cell RNA-seq data.
Cambridge, MA, US
Life Sciences Principal Life Sciences at Google Ventures
Google Ventures
Building and investing in the next generation of biotech companies improving patient lives.
VC
My first kiss was with a stingray!
Harvard University
PhD Student—year 3
Eric Lander, Soumya Raychaudhuri
Single cell genomics; machine learning; causal inference; gene regulation; bioinformatics
C1
Samuel Goldman
samlg@mit.edu
Nature uses a vast repertoire of enzymes to synthesize complicated metabolites. I'm broadly interested in building computational tools to understand these natural biosynthetic pathways and how we can design new, enzymatic synthesis routes. My current research aims to better model the substrate specificity of enzymes to improve computationally suggested synthesis routes.
Cambridge, MA, US
Associate at MPM BioImpact
MPM BioImpact
Building companies to transform patient outcomes
VC
In a past life, I was on my collegiate wrestling team.
MIT Computational and Systems Biology
PhD Student—year 1 or 2
Dr. Connor Coley
biocatalysis, machine learning, bioretrosynthesis, metabolomics
C1
Emerson Glassey
emersonglassey@gmail.com
Development of small molecule inhibitors of viral infection. Using directed evolution to identify peptide-based therapeutics.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Aaron Schmidt Lab at Harvard University
Harvard University
Developing antiviral small molecules.
Postdoc
Gut renovating a house in my spare time
Ragon Institute of MIT, MGH, and Harvard
Postdoc
Aaron Schmidt
drug discovery, infectious disease, peptide therapeutics, virology, directed evolution
C1
Meilin Zhu
mzhu@broadinstitute.org
I’m broadly interested in how microbial communities can be shaped and manipulated across health and disease. Whether antibiotic resistance in infection or dysbiosis in vaginal microbiomes, bacteria exert profound effects on human health. To both screen for antibiotics and uncover rules governing microbial consortia, I develop nanofabricated technologies that enable me to conduct hundreds of thousands of multiplexed experiments in parallel for screening synergistic drug combinations, robust bacterial community compositions, and everything in between.
Cambridge, MA, US
Scientist at Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham, MIT and Harvard
Ragon Institute
Working on women’s health & the vaginal microbiome
Academia: Scientist
I bought a pogo stick during the pandemic.
MIT Biological Engineering
PhD Student—year 1 or 2
Paul Blainey
microbiome, antibiotics, transcriptomics
C1
Zachary Chiang
zchiang17@gmail.com
I develop new DNA sequencing technologies to understand how the genome is regulated across space and time. One of these technologies, in situ genome sequencing, enables us to simultaneously measure the 3D organization (XYZ) and sequence content (ACGT) of the genome at the earliest stages of life. I believe that developing new technologies like these will allow us to better harness the natural plasticity of the genome for regenerative medicine.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Fellow at Jason Buenrostro Lab at Harvard University
Harvard University
Engineering epigenomes to acquire new cellular functions.
Postdoc
I co-created a popular baseball statistics blog in high school
Harvard University
PhD Student—year 4+
Jason Buenrostro
spatial genomics, single-cell genomics, stem cells, regenerative medicine
C1
Oliver Dodd
oliver@remora-tx.com
High throughput, in-vivo pooled screening of cellular therapies.
Cambridge, MA, US
Co-founder and COO, Treasurer at Nucleate Bio
Nucleate Bio
Empowering tomorrow's biotech leaders by educating today's academic trainees
Founder
Avid kiteboarder!
Harvard University
PhD Student—year 1 or 2
George Church
cell and gene therapy, oncology, platelet biology, drug delivery, immunology
C1
Salil Bhate
bhate@stanford.edu
I build theoretical approaches to represent biological systems, applying these to model tissue imaging datasets to gain basic biological insights into how tissues work as well as to understand the immune tumor microenvironment for improving cancer therapies.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Fellow at Juan Caicedo and Caroline Uhler Lab, Broad Institute
Broad Institute
Developing new ways to represent biological systems and use them to gain basic and translational insights into engineering tissue development (e.g. of the cancer/immune microenvironment) with the aid of high-parameter molecular datasets (imaging/single-cell) and new algorithmic tools (AI, compositionality,...).
Postdoc
My lockdown hobby is singing Indian classical music!
Stanford University
PhD Student—year 4+
Garry Nolan
Spatial omics, machine learning, theoretical biology
C1
Jack Silberstein
jsilb@stanford.edu
My research is focused on exploring how immunomodulatory proteins can be used to fight autoimmune diseases. Using protein engineering, I have created novel, proprietary therapeutics that are currently being tested in multiple autoimmune models.
Cambridge, MA, US
Founder and CEO at Stealth Startup
Stealth
Founder
Stanford University
PhD Student—year 4+
Dr. Jennifer Cochran
Protein engineering, therapeutics development
C1
Shirin Shivaei
shivaei.shirin@gmail.com
Developing acoustic reporter genes for noninvasive imaging of cellular activity in vivo
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at Mikhail Shapiro Lab at Caltech
Caltech
Combining ultrasound imaging and synthetic biology to enable noninvasive imaging of biological processes deep inside the body.
PhD
I can (pretend to) speak 6 languages!
Caltech
PhD Student—year 3
Mikhail Shapiro
Synthetic biology, protein engineering, cell therapies, molecular imaging.
C1
Namita Bisaria
nbisaria@gmail.com
Current work is exploring new biology for delivering RNAs.
Cambridge, MA, US
Head of Research Strategy and Operations at AIRNA
AIRNA
Aiming to advance a pipeline of RNA editing therapeutics driven by its powerful and flexible RNA editing platform, RESTORE+.
Late stage startup
I can surf. I also went on a tree climbing expedition.
Boston Children's Hospital
EIR - post post doc
Ryan Flynn
mRNA therapeutics, glycobiology
C1
Jonathan Strecker
strecker@broadinstitute.org
Characterization of novel CRISPR systems and development of genome editing tools.
Cambridge, MA, US
Assistant Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Exploring the diversity of proteins and biological systems that recognize and manipulate nucleic acids, and to apply these discoveries to enable new capabilities in biology.
PI
After being sent home during the COVID lockdown, I bought Legos and bicycle parts.
MIT, Broad Institute
Postdoc
Feng Zhang
Genome stability and genome engineering
C1
Leonardo Ferreira
leomrferreira@gmail.com
Designing and developing the next generation of engineered immune cell therapies for autoimmune disease and cancer. This involves engineering the specificity and function of human regulatory and effector T cells with artificial immune receptors, such as chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), as well as genome editing using CRISPR/Cas9.
Charleston County, SC, US
Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Immunology at Medical University of South Carolina
The Medical University of South Carolina
Designing and developing engineered immune cell therapies for autoimmune disease, cancer, and aging
PI
I don't drink coffee and I used to compete in ballroom dancing
University of California San Francisco (UCSF)
Postdoc
Qizhi Tang and Jeff Bluestone
Immune tolerance, genome editing, cell therapy, autoimmunity, cancer, diet
C1
Mahdi Hasani
mmhs@ucla.edu
Designing next-generation biomaterials to orchestrate immune system in order to boost the response against cancers and infectious diseases
Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, CA, US
Assistant Research Professor at Cornell University
Cornell University
Developing bio-inspired materials and platforms that can change the way we approach treatment for cancer and autoimmune diseases
PI?
UCLA Bioengineering
Research Scientist
Song Li / Manish Butte
Biomaterials, Drug Delivery, Immunoengineering, Tissue Engineering, Polymers, Nanomedicine
C1
Ileana Pirozzi
ipirozzi@stanford.edu
With my group, I am developing implantable, biomimetic devices that conform to the heart's surface to support its mechanical function and prevent mechanical failure. The primary device is a passive, elastic sleeve of auxetic metamaterials that replicates the motion and deformations of heart tissue and provides elastic energy transfer to the tissue. We are also developing soft sensing technology for smart integration and closed-loop feedback of strain and deformation.
New York City, NY, US
Head of Healthcare Ventures at Lingotto Innovation
Lingotto Innovation
VC
I left home at 15 to live on an artificial island in the Netherlands for the next two years before I came to college in the US!
Stanford University
PhD Student—year 3
Mark Cutkosky (secondary - William Hiesinger)
medical devices, cardiovascular engineering, smart devices, heart failure, soft robotics
C1
Alim Ladha
aladha@broadinstitute.org
I work on building new CRISPR-based tools for applications in genome editing and diagnostics.
New York City, NY, US
Research and Investments at Royalty Pharma
Royalty Pharma
Industry
I am a proud alumni of the world's first stool bank.
MIT, Broad Institute
PhD Student—year 3
Feng Zhang
genome editing, molecular biology, microbiome, aging, cell engineering
C1
Michael Retchin
mrr4002@med.cornell.edu
Predicting determinants of immune activation using machine learning, biophysics modeling, and functional in vitro screening.
New York City, NY, US
Founder at Stealth Startup
Stealth
Building scientific intelligence.
Founder
I once solved a Rubik's Cube in 30 seconds. Far off from world-record pace, but still pretty good!
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
PhD Student—year 1 or 2
John Chodera
Single cell, computational chemistry, machine learning, cell therapy, stem cells, genetic control
C1
Annalise Schweickart
aas4002@med.cornell.edu
1. I am performing statistical analysis of high throughput time-course metabolomics datasets to identify a metabolic signature of the ketogenic diet
2. I am using state-of-the-art deep learning algorithms to disentangle cancer signature in spatial metabolomics datasets
3. I am creating a new multivariable model framework to assess high dimensional multi-omic modules in Type 2 Diabetes and Alzheimer's disease
New York City, NY, US
Postdoctoral Associate at Nathan Price Lab at The Buck Institute for Research on Aging
The Buck Institute
Developing interpretive metabolomic data models in the space of complex metabolic disease
Postdoc
I applied to be an astronaut in NASAs next class (here's hoping!)
Weill Cornell Medicine
PhD Student—year 3
Jan Krumsiek
Data Science, Metabolomics, Biostatistical Modeling
C1
Teryn Mitchell
terynmitchell16@gmail.com
I am working on developing CAR-T therapeutics for cancer/neurodegenerative disorders
New York City, NY, US
PhD Candidate at Siddhartha Mukherjee and Ai Yamamoto Lab at Columbia University
Columbia University
Developing a novel immunoprecipitation workstream to identify medulloblastoma and AML neoepitope immunotherapy targets for TCR therapy
PhD
Columbia University
PhD Student—year 1 or 2
Ai Yamamoto
Neuroscience, cancer, immunology, immunoengineering
C1
Alon Galor
alongalor@gmail.com
Focal Cortical Dysplasia type II (FCD II) is the most common cause of pediatric medically
refractory epilepsy. Given the failure of the standard of care to cure the majority patients, as well as significant complications associated with present treatments, new therapies are greatly needed for the disease. We are validating novel patent-pending personalized biomarkers of diseased cells that could lead to potentially curative therapeutics and diagnostics in FCD II and a range of disorders with similar molecular etiologies.
Oxford, United Kingdom
PhD Candidate at Oxford University
Oxford University
Statistical Machine Learning & Genomics
PhD
Developing a personalized rare disease therapeutic for a family member
University of Oxford
PhD Student—year 1 or 2
Peter Park (HMS) + TBD (Oxford)
personalized immunotherapy, rare diseases, computational biology
C1
Zinaida Good
zinaidagood@gmail.com
(1) identification of CAR T-cell populations that are associated with durable complete response in patients receiving FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies
(2) fate mapping of CAR T-cell clones in patients receiving CD19-targeted CAR T cells
(3) identifying modulation points to improve CAR T-cell function within the tumor microenvironment in lymphoma and solid tumors.
Palo Alto, CA, US
Assistant Professor of Medicine at Stanford University
Stanford University
Understanding and enhancing engineered T cell immunotherapies for cancer, immune-mediated diseases, and transplantation.
PI
Rollerbladed in Winter Olympics opening ceremony pretending to be an 'ice skater'
Stanford University
Postdoc
Crystal L. Mackall; Sylvia K. Plevritis
cancer immunotherapy, CAR T cells, lymphoma, leukemia, head and neck cancer, CODEX, single-cell sequencing, data integration
C1
Ivan Kuznetsov
ivan.kuznetsov1@gmail.com
I engineer novel optogenetic membrane recruitment systems with a specific focus on light-activated control on cell motility via Rho GTPases. I then apply these tools to yield novel insights into the cellular signaling pathways that permit cell extension/contraction.
Philadelphia, PA, US
Internal Medicine Resident at Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System
University of Pennsylvania
Industry? Postdoc?
Although born in the US, I spent my childhood in Austria and Russia. English is actually my third language!
University of Pennsylvania
MD/PhD - year 5
Brian Chow
Protein engineering; Optogenetics
C1
Kristina Li
kli1@seas.upenn.edu
My research project aims to use a multi-omic approach to understand the underlying pathophysiology of metabolic diseases such as NASH/NAFLD and fibrosis. I am currently working on a novel drug target that separates de novo lipogenesis from canonical mTORC signaling.
Philadelphia, PA, US
PhD Candidate at Zoltan Arany Lab at University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
Characterizing a novel druggable target which serves as a driver in a subgroup of hepatocellular carcinomas.
PhD
After college I worked as a consultant building the Healthcare.gov website and got to be on a call with President Obama my first week on the job.
University of Pennsylvania
PhD Student—year 1 or 2
Zoltan Arany
metabolomics, transcriptomics, genomics, metabolism, NASH/NAFLD, fibrosis, mTOR
C1
Joel Babdor
joel.babdor@gmail.com
One of the main projects Joel has developed in the Spitzer lab is the ImmunoMicrobiome Study, an IRB-approved human research protocol, which successfully enrolled 111 healthy individuals, to perform a comprehensive analysis of the peripheral immune system, the gut/oral/skin microbiome, and the metabolome. His study is designed to assess variations of the immune system and the microbiome across time and explore the interactions between these biological compartments. As "it takes a village", Joel is collaboratively developing novel, integrative computational strategies to analyze the ImmunoMicrobiome multi-OMIC dataset.
Other projects explore clinical settings where the immune system is harnessed to treat the patient. That includes specimens of retrospective cohorts and ongoing clinical trials in autoimmunity, cancer and organ transplantation. Joel’s goal is to understand what are the factors that are responsible for Immunotherapy responsiveness. Thus, each of this translational projects include an investigation of the human microbiome, diet and other lifestyle factors
Philadelphia, PA, US
Assistant Professor in Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
Understanding the impact of the microbial exposome on immunomodulation therapy responsiveness
PI
I ride an electric skateboard across San Francisco hills to go to the lab
UCSF
Postdoc
Matthew Spitzer
Clinical, Translational, Immunology, Microbiome, Computational, multi-OMIC, Cancer, Autoimmunity, Immunotherapy, Immune Modulation, Data Science
C1
Brandon Wilson
brandonwilsonphd@gmail.com
Massively multiplexed protein detection. Real-time monitoring of molecular concentrations. Technology to improve the sustainability of the wine industry.
Redwood City, CA, US
Co-founder and CEO at Range Biotechnologies
Range Biotechnologies
Building next generation tools for molecular profiling and health screening
Founder
One time I went skiing without goggles and I got a sun burn on my retina that caused me to go completely blind for two weeks!
Stanford University
Postdoc
Tom Soh
Molecular Switches, Diagnostic Medicine, DNA Sequencing, Human Physiology
C1
Michelle Lee
michellelee@cs.stanford.edu
Michelle is researching how to improve automated liquid handling, which accounts for 80-90% of wet lab operations, yet has been described by biotech automation engineers (at GRAIL, Insitro, Counsyl and more) as time-consuming, unreliable, and often the biggest bottleneck in most wet lab R&D protocols. By developing state-of-the-art robotic perception algorithms and powerful yet simple no-code API, Michelle is building technology that allows scientists to create and validate new lab protocols in minutes, rather than days or weeks. Her vision is to create integrated hardware and software systems that can automate wet lab processes, which will open up new potential for products and service offerings.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Founder and CEO at Medra
Medra
Working on a complete, autonomous robotic system that executes protocols the way scientists do.
Founder
When I was working at SpaceX, I once was stopped by Elon's personal bodyguard because my keys were jingling too loudly.
Stanford University
PhD Student—year 4+
Jeannette Bohg
machine learning, computer vision, robotics, cell therapy, high throughput assay
C1
Jarod Rutledge
jarod@stanford.edu
-Predicting aging outcomes and risk factors from blood plasma proteomics data.
-Discovering genetic risk factors for brain aging and neurodegeneration with single cell functional genomics.
-Deciphering mechanisms of rejuvenating interventions with particular focus on exercise, parabiosis/young blood, and transient epigenetic reprogramming.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Director of Biotechnology and Life Sciences at Starbloom Capital
Starbloom Capital
Translating biological insights into human empowerment
VC
I am an amateur rock collector
Stanford University
PhD Student—year 3
Tony Wyss-Coray, Stephen Montgomery
aging and rejuvenation, epigenetic reprogramming, proteomics, single cell omics, protein design, AI/machine learning/deep learning
C1
Sevahn Vorperian
sevahn@stanford.edu
I study the origins of circulating RNA in the bloodstream
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Postdoctoral Fellow at Genentech
Genentech
Industry
you can find some of my photography at my blog www.sevahn.com!
Stanford
PhD Student—year 3
Stephen Quake
systems biology, single cell genomics, next gen sequencing, aging/longevity, defining cellular identity, liquid biopsy
C1
Mark Budde
markbudde@gmail.com
We design abstract biological circuits and implement them with synthetic biology components. I recently published on two different systems: (1) “intMEMOIR”, which records lineage history that can be read optically; and (2) “Paradaux”, an evolutionarily robust, paradoxical circuit architecture that implements quorum-sensing-based population control in mammalian cells. I am currently working to apply synthetic circuits for human therapy.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Co-founder and CEO at Plasmidsaurus
plasmidsaurus
Offering whole plasmid sequencing and whole bacterial genome sequencing with fast turnaround.
Founder
Joe Biden personally saved my mortgage
Caltech
Postdoc
Michael Elowitz
Synthetic biological circuits
C1
Daniel Goodman
dbgoodman@gmail.com
As a synthetic biologist and technologist, I'm interested in applying high-throughput DNA synthesis and sequencing to dramatically scale the way we manipulate and measure biological systems. I'm passionate about applying these technologies to problems in cellular engineering for immunology - specifically genome editing and synthetic receptor design for immunotherapies.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Assistant Professor in the Department of Cancer Biology at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
Developing high-throughput approaches to understand and engineer the genetic machinery of immune cells, with the ultimate goal of improving cellular immunotherapies for cancer and other diseases.
PI
I've lived in 8 cities, 4 countries, and 3 continents.
UCSF
Postdoc
Alex Marson, Kole Roybal, Jeff Bluestone
Synthetic Biology, Immunology, Genome Engineering
C1
Jai Padmakumar
jaip217@gmail.com
My work focuses on engineering genetic parts to make bacteria as easy to program as writing a piece of code. I design genetic "hardware" that can be composed together to execute arbitrary programs in a cell using software, similar to how transistors and logic gates enable a software developer to write an application without understanding how they work.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Co-founder at 1849 bio
1849 bio
Making microbes for miners
Founder
I've been skydiving over a 100 times
MIT
PhD Student—year 4+
Christopher Voigt
Synthetic biology, bacterial strain engineering, agriculture, living therapeutics
C1
Max Schubert
mgschubert@gmail.com
Photosynthetic bacteria have recently been discovered that grow far faster than was previously thought possible. I am working to develop next-generation synthetic biology tools for these organisms, to perform next-generation multiplexed experiments. My hope is to unleash these organisms for applications in food, carbon sequestration, and photosynthesis research.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Scientist at Pioneer Labs
Pioneer Labs
Developing new platform technology for directed evolution in-house. Integrating both new "Wet Lab" and Computational approaches to make it all happen.
Industry?
I worked in a fungal ecology lab - can identify hundreds of kinds of mushrooms!
Harvard Medical School
Postdoc
George Church (co-advised Himadri Pakrasi)
Microbiology, Photosynthesis, CRISPR, Multiplexing, NGS, Genetic Engineering, Synthetic Biology
C1
Eeshit Dhaval Vaishnav
edv.emails@gmail.com
The evolution, evolvability and engineering of gene regulatory DNA.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Founder and CEO at Stealth Startup
Stealth
Founder
I have an Erdős-Bacon number of 7.
MIT
PhD Student—year 4+
Prof. Aviv Regev
Machine Learning, Genomics, etc.
C1
James Banal
jameslbanal@gmail.com
My current work seeks to leverage molecular self-assembly to build from the bottom-up molecular devices for computing, energy conversion, and a sustainable future.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Co-founder at Cache DNA
Cache DNA
Storing the biomolecules of today in order to unlock the possibilities of tomorrow
Founder
I can't remember names, but can remember chemical structures and numbers that I've seen 10 years ago.
MIT
Postdoc
Mark Bathe
DNA nanotechnology, quantum computing, molecular computing, energy conversion
C1
Nina Warner
ncw39@cam.ac.uk
I combine computational and experimental methods to increase the efficiency of the biologic formulation pipeline. Specifically, I focus on the development of freeze-dried matrices to increase the thermal stability of shelf-labile biologics.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Founder at Stealth Startup
Stealth
Founder
When I visit my parents I ALWAYS put a hot dog in the ice dispenser and set it to 'crushed ice' to make sure they fully embrace my presence. As my mom says, "she thinks it's funny."
University of Cambidge
PhD Student—year 4+
Oren Scherman
formulation, protein stability, excipient development, machine learning
C1
Steph Nevins
stephanie.nevins@gmail.com
Using single cell multiomic technologies to improve our understanding of the earliest molecular and cellular changes in the transformation of normal tissue to malignant disease. This project aims to dramatically accelerate the pace of progress in the fight against cancer and lead to the development of novel diagnostic tests, personalized therapies and early intervention strategies.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
CEO at Pattern Biosciences
Pattern Biosciences
Designing programmable genetic medicines at the cutting edge of genomics, synthetic biology, AI, and oncology.
Founder?
Through DNA testing, I just found out a crazy story about my ancestry! My family had no idea. (My parents are my parents, haha!)
Stanford University
PhD Student—year 4+
Michael Snyder
single cell multiomics, precancer, early detection & diagnostics, maternal health
C1
Yanniv Dorone
yannivdor@gmail.com
Investigating the biological functions of potein phase separation in plants. Projects span germination, stress responses and metabolism.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Senior Vice President at Fall Line Capital
Fall Line Capital
VC
I listen to Christmas music all year long (despite being Jewish!)
Carnegie Institution for Science (Stanford)
Postdoc
Sue Rhee
Plant biology, cell and molecular biology, liquid-liquid phase separation.
C1
Ashton Trotman-Grant
ash.trotmangrant@gmail.com
I study human T cell development and develop technologies to recapitulate this process for therapeutic applications. I also use genome editing strategies to study the mechanism by which progenitor T cells repair the thymus in humanized mouse models.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Founder at Karyo Studios
Karyo Studios
Developed a prototype for Project Grow, a multi-agent social simulation platform exploring synthetic biology challenges in a game environment
Founder
I'm a twin! My brother is currently pursuing his PhD in Immunology at Stanford University. Say hi to him for me if you're in the Bay Area.
University of Toronto
PhD Student—year 4+
Juan-Carlos Zúñiga-Pflücker
immunology, stem cells, synthetic biology
C1
Binbin Chen
binbin@vcreate.io
My PhD work focused on identifying immunogenic antigens for cancer and infectious diseases with a combination of high throughput screening and deep learning. Our algorithm MARIA (maria.stanford.edu) is the world leading algorithm for identifying antigens presentable by MHC class II. Our company will extend similar approaches to T-cell receptors.
Stanford, CA, US
Co-founder and CEO at Vcreate.io
Combining high throughput screening and machine learning to design the next generation of immunotherapies.
Founder
I never saw snow until I moved to Georgia (USA).
Stanford University (until June 2021)
MD/PhD Student
Russ Altman, MD/PhD
Immunology, machine learning, oncology
C1
Mira Moufarrej
mira.moufarrej@gmail.com
Pregnancy-related complications like preeclampsia and preterm delivery pose significant risks to both fetal and maternal health and are often difficult to detect in time for effective medical intervention. To monitor prenatal health and identify high-risk pregnancies, I developed three novel liquid biopsy tests that more accurately predict due date and risk of preeclampsia or preterm delivery, making assessments possible well in advance of the mother becoming symptomatic. Following preclinical validation, these affordable, simple, and reliable maternal blood tests may change the standard of care for preeclampsia and preterm delivery—risks that no other test can currently predict early enough to allow for meaningful clinical intervention.
Stanford, CA, US
Science Fellow at Kristy Red-Horse Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Working to holistically characterize RNA biology in the cell and circulation with the aim of discovering and ultimately engineering new therapies.
Academia: Science Fellow
Growing up, I lived in cities across 4 countries and went to high school in Dubai, but during lockdown, I spent 3 months on a cattle ranch in Alabama (pictured below).
Stanford University
PhD Student—year 4+
Stephen Quake
systems biology, transcriptomics, prenatal health, drug discovery and development, automation, computer science, liquid biopsy
C1
Conor McClune
mcclune@stanford.edu
Approximately half of FDA approved chemotherapeutics, including first line drugs like paclitaxel (Taxol) and vinblastine (Velban), derive from the arsenal of defensive chemicals that plants synthesize. Using single-cell encapsulation technology, I am developing systematic methods for identifying the biosynthetic pathways plants use to produce defensive molecules and for testing their chemical products for therapeutic activity.
Stanford, CA, US
Damon Runyon/HHMI Fellow at Elizabeth Sattely & Polly Fordyce Labs at Stanford University
Stanford University
Developing tools for manipulating and measuring the biosynthetic activity of individual plant cells within complex tissues.
Academia: Fellow
Stanford
Postdoc
Elizabeth Sattely, Polly Fordyce
natural product biosynthesis, bioactive phytochemicals, plant synthetic biology, single cell analysis, droplet microfluidics
C2
Jacob Steenwyk
jlsteenwyk@gmail.com
1) Some fungi benefit human welfare (e.g., they produce cheese or wine), whereas others are dangerous human pathogens - why are some beneficial to human welfare, but others are killers?
2) There is more data than we can analyze. How do we make sense of the data deluge? I think evolutionary genomics - unraveling organismal histories - can help shed biological insights into data, inform our past, and even predict our future.
Berkeley, CA, US
Postdoctorial Associate at Nicole King Lab at UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley
Focusing on the evolution and function of genomes, with a particular emphasis on animals and fungi.
Postdoc
https://twitter.com/jlsteenwyk?
UC, Berkeley
Postdoc
Nicole King
Comparative Genomics, Genome Evolution, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Software Development, Phylogenomics
Human genomics; human medicine; complex disease; science business; microbial pathogens; fermentation science
C2
Helena De Puig
Hpuig@wyss.harvard.edu
we make instant immunoassays for wash-free microscopy. To do that, we genetically encode special nonstandard aminoacids into the sensor proteins that light up when they detect their target protein.
Cambridge, MA, US
Co-Founder and CEO at Externa Biosciences
Externna Biosciences
Unlocking the next generation of smart therapies with synthetic amino acids
Founder
I competed in horseback riding sports. I was 2nd of Spain nonpro in reining.
Wyss institute, Harvard and MIT
Postdoc
James J Collins
Diagnostics infectious diseases
Neuro
C2
Raphael Ferreira
1/16/2023
Developing CRISPR technologies for exploring metabolic vulnerabilities in brain metastasis and large-scale genome editing
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Researcher at Geroge Church Lab at Harvard University
Harvard University
Genome engineering, Gut microbiome, Aging
Postdoc
Harvard Medical School
Postdoc
George Church
CRISPR, Prime Editing; Metastasis; Brain Cancer
Plant engineering
C2
Alex Plesa
amplesa@g.harvard.edu
Testing novel genetic perturbations for age reversal in vivo through regeneration assays. Performing high throughput screens for discovering cell type specific cellular rejuvenation interventions.
Cambridge, MA, US
Scientist I - Healthy Aging at Wyss Institute, Harvard University
Harvard University
Developing age reversal therapies
Postdoc/Scientist
https://twitter.com/amplesa?
Harvard Medical School
Postdoc
George Church
Age reversal, Genetic screens, Machine learning, Gene therapy
Stem cell biology, reprogramming, systems biology
C2
Chris Frangieh
frangieh@mit.edu
I work on characterizing and reprogramming transposons for targeted integration in human cells.
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at Aviv Regev and Feng Zhang Labs at MIT
MIT
Focusing on computational biology and biological engineering.
PhD
https://twitter.com/frangiehchris?
I played the bassoon in high school
Massachusetts Institute of Technology & Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
PhD Student—year 4+
Feng Zhang
Genome engineering
Machine learning
C2
Rebecca Carlson
rcarlson@broadinstitute.org
I'm using optical pooled screening, a technology I helped develop that enables image-based CRISPR screening using in situ sequencing, to study host-pathogen interactions and innate immune responses to infection. I've studied a couple of RNA viruses, including Sendai virus and Ebola, and am also interested in responses to foreign DNA.
Cambridge, MA, US
Associate at Flagship Pioneering
Flagship Pioneering
VC
I love women's artistic gymnastics and powerlifting!
Harvard-MIT Department of Health Sciences and Technology and Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
PhD Student—year 4+
Paul Blainey and Nir Hacohen
Functional genomics, image-based screening, innate immunity, host-pathogen interactions
Synbio, sustainability, protein engineering and design
C2
Anna Romanov
romanov@mit.edu
I am studying nanoscale design rules for next generation vaccines. Using engineered DNA origami nanoparticles to scaffold bioactive molecules like immunogens and therapeutic nucleic acids, I hope to understand how parameters such as antigen spacing or co-stimulation can be used in to enhance immune responses induced by vaccination.
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at Mark Bathe & Darrel Irvine Lab at MIT
MIT
Exploring intersections of DNA nanotechnology and immunology
PhD
https://twitter.com/annaromanov13?
In college, I rescued a 12 year old poodle from a puppy mill. He was blind, deaf and had no teeth, but he brought me loads of joy during COVID. Turns out you can teach on old dog new tricks
MIT
PhD Student—year 3
Mark Bathe, Darrell Irvine
DNA nanotechnology, immunoengineering
spatial omics, glycoengineering
C2
Kathrin Kajderowicz
kathrin@wi.mit.edu
Main focus: Improving and developing new genome-wide screening technologies and analysis pipelines
Main project: Identifying the genetic drivers of cold tolerance with the hopes of improving cryopreservation technologies or therapeutic human hypothermia treatments.
Secondary project: Finding druggable targets for dry age-related macular degeneration.
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at Sinisa Hrvatin Lab at MIT
MIT
Studying how hibernation-like states could pave the way for new hypothermic therapies
PhD
I have abstract internal imagery -- when I close my eyes and think about objects or people, I make abstract representations that are never the same (always changing). I am also a huge birder!
Whitehead-MIT
PhD Student—year 1 or 2
Hrvatin/Weissman
Cell stasis, cryonics, CRISPR screening, ORFeome screening
Longevity, aging, and cell-type specific delivery
C2
Mohamed El-Brolosy
mohamed_elbrolosy@fas.harvard.edu
I study genetic robustness. In particular, I focus on the phenomenon of transcriptional adaptation where mutations can elicit compensatory upregulation of functionally-related gene (e.g., paralogs) in a manner dependent on mutant mRNA decay.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Fellow at Jonathan Weissman's Lab at Whitehead Institute & Junior Fellow at Harvard Society of Fellows
MIT
Looking at how cells ensure that proteins fold into their correct shape
Postdoc
https://twitter.com/mohamedbrolosy?
I have a black belt in Karate, and have won several national and international tournaments in Egypt, Germany and the US.
Harvard Society of Fellows, Whitehead institute for Biomedical Research
Junior Fellow
Jonathan Weissman
Genetic Robustness, Gene activation
Evolutionary biology
C2
Erik Aznauryan
erik.aznauryan@wyss.harvard.edu
Developing novel genome engineering tools for safe and efficient insertion of large DNA cargo into desired genomic locations for gene and cell therapy applications. Potential clinical indications include hereditary disorders, such as cystic fibrosis, epidermolysis bullosa and alpha1 anti-trypsin deficiency, as well as cancer and neurodegenerative and aging-associated diseases.
Cambridge, MA, US
Technology Development Fellow at Wyss Institute, Harvard University
Harvard University
Creating a new genome editing platform for safe, efficient and durable gene and cell therapies.
Postdoc/Fellow
https://twitter.com/erik_aznauryan?
Broke both of my arms playing soccer in high school, which saved me from a piano exam that year.
Wyss Institute, Harvard University
Postdoc
Dr George Church
Genome engineering
Aging, neuroscience, stem cell biology
C2
Hope Merens
hmerens@g.harvard.edu
My current research project aims to study interactions between transcription and splicing machinery in human cells. Specifically, I am interested in studying how Polymerase II's interactions with splicing factors affect their binding on nascent RNA, and conversely, how the same splicing factors are able to affect Pol II transcription dynamics.
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at Stirling Churman Lab, Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Studying the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes at high resolution and researching splicing regulation and mechanisms.
PhD
https://twitter.com/hopemerens?
I can tell you where you can (objectively) find the best ice cream in the US :)
Harvard University
PhD Student—year 4+
Dr. Stirling Churchman
transcription machinery, splicing machinery, cotranscriptional RNA processing, genomics, long-read direct RNA sequencing
developmental biology/embryogenesis, neurobiology/mRNA transport in neurons, neurobiology of pain
C2
Grant Knappe
knappe@mit.edu
I am currently working on harnessing DNA as a building material to fabricate nanoparticles that deliver nucleic acid therapeutics for biomedical applications. My focus is on the manufacturability of these materials, developing capabilities to attach payloads and targeting ligands at scale. Additionally, I am conducting basic foundational studies to understand how these new materials interact with biological systems such as the immune system.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Mark Bathe Lab at MIT
MIT
Developing a new drug delivery platform based on nucleic acid nanotechnology
Postdoc
https://twitter.com/knappe_?
I self-published a street photography book.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
PhD Student—year 4+
Mark Bathe
1/16/2023
Origins of life; the science of creativity; the science of productivity; cell-free synthesis; DNA writing
C2
Michaël Moret
michael_moret@hms.harvard.edu
I work on a diverse set of problems involving protein engineering with machine learning and non-standard amino acids (new amino acids that are not proteinogenic and that can confer new functions and properties to proteins).
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Researcher at Geroge Church Lab at Harvard University
Harvard University
Computational drug design
Postdoc
https://twitter.com/moret1788?
I grew up in a village where there were almost as many cows as people.
Harvard Medical School
Postdoc
George Church
Protein engineering, machine learning, de novo drug design
Artificial intelligence, gene therapy, gene delivery, aging reversal, incentive design
C2
Susanna Elledge
susanna.elledge@gmail.com
My current project aims to develop early detection diagnostics for high-grade serous ovarian cancer using synthetic biosensors.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Researcher at Sangeeta Bhatia Lab at MIT Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer
MIT
Developing new diagnostic technologies for the early detection of ovarian cancer
Postdoc
https://twitter.com/susanna_elledge?
I have been playing a special kind of drums (called Taiko) for the last 8 years!
MIT
Postdoc
Sangeeta Bhatia
Protein engineering, bio-conjugation, viral diagnostics, drug delivery, enzyme sensing
Immunotherapy, machine learning, vaccines, protein design
C2
ZOHREH IZADIFAR
zohreh.izadifar@wyss.harvard.edu
My current project in on development and application of Organ Chip in vitro model of human Cervix Chip for understanding and preclinical analysis of mucosal host-microbiome contributions to vaginal health. I am also developing multiple sensor integrated organ chip models for non-invasive real-time monitoring of physiological functions in Organ Chip in vitro models.
Cambridge, MA, US
Research Faculty at Boston Childrens Hospital at Harvard University
Harvard University
Employs a multidisciplinary approach based on advanced engineering, cell biology, biofabrication, biomaterials, and life science technologies to reconstitute the structural, physiological, and functional aspects of human urogenital and reproductive tissues and organs in vitro.
PI
I love (risky!) adventures
Wyss Institute, Harvard University
Postdoc
Dr. Donald Ingber
Tissue Engineering, Women's health, Regenerative medicine, 3D Bioprinting, Organ-on-Chip
Diagnostics for women's health, Biomarker discovery, Entrepreneurship, technology translation
C2
Avadhoot Sandeep Jadhav
avadhootjadhav910@gmail.com
I am currently working on developing a nanobody-based immunotherapy for COVID19.
Specifically, I am designing a strategy to engineer nanobody fusions that can selectively target and destroy virus-infected cells. The goal is to provide a platform technology for rapidly designing therapeutics with broad target specificity for emerging virus variants.
Cambridge, MA, US
Research Fellow at Hidde Ploegh Lab at Harvard University
Harvard University
Pursuing interests in Immune Engineering and Synthetic Immunology
Academia: Fellow
I play a lot of sports - including Badminton, Cricket, Handball, Basketball, Soccer, Frisbee, Tennis, Chess, Volleyball etc.
Boston's Children's Hospital
Prospective PhD (Currently Masters)
Dr Hidde Pleogh
Synthetic Immunology, Protein Engineering, Computational Drug Design
Cell engineering, Gene therapies, Regenerative Medicine
C2
Bingxu Liu
liubingxu1995@gmail.com
We engineer proteins to specifically and sensitively recognize tumor-specific antigens.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Researcher at David Baker Lab at University of Washington
University of Washington
Expanding the capabilities of living systems
Postdoc
I knocked down a national champion twice in a taekwondo competition as a rookie.
MIT Biology/Broad Institute/Koch Institute
PhD Student—year 4+
Nir Hacohen/Darrell Irvine
Immuno-engineering
Protein Design
C2
Gabriele Corso
gcorso@mit.edu
We obtained significant improvements in molecular docking over previous methods by modeling the binding poses of protein and small molecules with carefully-designed diffusion generative models. Now we are extending our framework to model more complex interactions and predict their free energy.
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at Tommi Jaakkola and Regina Barzilay Labs at MIT
MIT
Working on geometric deep learning and generative models and their application to challenging problems in biochemistry and physics.
PhD
MIT
PhD Student—year 1 or 2
Tommi Jaakkola and Regina Barzilay
machine learning, structural biology, drug discovery, generative models, molecular dynamics
Molecular dynamics, immunology, metabolics
C2
Sophia Liu
sophliu95@gmail.com
I am currently building methods to characterize cell-cell interactions involving adaptive immune cells in contexts ranging from cancer to immunosenescence. Areas of focus include spatial transcriptomics methods reporting T and B cell receptors, as well as strategies for tracing dynamic interactions in vivo.
Cambridge, MA, US
Early Independence Fellow and Core Faculty at Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard
Broad Institute
We study and develop tools for interrogating immune cell interactions.
PI
https://twitter.com/soph_liu?
I got my driver's license on the first day of graduate school and then drove a U-Haul the next day to move in.
Harvard University
PhD Student—year 4+
Fei Chen
immunology, cell interactions, spatial transcriptomics, technology development
Protein design, cell therapies, and reproductive biology
C2
Lucy S Chong
lucy.s.chong@gmail.com
“Diseases often arise when proteins interact with each other in abnormal ways.” A core challenge for current therapeutics is selectively targeting cells based on the activities of proteins within cellular pathways that define their pathogenic states. Our technology leverages aberrant protein pathways to turn on our therapies specifically in diseased cells. We have developed synthetic protein circuits that can directly sense key cellular pathways, process that information to classify cellular states, and respond by conditionally triggering cell death or other beneficial responses. Designable “smart” therapeutics with these targeting abilities promise solutions to several currently intractable diseases.
Cambridge, MA, US
Senior Associate at F-Prime Capital
F-Prime Capital
VC
Did a solo road trip in Norway without knowing how to drive.
California Institute of Technology
Research Scientist
Michael Elowitz
Synthetic Biology
Synthetic biology applications in agtech and climate tech
C2
Linlin Chen
linlin.m.chen@gmail.com
I am developing a method for high throughput screening of protein affinity reagents. This technique will enable high throughput proteomic studies of novel, less accessible proteins and their associated biological systems.
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at Mitchell Guttman Lab at Caltech
Caltech
Working to make protein targeting more accessible by developing a pipeline for discovery and screening of new affinity reagents in a rapid, inexpensive manner.
PhD
https://twitter.com/linlinmc?
I can lick my elbow
Caltech
PhD Student—year 4+
Mitch Guttman
High throughput protein screening, protein engineering, methods development
RNA aptamers, machine learning, drug discovery, neuroscience
C2
Gabriel Filsinger
gabrieltfilsinger@gmail.com
We are trying to develop new viral vectors for gene therapy, optimizing for increased payload size, simplified cell-type specific targeting, and precise genome modification. We are looking beyond AAV, towards viruses with a larger genome that are not yet routinely used, but have the potential to be breakthrough platforms for future therapies.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Scholar at Michael Fischbach Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Studying the mechanisms of microbiome-host interactions
Postdoc
https://twitter.com/gabrielfilsing1?
I keep my shoes until the bottom wears out
Stanford University
Postdoc
Michael Fischbach
Genome editing, Cell and Gene Therapy, DNA repair and recombination, Viral vector engineering.
Machine learning theory (developing new models), protein discovery and protein engineering, immunology, infectious disease, regenerative medicine.
C2
Erin Huiting
erin.huiting@ucsf.edu
I study mechanisms of bacterial immunity and how phages (bacterial viruses) evolve anti-immune strategies. I apply a variety of genome engineering tools, like CRISPR-Cas, on bacteria and phages to establish native model systems.
Davis, CA, US
Postdoctoral Scholar at Pam Ronald Lab at UC Davis
UC Davis
Exploring the natural genetic diversity of plants to identify new immune genes, which will serve as the basis to bioengineer resilient crops to biotic and abiotic stresses
Postdoc/Fellow
Hiked 20 miles to climb up Half Dome (without a harness; twice because I was too nervous the first time).
University of California, San Francisco
PhD Student—year 4+
Joe Bondy-Denomy
Microbiology, immunology, genome engineering
Microbial communities and microbiome; environmental science and climate change; data science and artificial intelligence
C2
Emma Chory
chory.e@gmail.com
The Chory lab combines directed evolution, epigenome engineering, and robotics to engineer new proteins, biological tools, and cellular therapies with both translational and basic science potential. Specifically, my group will be working on the engineering of protease-resistant biologic therapies, continuous evolution using human cell lines, and exploring the fitness landscapes of binding interactions ranging from antibodies to histone readers.
Durham, NC, US
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University
Duke University
We combine the disciplines of directed evolution, high-throughput robotics, and chromatin biology to engineer novel precision biologics and build mechanistic models that will better inform our ability to understand and tackle human disease.
PI
https://twitter.com/chorye?
During the pandemic, I took up graffiti-knitting (aka knit-bombing, guerilla-knitting), and graffiti-crochetted the "Make Way For Duckings" statues in the Boston Public Garden for Pride, BLM, Ukraine awareness, and the 2020 election (and sometimes just make them sweaters bc they look cold).
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Incoming Assistant Professor
Kevin Esvelt & Jim Collins
Directed evolution, chromatin biology, high-throughput biology, automation, drug discovery
Antibody engineering, de novo protein design, immunology
C2
Nicholas Sarai
nsarai@caltech.edu
The multitude of chemical compounds that we produce enable innumerable applications, yet also pose risks to ecosystem and human health. Under certain conditions, microorganisms are able to harness enzyme promiscuity and evolve enzymes that can degrade these compounds. I am using modern enzyme engineering tools, including directed evolution, to engineer enzymes capable of degrading anthropogenic pollutants that are not known to be biodegraded in nature.
Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, CA, US
Associate at McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company
Consultant
https://twitter.com/nicholassarai?
Caltech
PhD Student—year 4+
Frances Arnold
Enzyme engineering, enzymology, bioremediation, human impacts
New opportunities for synthetic biology to move the needle on sustainability and climate. Some examples are bio mining, and CO2 and CH4 removal and valorization.
C2
Máté Borsos
borsosmate@gmail.com
My long term goal is to develop healthier, personalized contraceptives and provide new solutions to extend women’s fertility. Currently, I engineer molecular tools and perform in vivo high throughput screens to identify and understand the mechanisms regulating female reproduction.
Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, CA, US
Postdoctoral Scholar at Viviana Gradinaru Lab at Caltech
Caltech
Engineering novel rAAV variants to target the germline
Postdoc
https://twitter.com/mate_borsos?
Horseback archery is my vice.
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Postdoc
Viviana Gradinaru
women's reproductive health, ovarian aging, epigenetics, gene therapy
C2
Michael Montgomery
mmontgom@stanford.edu
The human genome encodes instructions that guide development and function of the hundreds of cell types comprising the human body. To understand how the genome is repurposed by each cell type to achieve a unique gene expression program, I am developing high throughout tools to re-engineer DNA sequence in native genomic context.
Mountain View, CA, USA
PhD Candidate at Engreitz Lab at Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford University School of Medicine
Developing and applying high-throughput CRISPR technologies to decode and engineer human gene regulation
PhD
https://twitter.com/michaeltmont?
I was sponsored for skateboarding when I was a teenager
Stanford University
PhD Student—year 3
Jesse Engreitz
High throughput functional genomics, CRISPR, gene regulation, heart disease
Synthetic biology, machine learning tools for biological systems
C2
Ashley Abel
ashley.abel@yale.ued
I am leveraging human stem cells for 3D embryonic modeling as a method to investigate critical processes driving early development around stages of significant early pregnancy loss.
New Haven, CT, US
PhD Candidate at Sozen Lab at Yale University
Yale University
Addressing gaps in our understanding of female reproductive health. Specifically, I built and employed novel 3D human stem cell-based model systems to investigate embryo development during known periods of pregnancy loss.
PhD
https://twitter.com/ashleynabel?
I have jumped from the highest bungee jump point in the world! Less crazy of a fact but a fun one, I practice vinyasa yoga 7 days a week
Yale University
PhD Student—year 3
Dr. Berna Sozen
embryology, pregnancy loss, miscarriage, human development, stem cell modeling, synthetic embryology, synthetic development, female reproductive health
C2
George Lampe
george.d.lampe@gmail.com
Engineering CRISPR Associated Transposons (CASTs) to be a tool for large-scale genome engineering in human cells
New York City, NY, US
Postdoctoral Research Scientist at HHMI at Columbia University
Columbia University
Postdoc
I'm still genuinely sad that someone already made an instagram account of dogs in bags.
Columbia University
PhD Student—year 3
Samuel Sternberg
genome engineering
Synthetic Biology
C2
Mackenzie Strehle
mstrehle@caltech.edu
My current work focuses on investigating how the non-coding RNA Xist interacts with a variety of protein effectors to mediate X chromosome inactivation in female mammals. I use molecular biology, cell biology, and genomics approaches to interrogate how these RNA-protein interactions lead to stable, chromosome-wide silencing. More generally, I study X chromosome inactivation to better understand how other RNA-mediated biological processes may occur.
New York City, NY, US
Senior Equity Research Associate at Evercore
Evercore
Industry
https://twitter.com/mstrehle5?
While on a hike with my boyfriend in 2020, he was bitten by a rattlesnake! Luckily he ended up being alright, and a year later we were interviewed to tell our story on a National Geographic television show
California Institute of Technology
PhD Student—year 4+
Mitch Guttman
RNA, spatial genomics, small molecule discovery
gene therapy, nanorobotics, agtech, femtech
C2
Ali Kight
akight@stanford.edu
Ali is a PhD student in Bioengineering working at the intersection of medicine and mechanical design. Her research focuses on the development of highly durable, bio-inspired soft electronics for cardiac disease detection and remote patient monitoring.
Palo Alto, CA, US
EIR at 8VC
8VC
Founder: EIR
https://twitter.com/ali_kight?
I played two college sports!
Stanford
PhD Student—year 4+
Mark Cutkosky
Soft sensors, biomechanics, human health monitoring, mechanical design, rapid prototyping
AI/ML, security, diagnostics
C2
Julia Bauman
jrbauman@stanford.edu
Creating new technologies to help us understand the function of regulatory elements through genetic editing screens. Currently working on single-cell methods for transcriptome + genotyping.
Palo Alto, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Steinmetz Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Building tools to better understand gene regulation
PhD
https://twitter.com/juliabauman2?
I am a (D-list) science TikTok influencer
Stanford University
PhD Student—year 1 or 2
Lars Steinmetz
Genomics technology development, regulatory genomics
C2
Katsuya Colon
kcolon@caltech.edu
Currently, I am working towards the development of novel amplification based spatial genomic technologies. This method will allow us to profile various small RNA species, overcome background noise in tissues, and profile nearly the entire transcriptome in situ.
Pasadena, CA, US
Postdoctoral Scholar in Seu Sim Lab at UC Irvine
UC Irvine
Developing dynamic, living materials
Postdoc
I am somewhat of a chess fan, I dabble in astrophotography, and I am an adrenaline junkie.
California Institute of Technology
PhD Student—year 4+
Long Cai
Spatial Genomics, Single Cell Genomics, Microscopy, Chemical Biology
I will like to further explore methods in single cell proteomics and profiling post-translational modifications at the single cell level. I am also interested in exploring deep learning methods and its application towards image and single cell analysis.
C2
Ian Anderson
icanderson@ucdavis.edu
I am interested in understanding how plants evolve to use environmental information to influence their development. Understanding the mechanics of how this works, and how it evolves is key in combating climate change, and answering important questions that expand all aspects of biology/biotechnology.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Affiliate at Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford University School of Medicine
I'm interested in using big data to explore subtle phenotypic differences caused by environmental changes to better understand and model environmental effects on plants.
Academia: Affiliate
UC Davis
PhD Student—year 1 or 2
Grey Monroe
Epigenetics, Genotype by Environment interactions, protein/protein interactions
AI/ML, enzyme development, oligo chemistry
C2
Gita Abhiraman
gabhiram@stanford.edu
I use tools from structural biology and protein engineering to study the molecular signals that help orchestrate the human immune response. Some of my work focuses on the structure and function of cytokines. Other parts of my work have involved engineering molecules that redirect the immune response to cancer or autoimmune disease.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
MD/PhD Candidate at Christopher Garcia Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Focusing on immunology and immunotherapy design for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disease.
PhD
I live in a co-op where we cooked over 500 consecutive meals together during the height of Covid lockdowns!
Stanford University
PhD Student—year 3
Chris Garcia
protein engineering, immunology, structural biology
Cell engineering, microfluidics
C2
Nitan Shalon
nitanshalon@gmail.com
We are developing T-cell binding models which operate in a low-data regime. We are deploying AI models in pre-clinical mouse models of malignancy as a proof-of-concept for an early cancer screening method.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Regina Barzilay Lab at MIT
MIT
Applying language models and AI in new scientific domains
PhD
I'm a twin born on leap day!
MIT
PhD Student—year 1 or 2
Barzilay
AI, immunology
CRSISPR, phage technology
C2
Caitlyn Miller
Caitlyn3@stanford.edu
My research is focused on a unique, engineered integrin-binding peptide called “PIP” that enables targeted delivery to numerous types of solid tumors. Leveraging PIP’s versatile targeting properties, we developed a systemically-administered tumor-targeting immunostimulant “PIP-CpG” that promotes immune activation and infiltration in the tumor microenvironment to enable effective anti-tumor immunity.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Co-Founder and CEO at TwoStep Therapeutics
TwoStep Therapeutics
Developing a pipeline built around a versatile targeting peptide “PIP” that binds selectively to multiple tumor-associated integrins, a unique feature that enables it to deliver various payloads to virtually any solid tumor
Founder
I have 10 siblings
Stanford University
Postdoc
Carolyn Bertozzi and Jennifer Cochran
cancer immunotherapy, targeted drug delivery, bioconjugation
My main focus is cancer immunotherapy, but I’m also interested in other types of cancer therapies and other immunology research areas (infectious diseases, autoimmune, allergies). Also interested in new platform technologies that enable high dimensional readouts (imaging, cytometry, sequencing, etc.).
C2
Daniel Mokhtari
daniel.mokhtari@gmail.com
Protein enzymes are Nature's most prodigious catalysts, enabling the chemistry of life and holding vast potential to be engineered for green chemistry and targeted for next-generation pharmaceuticals. However, quantitative study of enzymes needed to realize this potential is dominated by legacy approaches that are cost and labor intensive and thus limited in scalability. I have co-developed a microfluidic enzyme assay platform capable of integrated generation and quantitative assays of enzyme variants at 100-fold improvement in scale and with 100-fold reduction in time and materials use compared with traditional techniques, with the potential to help realize next-generation engineered enzymes and new potent therapeutics.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Co-Founder & CEO at Velocity Bio
Velocity Bio
Developing cross-disciplinary approaches to accelerate protein biochemistry for drug discovery
Founder
Aspiring otamatone player
Stanford University
MD Student—year 4
Polly Fordyce and Dan Herschlag
microfluidics, enzyme mechanism, protein engineering
next gen battery technology, clean power generation, green synthesis
C2
Aadit Shah
aadits@stanford.edu
Using inducible signaling receptors for in vivo fate determination of hematopoietic stem cells to erythroid-specific lineages
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
President, Founding Team at Site Therapeutics, Principal at TCG Labs-Soleil & The Column Group
Site Therapeutics
High-throughput functional genomics to build a blueprint for fine-tuned control of immune cell function (Site Therapeutics) & An Integrated Ecosystem To Exclusively Fund, Discover, and Develop Single-Asset Therapies (TCG Labs-Soleil & The Column Group)
Founder?
https://twitter.com/shahaadit?
I was born on Pi Day
Stanford
MD student
Matthew Porteus
synthetic biology, immunology, gene editing
C2
Olivia Teter
olivia.teter@gmail.com
Developing CRISPR screens to identify disease-associated genes that modulate microglial synaptic pruning. Illuminating key pathways that facilitate this behavior to ultimately tune pruning with small molecules.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Martin Kampmann Lab at UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley
Using functional genomics and cell engineering approaches to characterize and manipulate microglia states in health and disease.
PhD
https://twitter.com/omteter?
I am a twin!
UCSF-Berkeley
PhD Student—year 4+
Martin Kampmann
neuroimmunology, CRISPRi/a
Metabolomics, gut-brain axis, epidemiology
C2
Alina Arzamassky
alina.arzamassky@gmail.com
I design, implement and validate the scoring function of molecular docking by adding corrections to the calculation of van der Waals forces and entropic effect. The new scoring function in molecular docking will help to predict the binding affinity between the protein and ligand.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Shoichet Lab at UCSF
UCSF
Using novel physical, computational, and chemical approaches to improve the scoring function in molecular docking.
PhD
https://twitter.com/alinaarzamassky?
Used to have a mattress in my lab so I could stay overnight
UCSF
PhD Student—year 3
Brian K. Shoichet
computational biology, biophysics, GPCR, docking, molecular dynamics, machine learning
Quantum computing, AI, cancer biology, nutrition studies
C2
Lee Schnaider
lee.schnaider@ucsf.edu
Proteins are amazing molecular machines that carry out the essential process of life and have tremendous translational potential. While traditional protein engineering utilizes naturally occurring building blocks, de novo protein design enables us to build proteins completely from scratch, custom designed to carry out predetermined functionalities. Utilizing in-house developed algorithms together with new AI and ML techniques, I design bespoke proteins for biomedical and other translational purposes.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Postdoctoral Researcher at William DeGrado Lab at UCSF
UCSF
Designing and characterizing de novo proteins for biomedical applications
Postdoc
https://twitter.com/leeschnaider?
I love to travel and my happy place is in definitely in the mountains
UCSF
Postdoc
William DeGrado
De novo protein design, protein engineering, protein-protein interface design, protein-small-molecule interface design, AI and ML for structural biology, materials science and engineering
Anticancer drug development, drug resistance, microbiome engineering
C2
Nikita Khlystov
nikitak@stanford.edu
I'm leading a team that's training biology to recycle plastic and circularize the textile industry. We’ve built a high-throughput screening platform to efficiently engineer enzymes with improved plastic-degrading activity and are working to apply them in a plastics biorecycling process. As our first target, we are using our enzymes to break down synthetic fibers in blended textile waste, yielding higher-quality recycled materials for making new clothes.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Founder and CEO at Huminly
Huminly
Enabling infinite recycling of textile waste using biology.
Founder
https://twitter.com/nikitakhlystov?
I camped and biked through Death Valley one summer when it was 120 F there.
Stanford University
Postdoc
Jennifer Cochran
Training biology to recycle plastic in textiles
Machine learning meets protein engineering
C2
Ali Ghareeb
drghareeb@outlook.com
Timestamps: a new method for working out past transcriptional regulation by profiling the ages of mRNA molecules across the transcriptome.
Transplant: a new method for differentiating cells using mRNA
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Co-founder at Stealth Startup
Stealth
Parts for Humans
Founder
I'm half-Irish, half-Egyptian
Francis Crick Institute + University College London
PhD Student—year 1 or 2
Samuel Rodriques
temporal transcriptomics, gene delivery, cell differentiation
Phage therapy for bacterial infections, Lipid Nanoparticles for gene therapy, Gene therapy in general
C2
Jessica Stark
jcstark@stanford.edu
Tumors use sugars, or glycans, to evade the immune system. I am developing antibody-lectin (AbLec) chimeras as a modular and programmable approach to target glycans for cancer immunotherapy. AbLecs represent a new class of checkpoint blockade immunotherapies with the potential to increase the fraction of patients who benefit from treatment.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Assistant Professor of Biological Engineering at MIT
MIT
We seek to understand and engineer the roles of cell-surface sugars in the immune system.
PI
https://twitter.com/jessicacstark?
If I weren't a scientist I might be a ballerina - I danced for 16 years and still occasionally take classes with San Francisco Ballet!
Stanford University
Postdoc
Carolyn Bertozzi
synthetic biology, immunotherapy, glycoscience
climate and sustainability
C2
Max Foisey
max.foisey@ucsf.edu
Building and broadening the applications for synthetic receptors on immune cells and developing targeted cell therapies in cancer.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Kole Roybal Lab at UCSF
UCSF
Expanding the applications for synthetic receptors in human immune cells.
PhD
I love to snowboard in my free time
UCSF
PhD Student—year 1 or 2
Kole Roybal
Synthetic Biology, cell therapy, bioengineering, immunology
Genetics/genome engineering, metabolomics, spatial biology
C2
Ali Lashkaripour
alilp@stanford.edu
Machine learning based design automation of high-throughput droplet based microfluidic devices.
Leveraging high throughput droplet based microfluidic screening to study T cell receptor and antigen presenting cell interactions to identify novel TCR-APC targets.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Co-Founder & CTO at Velocity Bio
Velocity Bio
Shaping microfluidics to better fit life sciences.
Founder
Love cars; terrified of bears!
Stanford Bioengineering department
Postdoc
Polly Fordyce
Microfluidics, Machine learning, immunology, immunotherapy, cancer
Cancer immunotherapy
Immunology
C2
Kate Cavanaugh
cavanaugh.kate@gmail.com
Applying synthetic biophysical approaches to study mechanical defects from reproductive aging.
000 Not sure
https://twitter.com/cavanaughwrites?
I love exploring the San Francisco hills with my new puppy!
UCSF
Postdoc
Orion Weiner
Embryology, Reproductive Aging, Biophysics
Cell and developmental biology
C2
Sudarshan Pinglay
sudarshan1993@gmail.com
I am a synthetic biologist with research interests spanning development, genomics and cellular engineering. During my PhD, we developed tools for the “re-writing” of mammalian genomes through the synthesis of large DNA constructs and their targeted integration into cells. I am applying these tools to: 1) understand how genes are turned on and off; and 2) endow cells with sophisticated behaviors not found in nature.
Seattle, WA, US
Independent Research Fellow at Department of Genome Sciences at the University of Washington
University of Washington
Developing technologies at the intersection of mammalian genome engineering, large-scale (>100kb) DNA synthesis, single-cell sequencing and de novo protein design.
PI
https://twitter.com/sudpinglay?
My first ever paid gig was being a poker tournament reporter on a boat casino
New York University School of Medicine
Postdoc
Jef Boeke, Jay Shendure
Synthetic biology, genome engineering, stem cell biology
Gene/cell therapy, de novo protein design
C2
Grayson Rodriguez
grayr@stanford.edu
We engineer proteins to create novel receptor complexes, thereby inducing non-natural signaling within immune cells. These proteins produce desirable cell phenotypes in a targeted manner.
Stanford, CA, US
Postdoctoral Scholar at Christopher Garcia Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Characterizing and engineering immunologically relevant proteins
Postdoc
https://twitter.com/g_rodriguez16?
When I'm not in lab, I'm usually practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Stanford University
PhD Student—year 4+
K. Christopher Garcia
protein engineering, cytokine engineering, cell therapy, immuno-oncology, intracellular signaling, structural biology
Cardiac/cardiovascular immunology, gene editing
C3
Aidan Cowan
aidancowan@berkeley.edu
In order to make biofuels a reality we need to make a lot more of them and we need to make them from something cheaper than glucose. My project couples the growth of microorganisms to the production of fuels, so they can't live without making fuel and so they evolve to make more fuel. Another aspect of my projects seeks to use one carbon feedstocks to make these fuels more cheaply and in a way which directly sequesters CO2.
Berkeley, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Jay Keasling Lab at UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley
Pursuing innovative ways to engineer biology and overcome barriers to the sustainable production of fuels, chemicals and materials.
PhD
Love Backpacking and Mountaineering
UC Berkeley
PhD Student—year 4+
Jay Keasling
Metabolic Engineering, Biofuels, Advanced Biomaterials
Anything climate tech from geothermal energy, small modular reactors, heat pumps, passive houses, grid storage, hydrogen etc.
C3
Maria Astolfi
maria-astolfi@berkeley.edu
I make the manufacturing of pharmaceutical cheaper, sustainable, and scalable with biology. I engineer yeast to grow molecules at scale in fermentation tanks. I transfer whole metabolic pathways from plants to microbes by precisely engineering their genomes. It saves the plants while also saving lives with pharmaceuticals made by microbes!
Berkeley, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Jay Keasling Lab at UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley
Using synthetic biology, robotics, and AI to accelerate the discovery and biosynthesis of biodiversity-based medicinal molecules
PhD
I was born and raised in the heart of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil! My childhood was connected to biodiversity as my mother is from the Kambeba indigenous ethnicity.
UC Berkeley
PhD Student—year 3
Jay Keasling
Biomanufacturing, metabolic engineering, genome engineering, synthetic biology
Advocacy of Indigenous communities, UN ethical frameworks, and everything social impact. I’ll want to build a better world that all peoples can benefit from.
C3
Ron Boger
ronboger@gmail.com
I'm broadly interested in machine learning and gene editing. Currently developing ML tools for discovery of new phenomena
Berkeley, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Jennifer Doudna Lab at UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley
Interested in computation and biology
PhD
UC Berkeley
PhD Student—year 1 or 2
Jennifer Doudna
gene editing, RNA binding proteins, machine learning
immunology
C3
Evan Groover
groover@berkeley.edu
I am developing new gene editing tools and techniques for crop plants. Using them, I am working to rewire plant genomes to maximize agricultural carbon sequestration.
Berkeley, CA, US
PhD Candidate at David Savage and Brian Staskawicz Labs at UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley
Developing new CRISPR/Cas gene editing tools for plants, and to improve crop carbon dioxide capture.
PhD
Prior to coming to graduate school I worked as a professional jazz saxophonist.
UC Berkeley
PhD Student—year 4+
David Savage, Brian Staskawicz
Plant genetics, gene editing, carbon sequestration
Agricultural biomanufacturing, molecular diagnostics, AI as a tool for functional genomics
C3
Ryan Murray
Murrayr181@gmail.com
Characterizing the solid tumor microenvironment to understand synergistic pathways of T cell immunosuppression which can be alleviated by multiplex gene editing
Cambridge, MA, US
Co-founder and CSO at KiraGen Bio
KiraGen Bio
Pioneering AI-designed multiplex gene-edited CAR-T therapies to combat immunosuppression in brain cancer and other intractable tumors
Founder
I have been skydiving...twice!
Northeastern University
PhD Student—year 4+
Stephen Hatfield
Base editing, gene editing, solid tumors, tumor micro environment, immunology, CAR-T,
I love the concept of bio design and using bioengineering for sustainability
C3
Allison Flores
allisonflores@g.harvard.edu
Within the Church lab I work on developing synthetic biology-based strategies for the genetic encoding of non-standard amino acids (nsAAs) within proteins. By expanding beyond the 20 standard amino acids, targeted incorporation of nsAAs allows for the precise introduction of novel chemical structures, generating proteins with enhanced or new structures, functions and properties.
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at George Church Lab at Harvard University
Harvard University
Developing new protein labeling technologies
PhD
I can do a backfip!
Harvard University
PhD Student—year 4+
George Church
synthetic biology, protein engineering, non-standard amino acids
Protein design, Climate tech
C3
Ramiro Martin Perrotta
ramiro.perrotta@gmail.com
De-extinction of woolly mammoth alleles into asian elephant cells to engineer cold resistant elephants. Optimization and design of safer genome editing technologies.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at George Church Lab at Harvard University
Harvard University
Rewriting mammalian genomes to create environmental and therapeutic solutions, always prioritizing an ethical and responsible approach.
Postdoc
I hate spicy food!
Harvard Medical School
Postdoc
George Church
Interest: Synthetic Biology, xenobiology, biosecurity. Background: de-extinction, base editing, PANCE, mammalian genome engineering and cell culture, glycobiology, onco-immunology.
Xenobiology, biosecurity, ethics
C3
Omer Adir
omeradir@mit.edu
In my current research project I'm working on designing and implementing RNA-only genetic circuits. When expressed in the target cells, these circuits can sense and respond to their environment and do not require expression of foreign proteins that could elicit an immune response in the host.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Researcher at Ron Weiss Lab at MIT
MIT
Postdoc
I'm a huge sports freak, love to play and watch every sport activity
MIT
Postdoc
Ron Weiss
Synthetic Biology, Genetic Circuits, Drug Delivery, Nanomedicine
Immunology and immunological diseases, Computational biology and machine learning
C3
Bryce Tappan
tappan@mit.edu
I am currently studying the kinetics of ion and electron charge transfer reactions at interfaces in solid-state batteries. I am also trying to develop electrochemical methods to recycle critical materials for energy technologies (batteries, solar cells, water electrolyzers).
Cambridge, MA, US
Senior Scientist at SES AI Corp
SES AI Corp
Developing next-generation lithium metal-based batteries.
Late stage startup
I built an igloo; and in it I slept the night; true, is this haiku
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Postdoc
Prof. Yang Shao-Horn
Batteries, electrochemistry, solid electrolytes, recycling, semiconductor nanocrystals, chemical synthesis, solar cells
carbon capture and storage, water desalination, urban design for sustainability, plastics recycling, more sustainable paper making, thinking about ways that social movements could be used to address climate change; how can simple incentives be created in a capitalist society to incentivize people to make sustainable decisions? These are all things in which I am no expert but have a genuine interest in learning more about.
C3
Yunha Hwang
yunha@tatta.bio
I am developing a Genomic Language Model that uses machine intelligence to learn the language of biology. I combine expertise in natural language processing, metagenomics, and microbial evolution to learn meaningful representations of genomic sequences to discover new biology. I am particularly interested in its potential applications in biosecurity and bioprospecting.
Cambridge, MA, US
Co-founder and CEO at Tatta Bio
Tatta Bio
Building genomic intelligence
Founder
Harvard University
PhD Student—year 4+
Peter Girguis
Machine Learning in Genomics, Metagenomics, Microbial evolution
C3
Yue Qin
yueqin97@gmail.com
My research develops computational methods for building structurally descriptive and functionally predictive models of human cells. These methods aim to create in silico cells that simulate the effect of therapeutic interventions in different disease and genetic contexts with the ultimate goal of developing personalized medicine.
Cambridge, MA, US
Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center Fellow at Broad Institute
Broad Institute
Developing computational methods for building structurally descriptive and functionally predictive models of human cells.
Academia: Fellow
I am an aspiring triathlete with motion sickness.
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Postdoc
Paul Blainey, Caroline Uhler
Machine Learning, Precision Medicine
Protein engineering, immunology
C3
Caoimhe Canavan
ccanavan@mit.edu
Broadly my projects are focused on cell-free systems, RNA circuits and synthetic cells. More specifically, I use mammalian cell-free systems for high-throughput screening of tunable genetic circuits for environmental sensing and diagnostic purposes.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Research Associate at James Collins Lab at MIT
MIT
Postdoc
MIT/Wyss institute Harvard
Postdoc
Jim Collins
Cell-free systems, mammalian synthetic biology, genetic circuit design, synthetic cells, microbiology, biotechnology.
C3
Lisa Riedmayr
lisa_riedmayr@hms.harvard.edu
I am currently developing a pipeline to create short, synthetic promoter sequences for gene therapy. Moreover, I am engineering a Cas13 protein with novel properties useful for inducing selective apoptosis in cancer and for genome editing.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at George Church Lab at Harvard University
Harvard University
Working on novel cancer gene therapy using CRISPR-Cas
Postdoc
I'm in love with Bavarian beer, do not get the hype around IPAs and truly miss the Oktoberfest.
Harvard Medical School
Postdoc
George Church
CRISPR technology, cis-regulatory elements, gene therapy, synthetic biology, genetic diseases, neuroscience
Environmental research, microbiology, infectious diseases
C3
Devon Van Cura
Devonvancura@gmail.com
Through the use of enzymes, microbes are capable of incredibly powerful and precise chemical transformations under environmentally benign conditions. My project focuses on discovering new microbial enzymes that can produce the highly reactive and synthetically enabling diazo functional group. Identifying novel diazo-forming enzymes will enable new biocatalytic approaches for developing environmentally friendly chemical manufacturing processes.
Cambridge, MA, US
Principal Scientist Group Leader - Biocatalysis at Eurofins PSS
Eurofins PSS
Industry
I was a wrestler at Penn State University as an undergraduate, and now I compete actively in submission grappling/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Harvard University
PhD Student—year 4+
Emily Balskus
Biosynthesis, enzyme discovery, natural product discovery
Biocatalysis + protein engineering
C3
Jeremy Koob
jkoob@g.havard.edu
I am developing novel RNA sensing that converts gene expression signals into programmable and conditional protein expression in eukaryotic cells. This technology allows a new way to access to cells based on RNA profiles, with exciting implications for foundational and translational biomedical research.
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at Fei Chen Lab at Harvard University
Harvard University
Developing new molecular tools for reading and recording temporal information in living systems
PhD
I'm a pianist and love chamber music! if you play strings (or other) and want to jam, let me know!
Harvard University
PhD Student—year 4+
Fei Chen
Interest: protein engineering for environment applications. Background: Mammalian synthetic biology, RNA biochemistry, RNA-editing, CRISPR-Cas13, metalloproteins, inorganic catalysis
All fields of synthetic biology, directed evolution, protein design (computational/AI-driven), ML/AI generally, synbio climate tech, carbon capture, carbon-negative manufacturing, evolution, origin of life, origin of humans
C3
Jim Owens
jtowens@mit.edu
My thesis research concerns the EV-power system interactions, specifically developing and applying methods that (1) quantify the technology's ultimate value proposition at the systems level, and (2) enable risk-informed wholesale market participation and financial analysis.
Cambridge, MA, US
Co-founder and Head of Engineering at Sesame Sustainability
Sesame Sustainability
Enabling industrial decarbonization
Founder
In my free time I like to sail, ski, and brew my own beet!
MIT
Year 4/About to graduate
Bob Armstrong, Emre Gencer
Electric vehicles, distributed energy resources, industrial decarbonization
C3
Nicholas Matteucci
nmatt@mit.edu
My work revolves around incorporating solid active materials into electrochemical flow cell designs for high-energy density redox flow batteries and low temperature electrochemical transformations. We are working to build off the lab-scale proof-of-concept developments made on two classes of solid-based electrochemical flow technologies: semi-solid suspension electrodes and redox-mediated flow systems. Specifically, I work developing models, experimental techniques, and design alterations to help researchers effectively navigate the large design space of these systems.
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at Fikile Brushett Lab at MIT
MIT
Investigating how complex fluids can be applied to flow battery systems.
PhD
I'm an avid runner and recently ran my first marathon in 2:22:02.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
PhD Student—year 4+
Fikile Brushett
Electrochemical Engineering, Reactor Engineering, Rheology, Energy Storage, Batteries, Industrial Electrification
I have many interests outside my immediate field, including quantum physics, physical chemistry, computation, nuclear engineering, astrophysics, statistics, and grid-scale energy dynamics. Given that this is an extremely broad set of fields, I will likely only be able to thoroughly explore some of these fields and more casually investigate others.
C3
Chris Giuliano
giuliano@wi.mit.edu
My work develops high-throughput approaches for studying host-pathogen interactions, with a focus on parasitic diseases. Understanding how parasites manipulate hosts for their benefit can both reveal ways to treat parasitic diseases and uncover new modalities for modulating human physiology.
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at Sebastian Lourido Lab at MIT & Scientific Co-founder/Advisor at Meliora Therapeutics
MIT
AI / ML for modern precision medicine in oncology
PhD/ Founder
MIT
PhD Student—year 4+
Sebastian Lourido
infectious disease, immunology
metabolomics, microbiome, climate
C3
Uroš Kuzmanović
uros@biosens8.com
I am mining microbes found in nature to identify cellular machinery for the production of physiological biosensors. I am engineering novel hormone, neurotransmitter, and drug use biosensors which can monitor continuously and non-invasively to give unprecedented insight into our body's health. A multiplexed wearable monitor will open the door to truly personalized medicine and proactive, data-driven health decisions.
Cambridge, MA, US
Founder and CEO at BioSens8
BioSens8
Engineering novel wearables to enable health ownership.
Founder
I trained with Novak Djokovic's coach!
Boston University
Graduated
James Galagan
Biosensors, wearables, synthetic biology, microbial genetics, electrical engineering, electrochemistry
I'm interested in the field of longevity. I only know at a surface level about telomeres and how it's shortening over time can lead to increased rates of mutations. I can only imagine how much the field has progressed since reading about this years ago. I'm also curious about technology addressing climate change, mostly because of it's visible influence and a pressing call to help.
C3
Anqi Chen
anqichen@g.harvard.edu
We are developing a highly multiplexed ultrahigh throughput screening platform for the discovery of functional enzyme mutants. This method combines the advantages of droplet-based microfluidics, in-vitro protein expression and a novel random mutagenesis protocol to achieve unprecedented screening power. Our goal is to carry out functional screen for mutagenesis libraries of 10^12 diversity, allowing for up to 4 random mutations of a small-sized enzyme, or 9 site-specific mutations to be combinatorially saturated and screened.
Cambridge, MA, US
000 Not sure
I used to do fundamental biophysical measurements of cellular components for a long while before I was convinced to be bored and started working on protein evolution.
Harvard University
PhD Student—year 4+
David Weitz
Ultrahigh throughput screening, enzyme evolution
Computational design of novel proteins. Computational predicative algorithms for sequence-to-activity relation.
C3
Mohamad Najia
mnajia@mit.edu
In my PhD, I worked at the interface of stem cell biology, epigenetics and synthetic biology to study and engineer stem cells. I identified novel chromatin regulators of natural killer (NK) cell development and utilized these mechanistic insights to generate different subtypes of NK cells from pluripotent stem cells for adoptive cell therapies. Furthermore, we discovered that the molecular mechanism of these chromatin regulators enables novel therapeutic approaches in lymphoma and other solid tumors.
Cambridge, MA, US
Research Fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Broad Institute
Boston Children’s Hospital
Building technologies to investigate the molecular logic of cellular decision-making and to understand how hematopoietic stem cells differentiate into various immune cells.
Academia: Fellow
I hiked Mount Fuji in Japan and saw the sunrise atop the mountain. I love to sail, bake, and woodworking.
Boston Children's Hospital/Broad Institute
Postdoc
George Daley, Paul Blainey
Cell therapy, immunology, synthetic biology, genomics, epigenetics, pluripotent stem cells, cancer
neuroinflammation, chemical biology, genome engineering, CRISPR technology development
C3
Jay Qu
jayqu07@gmail.com
I use the photoelectric effect—the same phenomenon that Einstein won his Noble prize for, and the effect that underpins how solar cells operate—to study how electrons behave in materials (ARPES). My main research projects surround a layered material called BiTeCl, which has recently been predicted to be able to host efficient photocatalytic water splitting. I use state-of-the-art spin-resolved ARPES and time-resolved ARPES to study the electronic properties and lattice dynamics of this material, in addition to developing the instrumentation that makes these measurements possible.
Cambridge, MA, US
Senior Data Analyst at The Engine Ventures
The Enginer Ventures
Helping accelerate innovation in tough tech
VC
I work with big lasers.
Stanford University
PhD Student—year 4+
Zhi-Xun Shen
material physics, condensed matter, layered materials, quantum materials, battery materials, solar cells, energy science, photonics, quantum sensing, machine learning for materials discovery
thin film solar cells, machine learning for materials discovery, carbon capture (solid state), solid state electricity storage, recycling
C3
Matthew Liu
mattliu@stanford.edu
I research methods of electrifying chemical separations and reactions to treat and recover nitrogen pollutants in wastewaters. I develop catalysts, reactors, and processes to treat various types of wastewaters, including reverse osmosis brines, human urine, agricultural runoff, tile drain runoff, groundwater, and more.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctral Fellow at Yuriy Roman Lab at MIT
MIT
Developing mechanistic models for potential-dependent, solid acid-catalyzed surface reactions
Postdoc
I enjoy playing Chinese chess
Stanford University
PhD Student—year 4+
William Tarpeh
electrochemistry, electrocatalysis, water treatment, resource recovery, ammonia synthesis
remediating air pollution; depolymerizing plastics.
C3
Jack Lindsay
jacklindsay@g.harvard.edu
I'm building an in vitro model of an innervated intestinal epithelium to study the two-way communication between the gut and the brain. To do this, I'm culturing human neurons and human gut organoids from stem cells such that neurons synapse with epithelial cells. This model will be used to understand how information across the intestinal epithelium is integrated into neural signals, which in turn drive gut motility, nutrient uptake, and barrier integrity.
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at Don Ingber and Mike Levin Lab at Harvard University
Harvard University
Studying the gut-brain axis through tissue engineering.
PhD
I recently created a party game around interpersonal connection, and have run it with parties of over 40 people.
Harvard University
PhD Student—year 3
Don Ingber and Mike Levin
organ-on-a-chip, gut-brain axis, tissue engineering, microfluidics
Communication across the body using extracellular vesicles, immune engineering and regenerative medicine, battery manufacturing, vascularization of organoids, wearable robotics, biomaterials
C3
Thomas Young
tdyphd@gmail.com
Engineering bacteria to be more productive for making high-energy biofuels. Coupling electrical energy to bacterial metabolism to make various renewable chemical products.
Lafayette, CA, US
Postdoctoral Researcher at Berkeley Lab
Berkeley Lab
Postdoc
UC Berkeley
Postdoc
Jay Keasling
Biosynthesis, biofuels, renewable chemicals, genetic engineering, chemistry, bacteria
C3
Ivan Jayapurna
ivanfj@berkeley.edu
Rational design of bioinspired additives to stabilize proteins in non-native environments (i.e., solvents, high temperatures). Currently, the main application is to embed enzymes in plastics to create truly compostable plastics with on-demand degradation to monomers from the inside out.
London, United Kingdom
Programme Director at ARIA
ARIA
Building new interdisciplinary communities, and craft a bold programme that leverages digital and biological revolutions to transition us out of the age of plastics into a new era of abundant, resilient, and bioharmonious materials.
Industry?
I've lived in 4 countries
UC Berkeley
PhD Student—year 4+
Ting Xu
polymers, proteins, AI, simulation
Food, Robots, Seaweed, Energy, Biomanufacturing
C3
Akshay Maheshwari
akshay@bnext.bio
Building programmable cells from scratch
Mountain View, CA, USA
Co-founder and CEO at b.next
Providing on-demand design and construction of fully-defined, programmable cellular systems to help solve now-difficult or impossible biotechnology challenges.
Founder
CEO (post-MD/PhD)
N/A
cell modeling, synthetic cell engineering, synthetic biology, medicine
C3
Fabio Boniolo
fabio_boniolo@dfci.harvard.edu
I study childhood cancer. Specifically, I exploit computational approaches and single cell sequencing technologies for patient stratification and target identification in Medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor in children.
New York City, NY, US
Head of Computation at Stealth Startup
Stealth
Dedicated to finding innovative solutions to the most pressing problems in biology and medicine.
Founder
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Postdoc
Volker Hovestadt
Computational biology, personalized medicine, oncology, epigenetics
Synthetic biology, rare diseases, neurodegenerative disorders
C3
Cyrus Knudsen
cyrus.knudsen@stanford.edu
Because we want to make engineering biology easier, our lab works on a comprehensive computational simulation model of single E. coli cells ("whole-cell models"), in order to enable biologists to answer research questions with cell simulations.
I specifically work on inferring kinetic and regulatory parameters for enzymes and regulatory proteins, in order to create better models of metabolism and regulation.
Palo Alto, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Markus Covert Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Making elegant tools and models that are used for understanding living systems
PhD
I am an occasional dance teacher :)
Stanford University
PhD Student—year 1 or 2
Markus Covert
mathematical modeling, computational modeling, parameter inference, high-throughput data, synthetic biology, strain engineering, metabolic engineering, data visualization
C3
Wai Tong Chung
wtchung@stanford.edu
My research improves our understanding of the science behind novel energy and propulsion (rocket) systems with Machine Learning, AI for Science, and High-Performance Computing techniques.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
AI Researcher at Together AI
Together AI
Discovering ways to improve AI/ML models.
Late stage startup
Vienna is my favorite city for travel!
Stanford University
PhD Student—year 4+
Matthias Ihme
AI, Flow Physics, Energy, Propulsion, and Climate
Other AI Domains and Biotechnology
C3
Carla Pinzon
carlapinzonmit@gmail.com
High Frequency Power Electronics for Underwater Applications
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
CEO at Expand Power
Expand Power
Working on compact smart transformer can be manufactured domestically with shortened lead times, expanding electrification opportunities in previously prohibited locations.
Founder
I dived with Great White's off the coast of South Africa!
Stanford
on Leave of Absence
-
power electronics, wide bandgap semiconductors
Entrepreneurship! Commercialization!
C3
Lucie Guo
lucieguo@gmail.com
multiplexed gene therapy for polygenic diseases; synthetic biology for “smart” gene therapy
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford University
Academia: Fellow
I operate on eyeballs!
Stanford
Postdoc / clinical fellow
Stanley Qi / Sui Wang / Jeff Goldberg
CRISPR, synthetic biology, ophthalmology
Any!
C3
David Ding
davidmding@gmail.com
I work on a green concrete project to enable increased carbon absorption in building materials, and develop tools for rationally engineering crop genetics.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Postdoctoral Researcher at Dave Savage Lab at UCSF
UCSF
Working on enzymes and chemical processes to decarbonize materials, and enabling CRISPR for fast crop improvements.
Postdoc
I've been trying to run 30 miles, with emphasis on trying :)
UC Berkeley
Postdoc
Dave Savage
Protein engineering
Anything that has potential for scale.
C3
Anton Jackson-Smith
anton@bnext.bio
Building a synthetic cell. Chromosome design, cell system integration, and microscopy to create a cell from defined and well understood molecular parts.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Co-founder at b.next
Building synthetic cells to solve problems and move biology from research to engineering.
Founder
I've been running a burning man camp for the last six years.
Stanford
PhD graduate
Drew Endy
Synthetic biology, synthetic cells, DNA design, software engineering, hardware, ethics, art
Machine learning, high throughput experiments, directed evolution, design of programming languages.
C3
Danilo Dubocanin
dubocd@stanford.edu
I develop and apply tools to understand protein-DNA interactions at the single molecule level. Using these tools I probe fundamental cellular processes at an unprecedented resolution.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Nicolas Altemose Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Deciphering the (epi)genome.
PhD
Ran the SF half-marathon this year!
Stanford University
PhD Student—year 1 or 2
Nick Altemose
Genomics, 3rd-gen Sequencing
Genome Engineering, Protein Design, Interface of AI and Healthcare/Genetics, Population Genetics
C3
Tony (Tiange) Qu
tony.qu@ucsf.edu
I am fascinated by the face, one of the only organs in the body for which we care about both its functionality and its aesthetics. For my PhD project, I am studying the molecular and cellular basis of craniofacial development and disease, including cleft lip/palate and Down Syndrome. I look forward to pairing my research with dental school training in the near future to advance oral and facial healthcare.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
DDS/PhD Candidate at Licia Selleri and Georgia Panagiotakos Labs at UCSF
UCSF
Interested in the mechanisms that govern craniofacial development with the goal of finding potential clinical treatment on craniofacial defects.
PhD
I won cutest baby award in kindergarten
UCSF
PhD Student—year 4+
Licia Selleri and Georgia Panagiotakos
dentistry, genetics, developmental biology, cleft lip and palate, craniofacial development
I am very open-minded. I am quite excited about using bioengineering to hijack cellular processes to achieve therapeutic outcomes. I am also interested in learning about AI/ML in healthcare/research.
C3
Laine Goudy
laine.goudy@ucsf.edu
CRISPR technologies can be used for multiplexed gene engineering and reprogramming of T cell therapies for cancer treatment. Two pressing challenges in reprogramming T cell therapies include 1) increasing efficacy in immunosuppressive solid tumors, and 2) generating safe, durable, and cost effective allogeneic T cell products. I am currently working on a comprehensive discovery and engineering research program to understand and solve these challenges through multiplexed editing in CAR T cells using novel CRISPR-based tools.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Luke Gilbert and Alex Marson Labs at UCSF
UCSF
Interested in the intersection of functional genomics and epigenetic editing to better understand CD8+ T cell differentiation.
PhD
Biking and skiing are my favorite hobbies. This past March I biked 150 miles in Death Valley!
UCSF-Gladstone Institutes
PhD Student—year 4+
Luke Gilbert, Alex Marson
Epigenetic editing, CAR T cell engineering, DNA methylation
Targeted delivery platforms for gene therapies (LNPs, AAVs, or other novel mechanisms), Oncolytic viruses for cancer therapeutics, Synthetic biology for regenerative agriculture
C3
Yue Clare Lou
clare.lou@berkeley.edu
I use computational biology to investigate the formation of our gut microbiome and how events such as premature birth and antibiotics intake impact the development of our microbiome and our health.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Co-founder and CEO at Sift Biosciences
Sift Biosciences
Developing next-generation immunomodulators
Founder
I had a baby pig when I was a kid
UC Berkeley
Just graduated from my PhD
Jill Banfield
gut microbiome; personalized health
drug discovery for cancer treatments; hormone and microbiome
C3
Evan Gardner
ejgard.lithium@gmail.com
The sustainable extraction and conversion of naturally occuring lithium resources. Developing technologies required to more than quadruple lithium production in North America.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Co-founder and CTO at Electroflow
Electroflow
Designing and scaling revolutionary electrochemical technology to deliver sustainable, cathode-ready lithium from domestic brine resources.
Founder
I like building/working on bikes and my next project will focus on mostly used parts.
Stanford University (no longer affiliated)
Current founder, former postdoc
Matteo Cargnello (no longer affiliated)
Synthetic chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry, nano materials, catalysis, electrochemistry
Geochemistry, sustainable water processing, batteries
C3
Vivasvan Vykunta
vivasvan99@gmail.com
My projects focus on understanding immune interactions to find targets for novel immunotherapeutic drugs. We are developing screening tools and technologies that will allow researchers to explore how cells interact together against infections and tumors rather than studying single cell types in isolation.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
MD/PhD at Matthew Krummel Lab at UCSF
UCSF
Enhancing anti-tumor immunity via myeloid and T cell modulations
PhD
I recently started dabbling in astrophotography!
UCSF
MD-PhD student, M2
Matthew Krummel
Gene Editing/engineering, Immunotherapies, Immuno-oncology
Sustainable and alternative energy sources, Waste processing and recycling, Sustainable/eco-friendly chemical production
C3
Kira Downey
kira.downey@ucsf.edu
My work leverages cutting-edge synthetic biology tools and high thoroughput immune cell engineering strategies to develop the next generation of T-cell therapies for solid tumors. I am particularly interested in engineering complex multi-step interactions between immune cells that can bolster anti-tumor response and ultimately be generalized to treat other disease pathologies.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
MD/PhD Candidate at Kole Roybal Lab at USCF
UCSF
PhD
My cat has a scientific publication! She was the first cat to be treated and cured from a rare type of pancreatic cancer. Sadly, this was the same cancer that Steve Jobs died from. My 17 year old cat has a case report in the Journal of Small Animal Practice and is 5 years cancer free!
University of California - San Francisco (UCSF)
PhD Student—year 1 or 2
Kole Roybal
cancer immunotherapy, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells, synthetic biology, CRISPR screening, brain tumors, tumor microenvironment
Functional genomics, autoimmunity, base editing, small molecule therapeutics, mRNA therapeutics, vaccine development, infectious disease, stem cell therapeutics, neurodegeneration, regenerative medicine
C3
Hersh Bhargava
hershkbhargava@gmail.com
I am using synthetic biology and mathematical modeling to understand how immune cells share information via secreted molecules and to rewire T cell communication to create more efficacious cell therapies for solid tumors and beyond.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Hana El-Samad and Wendell Lim Labs at UCSF
UCSF
Focused on developing next-generation cell-based therapies using experimental and computational methods.
PhD
UCSF Cell Design Institute
PhD Student—year 4+
Wendell Lim & Hana El-Samad
Immune cell engineering, synthetic biology, computational design of cell therapies
Neuroimmunology, neuroscience, stem cell engineering
C3
Charlotte (Hui) Wang
Charlotte.wang@ucsf.edu
During my PhD training, I am combining the expertise of my two thesis labs to investigate how synthetic perturbations can affect immune T cells, with the ultimate aim of developing an enhanced effector T cell that can more effectively eliminate cancer. Specifically, I utilize high-throughput readouts, such as saturation mutagenesis combined phenotype screens, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), to comprehensively analyze the effects of perturbations on T cell function. By leveraging the latest technologies and techniques from both labs, I hope to make a significant contribution to the field of cancer immunotherapy.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Justin Eyquem and Jimmie Ye Labs at UCSF
UCSF
Leveraging genetic engineering and computational biology to develop innovative next generation cell-based therapies.
PhD
I wanted to be a Kpop Star if not for science
UCSF
PhD Student—year 3
Justin Eyquem / Jimmie Ye
base editing, saturation mutagenesis, deep learning, CAR T cell therapy
TCR therapy, TCR signaling, TCR directed T cell differentiation, deep learning, anything functional genomics
C3
Makenna Pennel
mpennel@stanford.edu
My work combines inorganic chemistry and biology to convert polyethylene plastic waste into value-added chemicals.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
PhD Candiate at Matteo Cargnello Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Working on catalytic upgrading of plastics and polymer decomposition
PhD
I competed in the Gran Turismo College League World Finals in Tokyo last year
Stanford University
PhD Student—year 4+
Matteo Cargnello
Plastic waste deconstruction and upcycling, heterogeneous thermocatalysis, precise nanocrystal synthesis, high-pressure reactions, inorganic chemistry, materials chemistry
Microplastics, CO2 capture and conversion
C3
Solomon Oyakhire
solomontolu5@gmail.com
Kristin PerssonDeveloping new mathematical methods for applying machine learning to small datasets and using this to discover high-performance energy materials.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Assistant Professor at Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech
Developing new materials within energy systems to tackle challenges related to climate and food security
Postdoc
spent 14 months in my mother’s womb. someone got too comfy 😉
UC Berkeley
Postdoc
Kristin Persson
batteries, semiconductors, machine learning
carbon capture, cancer biology, CO2 reduction and catalytic conversion, nitrogen reduction, lithium extraction, battery materials recycling
C3
Itai Levin
itail@mit.edu
Developing and applying computational chemistry tools to accelerate the identification of useful molecules that can be synthesized using enzymatic reactions. Working on predictive models to predict the properties of small molecules and to automate the process of synthesis planning.
Seattle, WA, US
Co-Founder and Scientist at Decycle Bio
Decycle Bio
Bringing computational discovery and design to cell-free biocatalysis cascades for sustainable chemicals
Founder
I've brewed kombucha and beer at home
MIT
PhD Student—year 4+
Christopher Voigt, Connor Coley
Computational chemistry, synthetic biology
Clean energy, precision agriculture, protein engineering
C3
Eric McShane
mcshane.lithium@gmail.com
We use electrochemical methods to extract lithium from brine solutions and convert to battery grade precursors.
Stanford, CA, US
Co-Founder and CEO at Electroflow
Electroflow
Streamlining and decarbonizing the lithium chemical supply chain.
Founder
I have 3 sisters, each with different color hair
Just left Stanford
Just left Stanford
Just left Stanford
Electrochemical systems
C3
Nikita Kozak
nkozak@stanford.edu
My research is in generalizable data-driven turbulence modeling, tackling the complex multi-scale physics found in many real-world fluid mechanics problems. By leveraging deep learning, my work enhances simulation accuracy at a fraction of the computational cost of traditional approaches. While my passion lies in applying my research to vehicle aerodynamics, specifically for urban aviation, its relevance extends to many other applications from wind and hydro-turbine design to simulating climate systems.
Stanford, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Gianluca Iaccarino Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Developing a novel computational fluid dynamics simulation, applying machine learning to discover hidden physics and using optimization for engineering design
PhD
I can do the splits!
Stanford University
PhD Student—year 4+
Gianluca Iaccarino
Turbulence, Fluid Mechanics, Computational Engineering, Machine Learning
Low-cost renewable energy sources!
C3
Marco Gigantino
thermocatalytic methane pyrolysis, electrochemical CO2 capture
Stanford, CA, US
Postdoctoral Reseacher at Arun Majumdar and Matteo Cargnello Labs at Stanford University
Stanford University
Working on sustainable hydrogen production and carbon dioxide capture/utilization
Postdoc
I joined a few Greta Thunberg's strikes in front of the Swedish Parliament
Stanford University
Postdoc
Matteo Cargnello and Arun Majumdar
CO2 capture, H2 production, thermal energy storage
bio-, photo-, electro-, thermo-chemical processes for sustainable fuel and chemical production
C3
Elena Turkalj
elenamturkalj@gmail.com
In my PhD, I'm researching how the epitranscriptome is involved in neurodevelopment using a brain organoid model. Outside of the lab, I am working on developing a continuous hormone monitor.
Stanford, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Caroline Vissers Lab at UCSF
UCSF
Utilizing cutting-edge human-derived organoid models and human samples to identify molecular pathways in the brain that drive neurogenesis and neurodegeneration.
PhD
I have more neanderthal variants that 98% of 23andMe customers (~12 Million users)!
UC San Francisco
PhD Student—year 4+
Caroline Vissers
Background: Brain organoids, neurodevelopment, RNA biology. Research Interests: biosensors, RNA biology, continuous monitoring.
I am working on a project to build a continuous hormone device. I am interested in biosensors and RNA biology.
C3
Jodie Lunger
jclunger@stanford.edu
My research project is at the intersection of genetics, virology, cancer, and maternal health. My aim is to understand how the reactivation of ancient viral sequences in the human genome contribute to immune tolerance during cancer and also during pregnancy.
Stanford, CA, US
Phd Candidate at Kyle Daniels Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Interested in understanding how combinatorial engineering of proteins can alter immune cell phenotypes.
PhD
I play ice hockey (I also have Canadian citizenship)
Stanford University
PhD Student—year 1 or 2
Dr. Michael Angelo
immune tolerance, human endogenous retroviruses, maternal-fetal interface
aging, autoimmune disease, plant immunology, most things
C3
Manju Pharkavi Murugesu
mmuruges@stanford.edu
I study the integrity of caprocks during CO2 storage in geological formations. I specifically look at mineralization processes to trap CO2.
Stanford, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Tony Kovscek Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Employing an integrative approach of multi-scale and multimodal imaging, machine learning, and fluid flow simulation to show the complex reactive transport dynamics in fractured geological porous media.
PhD
I have survived a shipwreck
Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Stanford
PhD Student—year 4+
Dr. Anthony Kovscek
Decarbonization of hard-to-abate industries
I am also equally excited about cement decarbonization.
C3
Nimit Jain
nimit.jain@gmail.com
I am working on CRISPR screens to better understand the molecular mechanisms of aging and protein homeostasis in mammalian cells.
Stanford, CA, US
Scientist at Peter Walter Lab at Altos Labs & Mike Bassik Lab at Stanford University
Altos Labs
Leading five projects on the molecular mechanisms of cell health and rejuvenation in mammalian cells.
Academia: Scientist
I became fluent in German in college and spent a summer in a village of 5000 people in Germany
Altos Labs, Stanford University
Scientist/Postdoc
Peter Walter, Mike Bassik
Genome wide functional genomics screens in mammalian cells, next gen sequencing, DNA and RNA sequence analysis, rejuvenation, proteostasis
Syn bio for sustainability and environmental protection
C3
Matine Makan'i Azadian
matine@stanford.edu
Development of focused ultrasound as a tool to enhance cerebrospinal fluid transport pathways in order to: (1) enhance delivery of therapeutics to the brain, and (2) promote clearance of deleterious solutes out the brain.
000 Not sure
I've been stung by 19 bees (at the same time)!
Stanford University School of Medicine
PhD Student—year 4+
Raag Airan, MD, PhD and Paul George, MD, PhD
cerebrospinal fluid transport, neurovascular disorders, neuropathology, noninvasive therapeutics
artificial intelligence in preclinical research,
C4
Maria Lukarska
maria.lukarska@gmail.com
My work is dedicated to engineering new enzymes and building systems to select for their functional properties. Currently we are using machine learning-guided designs to create improved gene editors. We can create new editors that could in the long term cure currently untreatable diseases. I believe that the technology that we are creating could make us rethink how we can address genetic diseases and access new possibilities for treatment.
Berkeley, CA, US
Postdoctoral Researcher at Dave Savage Lab at UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley
Developing high-throughput assays for different protein functions
Postdoc
I am on a 1275 days duolingo strike!
UC Berkeley, previously at EMBL Grenoble (France)
15105704874
Philosophy, music, literature, almost everything actually
C4
Chi Zhang
chizhangchem@gmail.com
AI for programmable, predictable, and precision genomic medicines
Cambridge, MA, US
Co-founder at GT Biosciences
GT Biosciences
Enabling in vivo cell reprogramming with AI
Founder
I tried to cut off coffee but it only lasted three months
MIT
16179226218
Science-wise, I'm broadly interested in technologies related to molecules. Hobby-wise, I'm a sports and esports fan
C4
Jules Drean
drean@mit.edu
I want to make it possible for distrusting entities to work together.
Cambridge, MA, US
Co-founder at Tinfoil
Tinfoil
Building infrastructure for end-to-end confidential AI.
Founder
I was a ballet dancer for 11 years.
PhD student at MIT
18573186066
Biotech, healthcare, finance, economics, advertising
C4
Zhizhen Zhong
zhizhenz@mit.edu
I would like to build a new type of data communication system in AI data centers that computes as data moves.
Cambridge, MA, US
Founder and CEO at Stealth Startup
Stealth
Building the next-generation computer infrastructure combining the best of photonics and electronics for memory-intensive AI workloads and beyond.
Founder
MIT
16505262922
the business world, how the capital works
C4
Edwin Neumann
enn@mit.edu
I am developing epigenetic editing tools for neurodegenerative diseases. I hope to see these approaches reach the clinic for a range of historically intractable diseases, including prion and Huntington's
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at Jonathan Weissman Lab at the Whitehead Institute at MIT
MIT
Interested in gene editing and synthetic biology for global health applications
PhD
I am a midwesterner (from Wisconsin) and used to work on a dairy farm in high school
MIT PhD student in Jonathan Weissman's Lab, previously a tech in Feng Zhang's lab at the Broad Institute
16087997945
I have an interest in history (bronze age) and economics. I appreciate learning about science policy and public-private partnerships
C4
Pascal Notin
pascal.notin@gmail.com
I'm conducting research at the intersection of generative AI and protein engineering. My goal is to develop novel enzymes that will support our transition towards a sustainable economy.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoc at Debora Marks Lab at Harvard Medical School
Harvard University
Working on the transformative potential of AI to support the design of novel biomolecules that address problems in medicine, new materials, and sustainability.
Postdoc
Father of an 11-month-old boy
Harvard University
18572704019
New materials, chemistry, batteries
C4
Georg Wachter
georg42@mit.edu
We use intracellular neural networks to solve biological functions. Our first application is to enable multi-step differentiation of stem cells into hard to reach tissues (e.g. cell therapies & their precursors).
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Reseacher at Ron Weiss Lab at MIT
MIT
Building the next generation of gene circuits for synthetic biology in mammalian cells.
Postdoc
I’m a huge board game nerd. More random: A monkey once peed on my head.
MIT (Weiss Lab // Biological Engineering)
16172166816
Electronics, consumer tech, philosophy, and whatever the latest kurzgesagt YouTube video is on…
C4
Johannes Stein
johannes.stein@wyss.harvard.edu
I am building microscopy tools to look into the molecular mechanisms of how our genome functions. I envision a diagnostics platform that i) discerns molecular function and malfunction in health and disease and ii) provides high-throughput screening for drug discovery pipelines.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at George Church Lab at Harvard University
Harvard University
Single-Molecule Localization Microscopy; In Situ Sequencing; DNA-Nanotechnology, DNA-PAINT
Postdoc
Did a 1,000 kilometer hike along the northern coast of spain.
Harvard Medical School / Wyss Institute
18577013766
Basketball, DJing, any kind of sport and outdoor activity
C4
Kenza Samlali
kenzasamlali@gmail.com
I'm passionate about biosecurity and would like to transform the way we manufacture drugs globally, provide accessible diagnostics, and safe and secure genomics for all. Right now, I dream about a world where antivirals are as common as antibiotics, and we don't have to rely fully on vaccines. For the past 8 months, I've been developing an antiviral therapeutic drug that I believe could be a stepping stone towards this.
Cambridge, MA, US
Independent Biotech Consultant
Consulting biotech startups and biopharma on 0->1 operations, CMC strategy, product development strategy and preclinical assay design.
Consultant
I will be going on a 350 mile bikepacking trip during the program!
Panoplia Laboratories (Alvea, Concordia Uni)
15142687602
botany, food security, space exploration, climate change (and geoengineering), digital democracy, cybersecurity, design/architecture/furniture
C4
Stefan Bjelosevic
stefan_bjelosevic@dfci.harvard.edu
As a cancer researcher, I know all too well the heavy burden that comes with a cancer diagnosis. The tests, the hospital visits, the therapy – for which the standard of care for most hasn't changed in decades. Until now, cancer has been managed largely through chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, with many other other aspects of holistic wellbeing not considered – such as what we eat. My vision is to revolutionize the way we approach a patient's diet during cancer care. I am passionate about developing innovative food-based solutions that can be employed to not only improve the potency of anti-cancer agents, but also to improve the duration of response to therapy, thus adding another weapon to our arsenal in the fight against cancer.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Fellow at Kimberly Stegmaier Lab at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Harvard Medical School
Harvard University
Working on pediatric hematological malignancies, and the discovery of new cancer targets and small-molecule therapeutic leads
Postdoc
Prior to moving to the US, I was a video referee in the Australian Football League (also known as Aussie Rules) – the premier national sport in Australia!
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
16175818553
Very different from my research, I am fascinated by the technical art and skill behind film photography and manually develop and process my film. I also have a deep interest in how we can better understand health data as consumers – i.e., we have a deluge of information available to us from all of our "smart health" devices. What do we make of this information?
C4
Alexis Ralli
alexis.ralli@tufts.edu
Our vision is to reduce the time and cost in bringing a drug to market by leveraging computational resources. Ultimately, providing new therapeutic care to patients suffering now.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral fellow at Tufts University
Tufts University
Designing algorithms for solving electronic structure using ideas from quantum foundations.
Postdoc
I like to homebrew
Tufts University, University College London, QMatter, Quantinuum, GlaxoSmithKline
16172517707
Data science, artificial intelligence, mathematics, global politics, green energy, recycling projects
C4
Tay Shin
tayshinmit@gmail.com
I aim to leverage my expertise in bioengineering, chemistry, biology, and machine learning to transform the drug delivery field and fully unleash the potential of genomic medicine.
Cambridge, MA, US
Co-founder at GT Biosciences
GT Biosciences
Enabling in vivo cell reprogramming with AI
Founder
I'm naturally skeptical but have a very positive attitude.
MIT
16178038837
aerospace and climate
C4
Itamar Chinn
itamar@chinn.com
Complex biological systems are defined by networks of biomolecular interactions (e.g. PPIs, metabolic networks, etc) and forces (e.g. condensates). We believe that AI models in biology are on the verge of “solving” biomolecular interactions. This opens up the gates to highly accurate simulations of entire biological systems. Protein folding allowed us to design proteins, now it’s time to design systems. We have a vision where using protein design models, interaction models and system-level perturbation models, we can design completely new biological systems (dare we say organisms…). Our first goal is to de novo design a molecular factory, able to produce novel chemistry for drug discovery applications and beyond.
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at Regina Barzilay Lab at MIT
MIT
Developing new machine learning methods for applications in the life sciences
PhD
I used to work at a video game company
Regina Barzilay Lab @ MIT CSAIL
12032527539
I love coffee!
C4
Mengdie Wang
elyon.wang@gmail.com
My work is dedicated to developing effective therapies for lethal cancers. My vision is to reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with cancers and help patients live longer with a better quality of life.
Cambridge, MA, US
Co-founder and CEO at RedPoint Oncology
RedPoint Oncology
Eliminating therapy resistant cancers using next-generation payloads for antibody-drug conjugates
Founder
I prefer to be on the right side when walking with people side by side
UMass Medical School, RedPoint Oncology
15203017818
Mindfulness, space, outdoor, animal warefare, psycology, cooking, painting, guitar, piano, acting
C4
Monica Cesinger
cesinger@berkeley.edu
I am passionate about the potential of engineered biology to enable a safer and more resilient planet. At the moment, I trying to understand the potential of a platform to deliver personalized biotech solutions for mining.
Cambridge, MA, US
Associate at Flagship Pioneering
Flagship Pioneering
Taking big leaps into scientific white space to develop breakthrough technologies in health and sustainability.
VC
I've grown an ancient variety of beans that were discovered in a 1500 year old cave site
Martinez-Gomez Lab, UC Berkeley
14048050572
I am really interested in how we can apply biological concepts, like immune systems, to better security and transparency in the virtual world
C4
Fausto Capelluto
f.capelluto@calafatebio.com
I want to make drugs that truly cure patients, not symptoms, and better drugs start with better targets. My work focuses on unlocking a 360 view of mitochondrial biology in disease, moving way past bioenergetics. Mitochondrial dysfunction holds a causal role in a variety of diseases, including our first indicator, neurodegeneration. With our organelle-level computational pipeline, we can leverage novel insights to create first-in-class mitochondrial therapeutics for patient subtypes.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Principal Scientist, IDEA at Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk
Industry
I am colorblind and have ran into SEVERAL microscopy mishaps XD
Calafate Bio, Northeastern University, Volastra Therapeutics, Harvard Medical
19545949455
AI software integration, biomanufacturing and biological material science
C4
Dan Voicu
daniacobv@gmail.com
I want to unlock the biodiversity of the natural world, and in doing so create better therapeutics, but also leverage these discoveries for better bioprocesses (generally). I am working on improving biosynthetic pathway elucidation. We acquire so many interesting compounds both medicinal, or environmental (like saponins as soaps), but we know relatively little about the actual metabolic pathways that let us elucidate these pathways, and elucidating them is a slow and laborious process. Since many of the compounds produced by biology are inaccessible by synthetic chemistry we aim to use synthetic biology to speed up the discovery process.
I want to build this because I feel that unlocking nature's vast biodiversity is key to us better understanding and building with biology. If we truly believe we are going to live in a biotic society in the next 25 years, we need to be able to understand what is happening in the pathways we want to engineer and control.
Greater Edmonton Metropolitan Area
000 Not sure
I used to play soccer professionally in Canada (in the Canadian premier league, where I was the captain of the reserve team, and played once before deciding to leave home for university when I was 17). Many of my friends from there are playing in europe (second division german, a couple in first divisions in spain and england). I also love playing piano, but have not practiced in a while :(.
McGill University - Codruta Ignea Department of Bioengineering is where I am currently affiliated. Have also been previously associated with McGill iGEM (see top 10 in 2022, and grand prize winners in 2023). Have also worked in Multhaup lab, Chen lab at McGill, and Irina Dinu lab at University of Alberta.
17807001512
I am extremely curious about simulating cells - that said, how can we improve our spatio-temporal understanding of cells such that we can make better informed engineering decisions about biology. Generally I am quite interested in the disease prevention ("longevity" or healthy living rather) space, as well as climate tech and plant engineering. There is just too much crazy science going on, and I am just sad that I don't have time to learn it all. I would love to push the frontier of being a great founder, and then try to make other great science possible.
C4
Josh Zelina
joshua.zelina3@gmail.com
I want to get my technology out of the lab and making an impact in the real world.
Idaho Falls, ID, US
Advanced Fuel Manufacturing Research Professional at Idaho National Laboratory
Idaho National Laboratory
Developing commercially-viable manufacturing technique
Academia: Researcher?
I’ve lost my pants at work 4 times in one day
Idaho National Laboratory
18144407050
Space exploration/infrastructure
C4
Daniel Hochberg
dhochber@usc.edu
I've known I wanted to do something with space and 3D printing since middleschool. I fell in love with rocket design in college and spent many an all nighter learning how to manufacture/design high precision parts. I'm currently in my first job at a rocket company that specializes in 3D printing called Relativity Space. I am the mechanical responsible engineer for our rocket's video system, autonomous flight safety system, flight computer, and more! I'm also getting my Master's in Astronautical Engineering part time. Day to day I perform lots of hand calculations, CAD, finite element modeling, vibe/shock/thermal/humidity testing, provide mechanical expertise to electrical engineers, DFM, present work, and more! I envision a world that is not resource constrained, one that will never have to ration water, food, precious metals, semiconductors, fuel, or any material needed to advance human progress. The only way I see this happening is by large scale off-world resource extraction. Once I get "enough" technical and soft skill experience I hope I can start working on making this happen.
Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, CA, US
Avionics Mechanical Integration Engineer at Relativity Space
Relativity Space
Designing views + integrating over two dozen custom ruggedized cameras into our vehicle to capture the magic of Terran R
Big tech/deep tech
I'm weirdly good at the diabolo.
Avionics Engineer at Relativity Space
13144789033
Neurotechnology and brain machine interfaces are huge interests of mine I have not explored in depth. Beyond that human life support systems for spacecraft is another field I want to grow in.
C4
Matteo Guareschi
mmguar@caltech.edu
I work with DNA as everything but the molecule of life. To me it's the molecule of information, computation, structure. I want to expand that, bringing biological approaches and molecules to manufacturing.
Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, CA, US
Clinical Development Project Manager at Biostate AI
Biostate AI
Developing generative AI to predict how each living being's health changes
Early stage startup
I've never been licensed or in the military, but I've flown a military plane!
Caltech
16263544964
I'm especially interested in climate research. I am also passionate about science-based cooking, music history, and contemporary art
C4
Maxim Zaslavsky
maxim@maximz.com
50 million Americans — 80% of them women — have autoimmune diseases, but diagnosis takes years because there are no reliable lab tests and early symptoms are non-specific. Our goal is to bring precision medicine to autoimmunity. We’re building Mal-ID, a new type of blood test to find molecular signatures of autoimmune disease based on DNA sequencing and machine learning.
New York City, NY, US
PhD Candidate at Anshul Kundaje and Scott Boyd Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Working on a method to find the target pathogens that human immune receptors can pattern match, using deep learning language models of immune sequence patterns.
PhD
love to play jazz music
5th year Stanford computer science PhD student. Previously: product manager at Butterfly Network responsible for ultrasound imaging software
18584496397
synthetic biology for agriculture - going pro-GMO
C4
Gennaro Liccardo
gennaroliccardo1@gmail.com
I work on understanding the fundamentals of chemical transformations and how they can be more efficiently performed using the right catalysts.
I want to use this to address resource scarcity and pollution/waste issues
Palo Alto, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Stacey Bent and Matteo Cargnello Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Focuses on the synthesis of tailored materials for heterogeneous catalysis combining colloidal nanocrystals and atomic layer deposition
PhD
I've lived in 4 different countries in the last 5 years
Cargnello lab, Bent lab, Stanford University
16503914183
Food science (vegan alternatives, lab grown meat etc.); Water scarcity and its better utilization (was exposed to the concept at P&G, check out the 50L Home coalition if you're curious)
C4
Ariane Mora
amora@caltech.edu
Biofuels which are quantifiably carbon negative so that there is a positive impact towards mitigating the effects of climate change.
Pasadena, CA, US
Postdoctoral Researcher at Frances Arnold Lab at Caltech
Caltech
Working on protein engineering for bio-remediation
Postdoc
I sew my own clothes :D (sometimes)
Caltech
16266308051
Anything bio. How caves work and the dioversity of life that exists at the fringes of the world - think deep thermal vents, it's kind of like the space on earth.
C4
Niccolo Cymbalist
I am working on a zero-emission ocean freight transportation system the consists of a fleet of small, autonomous, wind-powered cargo vessels. My vision for the future of marine transportation is decentralized, simple, and low-impact, all while providing a more streamlined experience to those moving freight between continents.
Redwood City, CA, US
Co-founder and CEO at Clippership
Clippership
Improving ocean and waterway freight by deploying autonomous wind-powered cargo vessels.
Founder
I grew up on a self sufficient farm.
Tesla, Mercedes F1, Caltech Aeronautics
Space, aviation
C4
Victor Tieu
vtieu@stanford.edu
Reprogramming immune cell behavior using synthetic biology-driven solutions for better patient outcomes.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Scientist at Site Therapeutics
Site Therapeutics
Conducting high-throughput functional genomics in human cells to build a blueprint for fine-tuned control of immune cell function.
Early stage startup
I used to play the bell tower back at Berkeley!
Qi & Mackall labs, Stanford
19724005250
leadership, business, technical areas: in vivo crispr therapeutics & gene editing
C4
Scott Riggs
scott.c.riggs@gmail.com
My Work
I'm passionate about harnessing AI to accelerate innovation and scientific discovery. My research centers on using Bayesian optimization to tackle the challenges of complex systems, particularly temporal-spatial systems with limited experimental data. This has applications ranging from streamlining synthetic DNA assembly to optimizing large-scale supply chains.
I envision a world where AI accelerates progress by transforming how we tackle complex systems. Companies shouldn't be held back by a lack of AI expertise; my goal is to create accessible tools that empower them to optimize processes, drive innovation, and achieve breakthroughs. These advancements won't just boost their bottom line – they can lead to faster scientific discoveries, reduced environmental impact, and more cost-effective solutions across industries.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Founder at Stealth Startup
Stealth
Founder
I've motorcycled across the US more than 10 times.
Applied Materials
14152985694
Building large scale art installations
C4
Bonnie Maven
bonnie@vertilityhealth.com
I'm harnessing the full genetic power of sperm for healthier babies.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Founder and CEO at Vertility Health
Vertility Health
Transforming fertility technology
Founder
I technically grew up on an island
Startup
15129251003
Anything dog/pet/vet-related!
C4
Daniel Almonacid
daniel@drugdevs.com
The drug development industry has largely overlooked the role of the commensal microbiota in human health. We will leverage the current knowledge of the microbiome together with advancements in protein structure prediction to systematically uncover bacterial targets for drug development. Initially, these efforts will improve the efficacy of FDA-approved drugs or those that were safe but failed in phase 2 or 3 clinical trials. In the long term, this approach will deliver targets and drugs for health conditions lacking current therapeutic interventions.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Co-founder and CEO at Data Root
Data Root
Leveraging cutting-edge technologies and data-driven insights to improve the health and well-being of people with chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and irritable bowel syndrome.
Founder
I am the scientist with the most patents in the microbiome field worldwide.
CEO of DrugBiome. Previously I was CSO at Digbi Health, Head of Data Science and Product Development at Biome Makers, SVP of Science and Innovation at uBiome, Adjunct Professor of Bioinformatics at U. Andres Bello, postdoc in bioengineering and therapeutic sciences at UCSF, PhD in molecular informatics for the U. of Cambridge. Cofounder of a few startups, advisor.
14155216913
Leadership, management, brain circulation, marketing, fostering innovation.
C4
Sung Yeon
sung.yeon@yale.edu
My work focuses on building proteogenomic and functional tools to identify novel tumor-specific epitopes so that we can build safer immunotherapies.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Senior Manager at Bain & Company
Bain & Company
Focusing on due diligence services for Private Equity and Corporate clients across the technology and services sectors.
Consultant
Competing in an ironman this year
Dr. Aaron Ring, Yale University/Fred Hutch
16616448770
mental health, aging, cardiovascular health, radiopharmaceuticals
C4
Alex Araki
alexaraki.me@gmail.com
A world where animal models can be reproduced and readily available for researchers to use. This could then significantly accelerate the pace of new drug development and research to create new cures, faster.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Founde at Stealth Startup
Stealth
Animals + Gene Therapy, preclinical development, single cell biology, health/lifespan, sci-comm.
Founder
different colored eyes!
Gordian Biotechnology
12035854499
climate tech, fitness/nutrition, backpacking
C4
Robert Bertrand
r.bertrand@hotmail.com
Build a bioreactor platform that can make commodity molecules cost-competitively with petroleum or petroleum-derived products. This will be achieved by feeding H2 and CO2 to industrial microorganisms.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Postdoctoral Fellow at Joint BioEnergy Institute
Joint BioEnergy Institute
Postdoc
I have an African Grey parrot named Juno (That's the species of bird well-known for talking). She can use some English words in their correct context, and we taught her how to high-five and shake a paw. I built an aviary for her to enjoy the outdoors.
Joint BioEnergy Institute
15106797468
I love carpentry and DIY. I *literally* grew up in a hardware store. I have a cottage in Ontario that I'm working to renovate. I'm eager to learn and practice skills in carpentry, plumbing, electrical, masonry, et cetera. The amount of online tutorials that are available on every building subject is truly astounding.
C4
Guanhua He
philiphgh@gmail.com
We are building next-generation peptide therapeutics to drug the undruggable targets in cancer
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Postdoctoral Scholar at William Greenleaf and Possu Huang Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Developing a next-generation peptide therapeutics platform combining computational design and high-throughput screening.
Postdoc
I found most of my hobby after 22
Stanford University
16099175599
Anything in biology or science. Happy to learn more.
C4
Alexander Koch
alex@alexkoch.ai
I want to build a general AI for robots. A single AI that controls different kinds of robots like robot arms, humanoids, and groups of humanoids on diverse tasks.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Co-Founder and CEO at Tau Robotics
Tau Robotics
We are building a general AI for robots
Founder
Founder of Tau Robotics
4917649472206
C4
Jinwei Xu
jinweixu@uw.edu
Expanding the information bandwidth by integrating biochemistry with electronics.
Seattle, WA, US
Translational Investigator at David Baker, Jens Gundlach, David Bergsman Lab at University of Washington
University of Washington
Leveraging AI-driven protein design to create custom protein nanopores integrated with semiconductors—laying the groundwork for a new era in nanopore technology, with the goal of achieving a sub-$10 human genome.
Translational Investigator
I have lived a minimalist life in a camper van for one year while traveling across America.
University of Washington, Institute for Protein Design
16507998341
Artificial womb
C4
Alexis Courbet
courbet.alexis@gmail.com
My transition from academia to entrepreneurship is motivated by the development of a transformative technology expanding the information bandwidth between human biology and digital technologies.
Together with my partner Jinwei Xu, we pioneered an approach leveraging protein design and nanolithography to provide the first scalable interface between biochemistry and electronics, vastly expanding our ability to sense biological molecules with unprecedented levels of detail. This innovation is not merely an improvement over existing technologies; it is a leap towards a future where digital and biological systems could be seamlessly integrated.
Our work has the potential to solve remaining challenges for personalized medicine, environmental monitoring, and beyond, setting a new frontier in bioelectronics. Our project scope and ambition mark a complete departure from anything done before, aiming to reshape our understanding and interaction with the natural world on a molecular level, and transform human biology into an information technology.
With a background from synthetic biology to the frontiers of AI-based protein design, together with Jinwei we forged a synergistic partnership that leverages computational biochemistry with cutting-edge nanofabrication techniques. Our focus goes beyond transformational science to bring real-world impact. Together we share the same entrepreneurial vision and complementary skill set to bring our completely novel concept to market.
Seattle, WA, US
Translational Investigator at University of Washington
University of Washington
Developing cutting-edge computational AI-based and experimental methods to design and fabricate synthetic protein nanomachines for medicine, bionanotechnologies, and beyond.
Postdoc?
I am passionate about skiing volcanoes
Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington and Howard Hughes Medical Institute
12069817109
Too many to list here!
C4
Preetham Venkatesh
preetham@uw.edu
My work and vision are geared towards two outcomes: 1) Early detection of diseases through patient-friendly testing. I believe making cost-effective, reliable diagnostic tests will have the most immediate impact in healthcare. 2) Better therapeutics for chronic conditions like diabetes and pain.
Seattle, WA, US
PhD Candidate at David Baker Lab at University of Washington
University of Washington
Designing sequence-specific proteases
PhD
I love running and recently ran my first half mararthon! I also enjoy soccer, chess and salsa dancing.
David Baker Lab, Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington
12062099866
Synthetic biology! Especially for environmental applications
C4
Mohamad Abedi
mabedi@uw.edu
I am working at the intersection of computational protein design and high throughput experimental biology to decode and re-engineer cell signaling
Seattle, WA, US
Postdoctoral Fellow at David Baker Lab at University of Washington
University of Washington
Designing proteins to understand and manipulate cell signaling networks
Postdoc
I love Anthony Bourdain
Current: Institute for protein design, UW Seattle. Previous: Caltech
19492781609
how to build cheaper scRNAseq methods, plant engineering
C4
Brandon Clark
bdclark4@stanford.edu
I research materials and electrochemical systems for resource recovery from wastewater. I envision a system that can recover ammonia, phosphate, and carbon dioxide from wastewater while generating desalinated water, acid, and base. I hope to advance a circular and sustainable economy of resources.
Stanford, CA, US
Ecopreneur Fellow at Stanford Impact Founder Fellowship
Stanford University
Interested in the fields of green chemical production, electrocatalysis, wastewater treatment, chemical separations, sustainable development, and environmental materials science.
Founder: Fellowship
I have central heterochromia. My eyes have an inner and outer ring of colors.
Tarpeh Lab, Stanford University
15084558864
AI, biomass valorization, energy technology, plastic recycling
C4
Geoffrey Stanley
gmstanle@gmail.com
I'm most interested in building LLM-based applications for biotech, helping biotech companies manage and communicate their scientific knowledge. But open to more traditional biotech plays particularly in single-cell 'omics drug discovery.
Stanford, CA, US
Staff Bioinformatics and Data Scientist at GRAIL
Grail
Developing next-generation early cancer screening tests at Grail.
Late stage startup
I used to have a giant afro, and Barack Obama complimented it
GRAIL
16503802036
how to make use of china's massive factory glut, defense tech, splice isoform-specific therapeutics
C4
Jon Bezney
jbezney@stanford.edu
Designing programmable enzymes leveraging nature and AI. I envision precision medicine that leverages personalized genomics.
Stanford, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Stanley Qi and Lars Steinmetz Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Interested in combinatorial perturbations, multiomics, machine learning and algorithmic inspired method development
PhD
I was an offensive lineman so I can eat 36 dumplings at one time
Stanford, Broad Institute, Jumpcode Genomics
15136004658
Health care. Human fitness and preventative health through exercise, nutrition, supplements, sleep etc. How we can utilize technology and big data to optimize human health.
C4
Scott Leighow
smleighow@gmail.com
My vision is to translate evolutionary gene therapies for cancer into a clinical reality. I’ve spent 6 years building and evaluating therapeutic genetic circuits in a lab, and now I’m ready to take the next steps towards bringing these therapies to cancer patients.
State College, PA, US
Co-Founder of Red Ace Bio
Red Ace Bio
Developing evolutionary genetic medicines to target drug resistance in cancer.
Founder
I’d like to visit all US National Parks, I’m about halfway there.
Postdoc in the Pritchard Lab at Penn State; co-founder of Red Ace Bio
15702043807
Not sure if this is too far removed from my research, but I’ve always been really interested in economics (how individual incentives/decisions emerge as macro-scale statistics) and linguistics (what languages can tell us about natural human history).
C4
Daniel Rahn
danielwrahn@gmail.com
I want to reduce waste and inefficiency in manufacturing. My goal is to develop a low cost system to improve inspections in electronics manufacturing and more effectivly identify defects.
Sunnyvale, CA, US
Founder of Metal As Fuel
Metal As Fuel
Making metla do more
Founder
I lived in a sailboat for a while! (Currently in staying it)
SpaceX
13039902875
Anything to do with biology, chemistry, computer science,
C4
Neil Mitra
mitra.neil@gmail.com
At Mitra Biotechnologies, we are aiming to build the transistor for diagnostic biology. I want to build a future where custom healthcare diagnostics are rapidly deployed at the rate of software and as easily accessible as over-the-counter medication.
Waterloo, ON, Canada
Founder and CEO at Mitra Biotechnologies
Mitra Biotechnologies
Building next-generation diagnostic platforms using nanomaterials.
Founder
I paint abstract art in my free time!
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mitra Biotechnologies Inc. | Presidential Scholar @ UBC | Masason Foundation Member | Z Fellow |Prev. @TNO, NOKIA
16479821736
Philosophy, Literature, and Visual Art
C5
Norh Asmare
norhasmare@gmail.com
I want to transform therapeutic cell manufacturing testing from a labor-intensive, fragmented science into an autonomous, massively scalable manufacturing workflow
Atlanta, GA, US
Postdoctoral Researcher at Fatih Sarioglu Lab at Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech
Building autonomous manufacturing for advanced therapies
Postdoc
I play guitar 🤘
Biomedical Microsystems Lab @ Georgia Tech
18574171599
Soccer tactics.
C5
Muntathar Al-Shimary
muntathar_alshimary@berkeley.edu
Bacteriophages are in a constant arms race with the bacteria they prey upon, leading to the evolution of creative and novel enzymatic functions. Many of biotechnology’s most essential proteins have been sourced from bacteriophages; however, these proteins typically come from the most well-studied phages. Despite this, there exists a vast, unexplored diversity of proteins within other phages that has yet to be tapped.
Two major barriers hinder this exploration: the first is the bioinformatic discovery and isolation of these phages, and the second is the ability to study them in high-throughput—or in some cases, any throughput—systems. To overcome these challenges, we have developed a method for high-throughput characterization of phage genomes, regardless of whether they are ssDNA, dsDNA, ssRNA, dsRNA, or even form novel structures to conceal their genomes. By targeting phage genes at the RNA level, we have opened up a new frontier for phage characterization and gene discovery.
Berea, Kentucky, US
PhD Candidate at Jennifer Doudna and Dave Savage Labs at Stanford University
Stanford University
Interested in the discovery and characterization of new CRISPR-Cas effectors.
PhD
I am banned from entering Kuwait on the charge of witchcraft
Doudna and Savage Labs UC Berkeley
15023795564
It depends on what you mean. I'm curious about an exceptionally wide range of topics. Scientifically, I'm interested in neuroscience and the emergent properties of consciousness, protein evolution and the acquisition of domains through evolutionary history, creating protein allostery, genetic engineering in broad terms, the genetics of fungi and slime molds, DNA origami, and protein discovery.
C5
Karl Krauth
karl.krauth@gmail.com
In 20 years, microfluidics will be as impactful as the microprocessor. General-purpose microfluidic chips will be running in every biotech lab, generating petabytes of data to power the next generation of AI models, leading to exponential progress in therapeutics research.
As a first step toward this vision, I’m creating a programmable microfluidic device that can measure 100 million protein-protein interactions in a single experiment, which will be 1 million times cheaper to run than contemporary methods. I’m planning to use this device to provide large-scale datasets for pharmaceutical companies and to train my own machine learning models to guide protein design.
Berkeley, CA, US
Postdoctoral Researcher at Polly Fordyce Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Developing high throughput microfluidic assays and machine learning methods to predict protein-protein interactions.
Postdoc
My full name is so long it regularly crashes the check-in system at airports.
Currently a postdoc at Stanford University in a microfluidics lab, previously I did my PhD in machine learning at UC Berkeley.
13413148432
Right now I'm particularly curious about mechanical engineering/manufacturing, chemistry, optics, and computer graphics.
C5
Jase Gehring
jase.gehring@gmail.com
I develop advanced technology to make discoveries in biology. I have always seen biology as a data-limited field, and now I'm looking to combine generative modeling with high-throughput and pooled experiments, using cutting-edge data and modeling to bring new therapies into existence.
Berkeley, CA, US
Founding scientist at Arcadia Science
Arcadia Science
Developing new technologies involving DNA sequencing, multiplexed experimentation, and genetic engineering.
Founder? Industry?
I've grown thousands of plants. As a kid my first biology experiment was secretly crossing my mom's tulips. In high school I worked in a greenhouse, speaking only Spanish with my immigrant co-workers. Then in college I helped perform one of the first large-scale surveys of the plant root microbiome. Still have my green thumb :)
Streets Lab, UC Berkeley (previous Latent Labs, Arcadia Science, UW, Caltech, UC Berkeley)
14029909482
I love being outside in nature and I take advantage of living in Northern California. I'm learning to play guitar, and I'm nurturing a long-held interest in woodworking
C5
Chad Wilson
wilsonct@mit.edu
Solutions to water scarcity
Cambridge, MA, US
Director of Engineering at Stealth Startup
Stealth
Developing sustainable technologies to address some of today's most pressing challenges, and thrive at the intersection of engineering, design, and environmental impact.
PhD
I compete gymnastics
MIT
17346609497
finance
C5
Anubhav Sinha
anu@sinha.bio
My goal is to systematically map the involvement of the peripheral nervous system in nearly every disease, and to design novel therapeutics that target this missing puzzle piece of human biology.
Cambridge, MA, US
000 Not sure
When I was a toddler, I was bitten by a monkey in a zoo!
Ed Boyden Lab, MIT
15072692062
Honestly, almost anything science/engineering-y.
C5
Chao Cao
caochao39@gmail.com
Autonomous mobile robots that are useful in people's daily life
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at Ji Zhang and Howie Choset Lab at Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Studying autonomous navigation for mobile robots.
PhD
I like seafood
Carnegie Mellon University / Boston Dynamics AI Institute
14126166870
Manufacturing/Radar Technologies/Marketing/Recommendation System
C5
Boqiang Tu
btu@mit.edu
We are building a transformative technology that measures protein activity in ultra-high throughput, which enables AI-driven engineering of next-generation therapeutics and industrial enzymes
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at Kevin Esvelt and Tim Lu Lab at MIT
MIT
Enabling AI-driven protein fitness landscape prediction and exploration by developing new experimental tools (DHARMA) to generate large-scale protein fitness data.
PhD
I lived in Alaska for 4 years!
MIT
14029379234
Longevity, brain-computer interface, space exploration
C5
Vikram Sundar
vsundar@mit.edu
(for all of these questions, read Bo's answers as well for context.)
We aim to make protein engineering easy by combining large quantities of data generated by novel high-throughput assays and the most high-powered machine learning available today. This will allow us to engineer very specific proteins like proteases that can cut arbitrary sequences very accurately, which would profoundly impact the fields of biomanufacturing and medicine. We are also thinking about applications like gene editors and other enzymes to which our platforms can be easily extended.
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at Kevin Esvelt Lab at MIT
MIT
Developing machine learning models for fitness inference from noisy experimental data.
PhD
I'm an avid classical pianist! Check my YouTube if you want to see my performances.
Sculpting Evolution Lab (Kevin Esvelt), MIT
14086033430
Deep tech/underexplored solutions for climate change, pandemic prevention
C5
Jacob van de Lindt
jacobvandelindt@gmail.com
I aim to build a company that substantially helps reduce the emissions of the maritime industry, as well as works towards ocean sustainability causes. The key technology piece is utilizing over fifty years of engineering excellence in the fission industry, as well as its new advances, and combining these with recent breakthroughs in fusion energy technology to produce a fleet of fission-fusion hybrid powered cargo container ships. This combination of technologies would play to the strengths of each: lowering the risk/physics requirements of the fusion plasma, while at the same time potentially reducing the nuclear waste of the fission system, and enhancing its overall safety.
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at MIT
MIT
Studying RF heating of fusion plasmas.
PhD
I am a second degree black belt in taekwondo
MIT
15038057150
Yes! I'd love to interact with people interested in biotechnology and aerospace. Both are fields with similar requirements in terms of risks and engineering difficulty.
C5
Aditya Venkatramani
adityavignesh94@gmail.com
I am building a device to measure tissues' RNA/ DNA/ protein content at single-cell resolution with genome-scale sensitivity. My vision is to enable the creation the usage of genomic data to understand organs and organisms in their native or abnormal states.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Xiaowei Zhuang Lab at Harvard University
Harvard University
Profiling biomolecules in tissues with high resolution.
Postdoc
I love climbing mountains!
Harvard University
15104231957
A lot actually! I've myself jumped fields from quantum physics to genomics. I am curious about neuroscience, emergent phenomena in biology, geology, various aspects of climate, quantum algorithms, philosophy of knowledge ...
C5
Sasha Gao
wgao2@mit.edu
Cambridge, MA, US
Research Specialist at Fikile Brushett Lab at MIT
MIT
Developing a Li-ion convection battery prototype.
Academia: Research Specialist
I hate chocolate and I am afraid of dogs.
Brushett group at MIT
12074085555
Developing soft skills (leadership, influence skills, public speaking, etc.). I'm also very into skiing and piano and always seek to become better.
C5
Marika Ziesack
marikaziesack@gmail.com
I'm exploring the concept of refinery-inspired biomanufacturing, centered on three key ideas: using C1 feedstock from waste sources, super-charged bioprocessing to convert feedstock into products, and a biological downstream approach for waste-free purification. I'm also focused on partnership models and strategies for rapid revenue generation. This approach aims to create a sustainable, efficient system for producing sustainable materials from low-cost, waste-derived inputs.
Cambridge, MA, US
Visiting Scholar at Wyss Institute at Harvard University
Harvard University
Advising researchers on spin-out process and supporting strategic planning of Sustainability Initiative
Academia: Scholar
I am an Alien of Extraordinary Ability
Current: Senior Scientist at Wyss Institute at Harvard University; Past: CTO at Circe Bioscience Inc.
16179531549
Sports (Taekwon-Do, running, rock climbing), wine (I plan to retire on a bio-enhanced vineyard, ask me about it ;)), languages (currently learning french and spanish)
C5
Jason Zhang
ymjzhang@mit.edu
My research is focused on HIV vaccines and cancer immunotherapy. I wish to build cutting-edge biotechnologies that harness our immune system to improve human health.
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at Christopher Love and Darrell Irvine Labs at MIT
MIT
Focusing on engineering vaccine delivery approaches to improve antibody-mediated immune response and developing high-throughput single-cell genomic tools and computational pipelines to study the mechanism of action of vaccines.
PhD
I was on an Indian Bollywood fusion dance team in college, and we competed in and won national tournaments.
PhD Candidate in Biological Engineering at MIT
16172299080
Machine learning and agriculture
C5
Michael Massen-Hane
mmassenh@mit.edu
I'm a Postdoctoral Associate working on new carbon dioxide capture systems that have the potential to be widely and inexpensively deployed. I'm working towards decarbonizing our power generation and industrial sectors to secure a safer and sustainable planet for future generations.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Associate at Alan Hatton Lab at MIT
MIT
Investigating novel electrochemical separation methods with specific applications in carbon dioxide capture.
Postdoc
I've never broken a bone.
MIT
18026890704
I am interested in the pursuit of deploying human settlements on Mars and ultimately terraforming the planet for human habitation. This curiosity drove me towards chemical engineering, a knowledge set that enables planet level transformation.
C5
Younhun Kim
youn.kim.3181@gmail.com
I currently work on genomics-related computational/statistical methods for the microbiome. I think that the microbiome is a large missing link in our understanding of health. I want to build algorithms (with or without AI) to understand it better and design non-invasive treatments for some of humankind's persistent ailments.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral research fellow at Brigham and Women's Hospital / Harvard Medical School
Harvard University
Working on problems related to the microbiome
Postdoc
My wife and I got married last year. We went to South Korea for our honeymoon!
Current: Mass General Brigham (Previous: MIT)
16465733646
1. Biological/Bacterial engineering, 2. Multi-agent systems in robotics, 3. Statistics and math that hasn't yet made their way into practice, but show promise, 4. anything related to tackling the impending climate crisis. 5. STEM-oriented outreach opportunities
C5
Nils Burger
Nils_Burger@dfci.harvard.edu
Sleep is a major determinant of longevity and protective against metabolic, cardiovascular, and age-related diseases. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying sleep. I propose that metabolic adaptations during sleep regulate cellular functions and thereby convey health promoting and pro-longevity effects. Defining the metabolic principles of sleep will provide us with a unique therapeutic handle which we can leverage to develop a new class of therapeutics to target and activate the pro-health mechanisms of sleep. Harnessing sleep will revolutionize the way we age.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Edward Chouchani Lab at Harvard University
Harvard University
Characterising a new class of metabolite-mediated post-translational modification as crucial physiological signalling modality using advanced chemo-proteomics and metabolomics strategies
Postdoc
I learned Hungarian and speak it fluently although it is not useful very often.
Chouchani Lab, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. Previously, Murphy Lab at the University of Cambridge, UK
16179926282
I find the current AI boom fascinating and I can't get enough of learning about more exciting areas where AI will change the planet and our lives
C5
Trent Weiss
tweiss7@mit.edu
My work focuses on developing advanced lithium-ion battery cell architectures that address many of the current limitations in such battery technology. Rather than relying solely on new materials, our approach leverages an engineering perspective to overcome fundamental issues related to mass and thermal transport. This strategy has the promise of enhancing both the performance and lifespan of lithium-ion batteries, making them more effective and reliable.
Our goal is to accelerate and expand the adoption of energy storage solutions for electric vehicles and grid applications while unlocking new possibilities for battery use in sectors like trucking and drones. We envision a future where energy is more sustainable, accessible, and reliable, with solutions that seamlessly integrate into modern infrastructure to create a more resilient and adaptable energy ecosystem.
Cambridge, MA, US
PhD Candidate at Fikile Brushett Lab at MIT
MIT
Working on innovative electrode fabrication techniques and cell architectures for developing lithium-ion batteries with electrolyte flow.
PhD
I have a twin sister
MIT, Brushett Lab PhD Candidate (5th year)
12157710162
While my focus is on electrochemistry and batteries, I'm broadly interested in any technologies/areas focused on the climate
C5
Michael Nitzsche
nitzsche@mit.edu
My work is in electrochemically driven carbon capture for decarbonizing heavy industry, and I am hoping to start a company to mitigate hard-to-abate emissions. I'm passionate about sustainability and the environment, and my career goal is to maximize my negative carbon footprint.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Associate at Alan Hatton Lab at MIT
MIT
Researching in electrochemically mediated carbon capture
Postdoc
I can juggle!
Hatton Research Group - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
19082278184
I really enjoy learning about ecology and the natural world
C5
Utkarsh Sharma
usharma1729@gmail.com
One (bad) way to program a computer is by changing the melting point of copper wires or doping of silicon transistors. In contrast, high level intervention via programming languages offers robust, precision control and prevents unintended side-effects. Medicine needs to move in the same direction-- precise, high-level interventions that do not bypass the checks and balances of the human system.
The (gut-)microbiome holds this potential, and consequently for the first time we see the promise of a true cure for many chronic ailments. We are building Microbial General Intelligence (MGI), an AI that will understand the microbiome with context, allowing the development of microbiome therapeutics.
Cambridge, MA, US
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Travid Gibson Lab at Harvard University
Harvard University
Building Microbial General Intelligence (MGI), which will unleash microbiome-therapeutics.
Postdoc
After my PhD I took a year off and went to India to live in a ashram and meditate. I also did some farming during that time.
Postdoc at Mass General Brigham (Brigham and Women's Hospital))
16173096536
solutions for climate change; urban and rural planning for our large population; solutions for overhauling our bloated financial system; human psychology and its pitfalls; pure math and the nature of numbers; the nature of reality.
C5
Neel Parikshak
neelroop@gmail.com
Generate and leverage large omics data and apply machine learning to identify new therapeutics in neuroscience.
Cambridge, MA, US
Director, Next Wave Research at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Shepherding the next generation of oligonucleotide therapeutics from basic science to the clinic across therapeutic areas by leveraging human data, genetics, and clinical insights
Industry
Just had 2nd kid! A few weeks ago
Regeneron, UCSF, UCLA
19297553624
Pure mathematics, science fiction, food science
C5
Joseph Mooney
jpmooney@mit.edu
I develop low-cost decentralized water technologies, using the moisture in the air and sustainable heat (solar waste or waste) to produce this water. We can operate in the most arid of climates in either a passive or active manner. I see myself building a device to be ready for pilot in the next year, looking for immediate funding to incorporate, establishing myself in a climate tech hub, hiring my first employee, and developing a plan for the pilot. I would envision my first customer within the agriculture space (small-scale crops or hydroponics).
Cambridge, MA, US
Assistant Professor of Biostatistics at University of Michigan
University of Michigan
Developing statistical and computational methods for emerging high-throughput genomics technologies including single-cell RNA-sequencing and spatial transcriptomics.
PI?
I love photography and I've solo travelled to Iran with no cell phone service.
Postdoctoral Associate
16172301432
I would say producing energy off grid and reduction of bi-products to generate fuel.
C5
Matthew Szedlock
mszedloc@stanford.edu
I currently work on developing methods to make lithium-ion battery recycling cleaner, more efficient, and more economically feasible through combustion-based pyrometallurgy. By using parts of battery cathodes as in situ reductants, we can more effectively recover precious materials such as lithium and cobalt without harmful carbon additives and reduce the need for toxic solvents. My goal is to help create a future where lithium-ion batteries are part of a fully circular economy which reduces our reliance on mining precious metals and makes electric vehicles and other forms of stationary energy storage far more affordable. I hope that this will help accelerate the green transition and unlock a number of other technologies which are currently unprofitable or supply-chain limited.
Cathedral City, CA, US
Phd Candidate at Xiaolin Zheng Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Exploring solid fuel development, combustibility, and mechanical stability via the use of additives and different geometries as well as using combustion synthesis to produce novel materials at larger scales for sustainability-focused applications
PhD
I'm a huge baseball fan, and have been playing the game almost my entire life.
Zheng Lab, Stanford University (PhD student). Previously worked at Soaring Co (drone startup based in Southern California) as a lead mechanical engineer. BS in Mechanical Engineering from Caltech.
14438216536
I'm very interested in biotech, especially from a materials standpoint. I'm also curious about the aerospace industry, robotics, and 3D-printing.
C5
Nelson van de Lindt
nelsonvandelindt@gmail.com
I want to reshape heavy polluting industries through the use of high capacity renewable energy sources to reduce emissions. My goal is to build an energy abundant and secure future while not sacrificing efficiency or the environment.
Corvallis, OR, US
Finance Associate
Elementl Power
Catalyzing the deployment of safe and affordable next-generation nuclear projects
Industry
I have a second degree black belt in taekwondo
NuScale Power, Elementl
15036888992
The integration of tech into our startup. Specifically, how we can leverage a software product in the earlier stages.
C5
Justin Bult
justin.bult@gmail.com
To build a lasting company that can build hard tech to improve the energy landscape in North America. The battery industry is dominated by the APAC region and for North American companies to succeed they require disruptive approaches that will work through scaling. I intend to provide that technology and approach.
Fremont, CA, US
Senior Manager Cathode Advanced Manufacturing at Tesla
Tesla
Focused on manufacturing process/product development and scale-up of advanced particle based composite materials with application to energy generation, energy storage, transportion electronics, and automotive performance.
Big tech/deep tech
I really enjoy cowboy boots, but I'm not from Texas.
Currently work at Tesla in Cell Manufacturing. I previously worked at Corning Glass, Dow Chemical, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and NASA MSFC.
15182584112
governmental structures
C5
Daniel Moore
danielymoore@gmail.com
My work thus far has been disruptive to the US Military Industrial Complex, but the moonshot I see is to build opportunity to build an American Tech Company that democratizes rugged, cutting edge hardware.
Huntington Beach, CA, US
Founder and CEO at Type III
Type III
Rebuilding the American manufacturing tech tree
Founder
I’ve won two sailing championships as a captain, and I’ve received a trophy in an international yacht race!
Currently at Anduril Industries, and have been for a few years. Before that I was at an EV startup, and doing prototype engineering for Fiat Chrysler before that.
14126678944
For areas of study, I’m curious about Biology, Mathematics, and Applied Physics (think Fusion or Quantum Computing)
C5
Kathleen (Katie) Sicinski
ksicinski@caltech.edu
My current work in the Arnold lab focuses on evolving and engineering enzymes to transform low-cost chemical feedstocks into a variety of valuable synthetic building blocks. Throughout my project, I have streamlined the protein engineering process by integrating machine learning methods, enabling faster evolution of biocatalysts while reducing resource consumption. My ultimate vision is to see biocatalysts become the standard in chemical synthesis. I aim to make these engineered enzymes more accessible so that chemists can easily transition to greener, more sustainable alternatives to traditional chemical synthesis.
Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, CA, US
Postdoctoral Scholar at Frances Arnold Lab at Caltech
Caltech
Engineering iron-containing enzymes to transform chemical feedstocks into diverse high-value molecules.
Postdoc
I am a yoga teacher! :-)
I received my PhD in Chemistry from Tufts University in 2021. My thesis focused on developing novel chemical methods to enhance the metabolic stability of therapeutic peptides in the GLP-1 peptide family, which includes hormones like Ozempic. This work resulted in a start-up company Velum, Inc founded by my PhD advisor Prof. Krishna Kumar. During my PhD, I had the privilege of representing Velum at the Tufts University $100k New Ventures Competition, where we secured 3rd place. After my PhD, I worked as a scientist for a start-up biotech company, PepGen, Inc. At PepGen, I saw the company go from series C fundraising to its initial public offering in 2022 and advanced into clinical trials for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. I was responsible for transitioning laboratory operations from Oxford, UK to Boston, MA and discovering new bioconjugation methods for delivery of therapeutic oligonucleotides into target cells. I then moved in 2022 to my current position at California Institute of Technology as a NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of Prof. Frances Arnold. In my current position, I utilize the powerful tools of directed evolution for protein engineering and apply machine learning methods to accelerate wet-lab discoveries. This is where I met my current co-founder, Ravi Lal. We have been working together to fast-track the iterative process of protein engineering by incorporating machine learning and high throughput analytical tools to deliver sustainable biocatalysts for the synthesis of molecules.
12675052082
I am interesting in learning about the financial aspects of starting a company and/or investing in others.
C5
Lucien Viala
lp.viala@gmail.com
I currently work in aerodynamics at Tesla, shaping the vehicles of tomorrow to be the most efficient on the road.
I have a vision of a world where scientific and engineering progress is faster, bolder and solves important problems benefiting everyone. I hope we get to the point where anyone has the chance to contribute their ideas and solutions.
Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, CA, US
Senior Aerodynamics Engineer at Tesla
Tesla
Looking to strengthen experience in the Automotive industry
Big tech/deep tech
Depending on which test, I can ace or immediately fail a color blindness test. Eye doctors are left clueless.
Tesla, Imperial College
14044356082
Robotics and applied AI for robotics, policy for a prosperous future (economy, energy, construction, taxation etc…), Energy, the future of compute, genetics… You’ll be hard pressed to find something I am not curious about.
C5
Paul Weitekamp
pweitekamp@gmail.com
The product I envision is a low cost and high cycle efficiency Compressed CO2 energy storage system for the grid that is deployable at scale.
Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, CA, US
Lead Propulsion Engineer at SpaceX
SpaceX
Lead a team of talented engineers developing new propulsion hardware that will enable interplanetary space travel on Starship.
Big tech/deep tech
I was voted biggest risk taker in High School
SpaceX
16267558047
Aerospace, grid energy storage, engine and pump design, Artificial Intelligence, and Nuclear Reactors
C5
Rohan Kumar
rohan.s.kumar@yale.edu
Compute is our most valuable resource, yet we haven't fundamentally changed how we compute since classical computers. Every tech breakthrough in history has relied on binary computation. While this consistency enabled rapid growth, energy expenditure is soaring and will provably become problematic for important tasks (incl. ML). As humankind advances, we'll dedicate an ever-increasing share of our energy to compute. We urgently need new computational methods that offer fundamental efficiencies for current and future problems.
Quantum computing presents a promising solution to this challenge. However, quantum bits (qubits) are much more prone to noise, both in magnitude and complexity, than their classical counterparts. Two broad classes of solutions to this problem have emerged: Quantum Error Mitigation (QEM), which seeks to extract useful information from noisy quantum computers, and Quantum Error Correction (QEC), which aims to use extra qubits to correct errors as they occur. QEM alone is likely not powerful enough to achieve quantum advantage, and while QEC will likely enable fault-tolerant quantum computing in the long term, practical QEC is decades away. However, there is likely a rich set of techniques in the intersection of QEM and QEC that could enable quantum advantage on practical tasks within the next few years. This is what I work on - i.e., blending QEM and QEC techniques to overcome the limitations of both paradigms and achieve near-term quantum advantage.
My goal is to build a software suite to enable the device-tailored application of these techniques to real quantum systems, enabling both quantum hardware and quantum applications developers to accelerate the practicality of their work.
New Haven, CT, US
PhD Candidate at Yongshan Ding Lab at Yale University
Yale University
Working on quantum error correction/detection and mitigation.
PhD
I have pet a wild pangolin (very rare).
CS PhD @ Yale working on quantum computing, advised by Yongshan Ding. Fully funded by an NSF fellowship. Prev. @UChicago (Undergrad), Oxford Physics (Research), and Super.tech (Quantum Computing startup now acquired by Infleqtion). Will be @MIT in Spring 2025, working on ML for quantum computing.
13128665162
I love jazz and play the alto saxophone (though not as often as I'd like).
C5
Sulin Liu
sulinliu@mit.edu
I work on AI and its applications for science domain. My vision is to build AI tools designed to accelerate the screening and proposal of new drug/material development, using the idea of AI agent interacting with multiple AI models.
New York City, NY, US
Postdoctoral Researcher at Rafael Gómez-Bombarelli Lab at MIT
MIT
Designing diffusion/autoregressive-based generative models, with applications to language modeling, image generation and scientific simulation
Postdoc
I love to practice long-boarding once in a while
MIT
16098657835
urban planning, quantum mechanics, making espresso
C5
Yang Zhong
yzhongh2o@gmail.com
The current water infrastructure is unsustainable – it contributes 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and yet 80% of wastewater is discharged untreated due to a lack of cost-effective solutions, posing a serious threat to our environment and health. I want to fill this gap by turning wastewater into freshwater, clean energy, and fertilizer, transforming the existing water infrastructure.
New York City, NY, US
Founder and CEO at Carbion
Carbion
Advancing technological innovation to build a more resilient and efficient world.
Founder
In addition to the PhD that I expect to receive later this year, I have two bachelor degrees and two master degrees.
Device Research Lab (led by Evelyn Wang), MIT
17819961579
Building, biomass utilization, carbon capture, AI
C5
Kyungyong Seong
s.kyungyong@berkeley.edu
Immunotherapy in plants! Pathogens evolve faster than plants, and the probability of disease increase in mono-cultural agricultural sites in every season. Current technology requires five to ten years to identify functional plant immune receptors in nature. These immune receptors can be compromised within a few years by pathogen evolution in the fields.
My work aims to bypass long immune receptor screening process and to rapidly design synthetic receptors with our own hands that can recognize evolving pathogens in the field. If successful, durable genetic resistance will be feasible, as it is difficult for pathogens to overcome resistance when there are many functional immune receptors! Durable resistance means extended lifetime of elite crops, improved quality and shelf life of plants, and more opportunities to enhance other traits. This advancement will be important as we will need to deal with global warming and rapid changes in pathogen pressure in fields.
Oakland, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Ksenia Krasileva Lab at UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley
Working on the dynamic interactions between plants and pathogens, focusing on two main areas: (1) understanding the evolutionary mechanisms that enable pathogens to infect plants and the corresponding defenses of plants, and (2) leveraging this knowledge to enhance plant immunity through genetic engineering.
PhD
I have many different English names that I use when picking up coffee: Jordan, Kyle, James, and so on.
Ksenia Krasileva lab at the University of California, Berkeley
19253957530
Robotics and mechanical engineering - I am curious about automation process. Machine learning - I will build my own models once I have enough data. Astronomy and planetary science - for fun, but also, will we be able grow plants in mars and moon?
C5
Alex Powers
lxpowers33@gmail.com
My vision is to use the 3D dynamic structures of proteins to rationally design safer, smarter drugs. Most drugs work by binding to proteins like a key fitting into a lock. Thanks to incredible advances just in the last few years, we can now rapidly determine the 3D structures of almost any protein. But these structures are still just static snapshots of very complex, dynamic systems; my work goes a step further, leveraging protein flexibility and motion to uncover hidden opportunities for drug design. For example, we might discover a drug binding pocket that only appears when a protein changes shape in response to particular cellular signals. To do this, I’ve been developing new computational tools, that combine atomic physics simulations and AI. By targeting more specific protein states and discovering concealed drug binding pockets, we can unlock best-in-class medicines that are more precise and effective, with fewer side effects even for well-studied targets. One of my current areas of focus is to create less addictive pain medications with minimal side effects for long-term chronic pain treatment, which could transform patient care for a very common condition.
Palo Alto, CA, US
Researcher at Ron Dror Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Studying the intersection of chemistry, computer science, and structural biology.
Postdoc?
I enjoy oil painting and pencil drawing. I once thought I would go to art school.
Stanford (I just finished PhD from Stanford, I still do research there)
15102292038
Gene editing, neurodegenerative diseases, microbiome, microfluidics, robotics, educational technology, productivity
C5
Mariëlle van Kooten
mariellevankooten@gmail.com
I am on a mission to reboot the human powerplant. Advances in omics measurements, mRNA technology and genome engineering offer unprecedented precision and potential to deliver specific genetic instructions to cells to restore or enhance function. I am an engineer, and these cutting-edge tools make it possible to directly target and repair mitochondrial dysfunction, offering a real opportunity to redefine human health span and lifespan.
Palo Alto, CA, US
Co-founder and CEO at Powerhouse Biology
Powerhouse Biology
Advancing healthy human lifespan through precision peptide therapeutics targeting mitochondrial dysfunction
Founder
I love Karl the fog
Stanford University
16503346132
Human hibernation, although this arguably strongly relates to mitochondria. Space exploration, from the research, machine, human body, and cultural perspective.
C5
Ravi Lal
rlal@caltech.edu
I am a PhD student in the Arnold lab at Caltech working on the evolution of enzymes to improve their capability to perform synthetically challenging chemical transformations. My research currently is most focused on the development of wet lab protocols which generate protein sequence-function data efficiently for integration with machine learning methods which could be used to accelerate the directed evolution process. I hope that this research and any subsequent research that I perform will play a part in the growth of the bioeconomy. I envision a future where many of humanities chemical needs have been made more sustainable as our understanding and ability to control biological systems improves.
Pasadena, CA, US
PhD Candiate at Frances Arnold Lab at Caltech
Caltech
Developing wet-lab workflows for the generation of protein sequence-function datasets for understanding and engineering biological systems via machine learning methods.
PhD
I once accidentally hiked up to the highest point in Joshua Tree.
Currently I am a graduate student in the Arnold lab at Caltech. Previously I performed an internship at Google X. I performed undergraduate research in the Keasling lab at UC Berkeley.
16073514965
I am curious about drug discovery, laboratory automation, and the application of recent breakthroughs in analytical chemistry.
C5
Simon Roy
simon.roy.16@gmail.com
I build robots and electric powertrains. We are facing major issues such as labour shortage and carbon emissions, where these technologies can help. I'm exploring various sectors where there are urgent needs and viable business models.
Quebec City, QC, Canada
Co-founder at Stealth Startup
Stealth
Founder
I cycled across the USA during the summer before my masters. I do crazy things when I'm bored.
Former Tesla and Lyft embedded systems engineer. Currently independent.
15819782338
Psychology, investing and space!
C5
Zach Rosenthal
zach@birdwoodtherapeutics.com
New induced proximity modalities, beyond degraders, will revolutionize medicine. I aim to develop those modalities and unlock the ability to discover small molecule inducers of proximity through high-throughput screening
Redwood City, CA, US
Founder and CEO at Birdwood Therapeutics
Birdwood Therapeutics
Building the technology platform to enable high-throughput discovery of novel induced proximity medicines.
Founder
I played poker semi-professionally throughout college/for two years after I graduated
Birdwood Therapeutics
18323314901
- computational approaches for generative small molecule/protein discovery; - immunology/immuno-oncology; (sort of related to my research but sort of not) aging/longevity biology
C5
Stepan Tymoshenko
stymoshen@pm.me
With my co-founder, we want to turbo-charge cell-free production by providing abundant and cost-effective energy substrates. Our success will be a paradigm shift in making biomolecules. Our energy substrates will enable cell-free systems to compete with inherently less efficient fermentation. Our innovation is the key to cost-effective enzymatic production of DNA, RNA, proteins, other high-value biomolecules, and biopolymers without growing biomass.
000 Not sure
I speak 4 languages, neither of them perfectly
Mammoth Biosciences Inc., ex-Zymergen, PhD and post-doc from EPFL and University of Geneva (Switzerland)
14157241144
Biophysics, space travel, and underwater ecosystems
C5
Assaf Magen
hello@assafmagen.com
I want to build a system to enable every cancer patient (and beyond) to reach a cure instead of prolonging lifespan in just a few months with current treatments.
San Diego, CA, US
Founder and CEO at Voyant Bio
Voyant Bio
Unleashing effective immunity against cancer by rewiring immune-immune cell interactions.
Foounder
Avid cacti grower
Voyant Bio
15167120253
Wildlife/plant ecosystem sustainability
C5
Gina El Nesr
gina.elnesr@me.com
I’m a rising fourth year biophysics PhD Candidate at Stanford University working at the intersection of deep learning x enzyme design, with a broader interest in biological solutions for climate change and human sustainability. My research at the moment involves developing methods for designing new-to-nature enzymes for functions and reactions that currently do not exist; and if they do exist, making them more efficient.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Possu Huang Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Developing deep learning methods (with experimental validation!) for de novo protein design towards enzymatic function and allostery.
PhD
I'm a national level olympic weightlifter! I can back squat 365lb and front squat 285lb.
Stanford University
17742851474
Everything; but specifically climate, sustainability
C5
Jolyn Gisselberg
jgisselb@gmail.com
My cofounder and I believe we can fundamentally change how biochemicals are made by unlocking cell-free production. We are developing a unique way to produce energy substrates which is potentially orders of magnitude cheaper then current market rates. This is the missing key needed for synthesizing biomolecules at scale without needing to rely on cells.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Experimental Biologist at X
X, The Moonshot Factory
Focused on steering data generation to bolster both drug development initiatives and machine learning (ML) model training and validation, playing a pivotal role in propelling cutting-edge research.
Big tech/deep tech
I make stained glass in my spare time.
Currently working on the startup, but previously at Google X and Stanford.
14434529362
I'm really exciting to see how people are thinking about AI beyond protein modeling.
C5
Dhruva Katrekar
dhruvakatrekar@gmail.com
My vision is to make life-saving medications accessible to everyone via the creation of innovative, affordable therapeutic options. I feel like the gut microbiome can be specifically altered to produce such low cost therapeutics directly within a human.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Senior Scientist, Molecular Technology Development at Arc Institute
Arc Institute
Building new molecular technologies for genome and transcriptome engineering.
Academia: Scientist
As an alternative career path, I would like to be an Antarctic explorer or a professional tennis player.
Currently at Arc Institute. Previously Shape Therapeutics and UC San Diego.
18582912286
Climate tech, psychology, history
C5
Laura Vasquez Bolanos
lvasquezbolanos@gmail.com
I want to build an intervention that slows down reproductive organ aging and extends our reproductive window. Givings us more time to decide on whether to build a family, build a company or anything else our heart’s desire as lifespans continue to lengthen. I believe there are a few different paths to this goal, some longer than others, I would like to optimize for the quickest path to approval. This may look like leveraging accelerated regulatory pathways, different primary/secondary endpoints, and/or repurposing existing drug and safety profiles.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Associate Principal IP & Portfolio Expansion at Loyal
Loyal
Developing the first-ever drugs intended to extend the healthspan and lifespan of dogs.
Mid stage startup
i love love lovveeee cooking, a wide range of ethnic cuisines including colombian
Loyal longevity startup, formerly Cornell, UCSD bioengineering
17037278948
I am curious by psychedelic therapeutics and our understanding of the brain. I wonder sometimes if we’ll figure out how to hack our subconsciousness and the future of Pharma is less small molecules and more regeneration by targeting the right region in the brain to heal yourself. Also curious to see the rate of biology learnings as AI progresses and what data collection is going to be key for that as well.
C5
Jaime Roquero Gimenez
jaime.roquero@gmail.com
I hope that multi-cancer early detection becomes one day reality. As of now, the diagnostics industry has failed. I am approaching this from a first-principles approach, working backwards from what a final product should look like. This means using ML at the right places in the product development, and using PCR as the lab workhorse. I am building a computational pipeline to prototype this idea in the most lean way.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Bioinformatics Data Scientist at Adela
Adela
Developing innovative and accessible technologies that harness biology and change the way we diagnose and treat disease
Mid Stage Startup
I recently got into making my own jam. I may one day start a (non-VC-backed) jam preparation venture if I get tired of fitting stats models.
Just quit my job at Adela Bio to focus on building.
16692647814
I am curious about the local history.
C5
Nicolas Sawaya
nicolas@azulenelabs.com
I want to increase the accuracy of chemical/materials property prediction by 10-50x. I have strong theoretical reasons for believing this is possible. This would greatly reduce R&D costs, as it would allow us to entirely replace many laboratory experiments.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Founder and CEO at Azulene Labs
Azulene Labs
Developing ultra-accurate models for chemistry and materials science.
Foounder
I have a (very small) collection of old or rare--oldest is a medical book from 1660.
Azulene Labs (previous: Intel Labs; Harvard @Aspuru-Guzik group)
16198504653
Climate policy; electrification of the grid; decarbonizing heavy industry.
C5
Neal Amin
nealamin1@gmail.com
I am developing RNA splice-modifying therapeutics for neurodegeneration and the aging brain. By developing splice-sequencing technology and an ML-driven computational biology approach, we are building the first atlas of brain splicing across the lifespan that will power our target detection platform. By applying my organoid screening platform and in vivo preclinical models, we will improve neural health and develop our lead candidate - a antisense oligonucleotide drug modifier of neurometabolism. We are aiming for first in man clinical trials within 5 years.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Founder and CEO at Sculpta Bio
Sculpta Bio
Developing RNA-based neurotherapeutics to modulate disease-associated biological pathways with higher precision and efficacy.
Founder
I’m learning to sail! I can lake sail now and want to sail in the bay
Stanford University (for now!) I’m leaving to go full time on founding Collage Biosciences later this year.
18149338130
Design, economics, music theory, psychology (I am a psychiatrist though my research isn’t specifically focused here).
C5
Sierra Lore
sierralore7@gmail.com
I am currently working on biology of aging research to better understand the current state of the longevity field and the current challenges of extending healthy lifespan. My vision of the world is to to see significant maximum healthy lifespan extension (at least 50%) to reduce suffering and give people more time to spend with loved ones.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
PhD Candidate at Eric Verdin and Morten Scheibye-Knudsen Lab at The Buck Institute
Buck Institute
Working on replacmenet as an aging intervention
PhD
I love making homemade ice cream (salt and straw inspired flavors)!
Buck Institute for Research on Aging
12012136249
neurotech (specifically fUS BCI and spine-computer interfaces) and space exploration
C5
Neil Tay
neil.tay@ucsf.edu
I develop molecular technologies that enable high throughput studies of the human immune system. I seek to combine these technologies and computational approaches to greatly expand our understanding of the immune system and create novel immunotherapies and cures for diseases like cancer and autoimmunity.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US
Postdoctoral Scholar at Michael McManus Lab at UCSF
UCSF
Elucidating the processes and pathways used by antigen-presenting cells to shape anti-cancer immunity.
Postdoc
I probably would be a physicist in an alternate timeline.
UCSF
15512525250
Physics, astrophysics, and space travel.
C5
Zewen Zhang
zwzhang18@gmail.com
leverage data to systematic design battery materials and manufacturing
Stanford, CA, US
Battery Analytics and Machine Learning at Apple
Apple
Big tech/deep tech
love playing tennis
Apple
16503828087
Sport psychology
C5
Kwat Medetgul-Ernar
kwat.me@icloud.com
Translate our new blood test into the clinic, establishing the new common blood test.
Stanford, CA, US
MD/PhD at Mark Davis Lab at Stanford University
Stanford University
Developing a new blood test
PhD
I own a jiujitsu gym :) MountJJ.com
Stanford MD-PhD Program with PhD in Biophysics at Mark Davis Lab
13109903458
Fitness.
C5
Sebastian Kenny
skenny97@uw.edu
I design proteins to perform novel functions that our current therapeutic strategies can't achieve. I envision a world where no diseases are not treatable.
West Lafayete, IN, US
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at David Baker Lab at University of Washington
University of Washington
Designing proteins that act as proximity inducers for E3 ligases.
Postdoc
I got to know 110 out of the 116 bus drivers in the Greater Lafayette, Indiana area during my first semester at Purdue. They've invited me for all the holidays ever since.
Baker Lab, Institute for Protein Design
17655887100
The food industry
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