Meet the Team

Hello! My name is Clare Reyes and I am a fourth year Biomolecular Engineering Major. I joined iGEM due to the direct connection of the synthetic biology work and its real world implications. During COVID, I realized the potential and impact that biotechnology holds in all of our lives. I decided that I wanted to focus on this area in my college career. I wanted to get extensive experience in a collaborative environment and in research. I’m originally from the SoCal area and during my free time I enjoy hiking, cooking, reading, and swimming in the ocean.

Heyyy! I’m Mona, a third-year student majoring in Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics. I joined iGEM to experience the world of synthetic biology and get a firsthand feel for what it entails. I’ve learned so much in the dry lab and wet lab, as well as designing and engineering our project from scratch. iGEM has been an invaluable learning experience for me and has made me more competent in thinking creatively. My favorite memory has been the numerous hours we’ve spent together trying to understand and build our project. Each day presents new challenges that have pushed me to expand my capabilities and help me grow. In my freetime, I enjoy music and spending time with my friends and family. I’m trying to get into cooking but it’s definitely been testing my patience. Fire.

My name is Vibhitha Nandakumar, but people call me Vibi. I am a fourth year student studying Bioinformatics. As a BMEB major, I had known about the UCSC iGEM team but hadn’t thought about being a part of it until I joined the BME180 course in my third year. In that course, I got acquainted with much of the 2024 team’s members and was able to get more context of what being a part of the team really entails. Being involved in the project, from fabrication to application, has given me more perspective about constructing what I consider an impactful research project. After graduation I would like to continue working in the field of Bioinformatics to be specific and am also considering going to graduate school for that purpose. Okay, so I was just informed by my peer that this was too formal so let me add some stuff about what I have been doing in my downtime this summer. I have really been enjoying doing simple activities like doom scrolling, playing Overcooked and spending time with my housemates. I have also been thoroughly enjoying the time I've spent outside of the lab with my iGem peers. I really value the time that we spend together, going out, watching movies and playing Dress to Impress.

Hello everybody my name is Marshall and I am a rising fourth year student studying Biomolecular Engineering. I joined iGEM because it offered a path to me that seemed to take away the endless bureaucracy and hierarchy of academic research and allowed me to take on a project with slightly less unnecessary meetings alongside a team of peers rather than a team of superiors. These past few months have shown me just how life-changing of a toolkit we have as synthetic biologists, and how infuriating it can be when using it doesn’t work as planned because the cells weren’t feeling cooperative that day. I am extremely grateful that the trials and tribulations of cyanobacteria have helped my team and I forge bonds that cannot be broken by any known restriction enzyme, and that they’ll be by my side no matter how low our yields are. I hope that in the future I will be able to use synthetic biology to try and tackle environmental and humanitarian issues overlooked by the greater industry. For the few times I am able to escape the all-encompassing grasp of academia, I like to fulfill the Santa Cruz stereotype by going on hikes, refusing to cut my hair, and building tree nets.

Hello, my name is Brenda, and I am a graduating third year biomolecular engineering major. I went to school mostly in Taiwan, and university is the first time I've lived in the US. One of the main reasons I joined iGEM was because I wanted to get wet lab experience, and frankly, I wanted to explore different career options. College never really allowed me the hands-on experience that iGEM provides, so when the opportunity came up, I took it. I have always been curious about the processes that go into project planning, and after joining iGEM, I realized how much intensive research goes into project development. It also allowed me to discover my passion for research and biotechnology. It is a lot of work, but having a team where we all like each other definitely makes the long days feel shorter. Since graduating, I have been considering either going to grad school or taking a few years off from academia to gain work experience. In my free time, I enjoy crocheting, embroidering, drawing, cooking, and learning different languages.

Wassup! My name is Zaden and I am a 4th year biomolecular engineering and bioinformatics major. Hearing stories of previous iGEM members made me want to join. I like the idea of collaborating and bouncing off and connecting concepts as a team. The hours spent staring at a computer researching, planning, and designing, executing, all accumulate to a grander project where all our footprints can be felt. Personally, I feel that synthetic biology is a scary field. There are so many capabilities of these microscopic molecules that truly anything can happen. Pushing boundaries and innovating is what being a biomolecular engineer is and I would like to use this experience to help others in need. I’d like to earn a Ph.D in pharmacology and make medicine. I’m really interested in how molecules and elements interact with each other and the physics and biochemistry that help explain these cellular machines. During my free time, I love to hang out with my family, friends, and doggies. I love to analyze and play many activities whether it be barbering, basketball, wrestling, surfing, video games, and lifting. I like to improve and keep moving forward every day step by step.

Hi, my name is Daniel Yankin and I am a failed computer scientist turned biomolecular engineer. “Failed” as in my interest and curiosity quickly turned away from computers and strayed into the biological world of engineering, after my first year of undergrad torture. Here I found my happy place learning about biological computers and machines, also known as the amazing world of prokaryotes. I saw iGEM as a once in a lifetime opportunity to get a preview of what it really takes to start solving real-life problems and applying the biology I have learned. I really didn’t know exactly what I was getting into but have ever since learned many valuable lessons I will be sure to remember. One specifically being how well the world of biology and computer science seem to mesh together. Outside of iGEM I like to speed my weekends at the skatepark, taking care of my zucchini plants, and trying to expand my garden. Right now I am learning about the art of composting. Remember a 30 to 1 carbon to nitrogen ratio is key [1]!

[1] deepgreenpermaculture.com/2010/05/08/hot-compost-composting-in-18-days/.

Hi! I’m Niv, a fourth-year Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics student minoring in Physics. I originally joined iGEM because I wanted to learn more about bioengineering while being able to work hands-on in a collaborative setting on a project that has a broader impact on the community. My favorite part of iGEM is being able to surround myself with such driven and passionate people, who I have been able to learn so much from and have helped to get me out of my shell and become more confident in my capabilities. After graduation, I plan on taking a couple of years to work in a lab setting, then applying to graduate school with hopes of becoming a professor eventually. In my free time, when I’m not working in the lab, I like to spend time with my friends, consume media, collect CDs, try new coffee, and play sudoku.

Hello, My name is Cesar Duarte. I am in my fourth year Biomolecular Engineer major. Hearing about iGEM sparked my interest in learning what it takes to establish a project. My experience the past couple of months has provided me with a glimpse of what my career after university will consist of. Being able to work and collaborate with peers to execute a project is what makes the experience unique which has made the summer enjoyable. Apart from academia, I love the gym, video games, horror movies and blasting music in my car.

Hi! My name is Kendra, and I’m a fourth-year Biomolecular Engineering & Bioinformatics student. I joined iGEM because it sounded like a unique and exciting opportunity to learn about research with a team of amazing people. The time I’ve been in iGEM has taught me an immense amount about synthetic biology. Within the span of a month, I have become much more confident in the wet lab and have learned so much about the research process. While iGEM involves some long days, the people I work with inspire me every day and are the reason I do the work I do. I am part of an intelligent and motivating team and have made many valuable connections with everyone. I can truly say that iGEM is an experience like no other, and I will treasure the memories I’ve made here forever. In the future, I hope to use my work to make a difference and address some of the ethical issues within this field. I can’t wait to go to Paris and beyond!! In my free time, I enjoy running, reading, and spending time outdoors with friends and family.

Hi, I’m Aurko, a 4th year Biomolecular Engineering major, and I was drawn to iGEM for its competitive format and the holistic experience of setting our goals and seeing them through. The student-led aspect of the project drew me towards iGEM, as I felt passionately about working on a project that would address a humanitarian issue. One of my core memories that had me dedicate myself to the project was in our Professional Practice in Bioengineering class, where our PI David Bernick spoke about the outreach and impact of previous projects. This was a perspective shifting experience that really convinced me to commit all the way into this experience and make a project I would be proud of to start my career in the field with. In my spare time, I like to keep sketchbooks, experiment in cooking, watching runway shows, and getting involved with my community.

Hello! My name is Jacob Bautista and I am a fourth-year Biomolecular Engineering student at UC Santa Cruz. The main reason I joined iGEM was because of how much freedom that comes with being part of the program. Being able to collaborate with students like myself on a project we have the final decision on, made all the difference when it comes to designing an interesting and thoughtful project. From experimental design to new lab techniques, through iGEM I have been able to learn an abundance of skills even outside the scope of the technical expertise that lab work presents. I am so grateful for the wonderful team that I got to work with in the way they push me everyday to do my best to keeping things engaging and exciting. In being involved with a lot of the experimental design side of the team, I am always striving to explore new and obscure methods in lab. Outside of lab in my free time I enjoy crafting, playing games with friends, and exploring!

Hi, my name is Emmet. I am a 4th year disciple of the far far far far superior discipline of molecular cellular and developmental biology. I joined IGEM because I was excited by the prospect of student lead research, intense wet lab experience, learning about synthetic biology, and working on a project with relevance to global issues. Now that I have thoroughly steeped myself in relevant literature for weeks and weeks I have a lot of love for synthetic biology and bioengineering. It will always hold a special place in my heart… second place, to the undeniable supremacy and incomprehensible beauty of molecular biology. In my free time I like to try and often fail to force myself to read. I also try and often fail to force myself to draw and paint. I do successfully manage to cook quite regularly.

Hello! My name is Joseph, but people call me Joey and I’m a fourth year biomolecular engineer. I was first introduced to iGEM my second year when Clare, one of the team captains, and I took the same stats class. She told me about all the opportunities and experience she received after interning for the previous year’s team and the idea of being able to work on a pHD level project as an undergraduate student was something that sounded too good to pass up. The lab continues to humble me every day, whether it be through failed experiments or my own human errors, but I always try to learn from my mistakes and I think that this is the most important aspect of this program and especially this major. I’m incredibly fortunate to have such amazing teammates that continue to push and inspire me every day; I truly could not have asked for a more engaging team. When I’m not in the lab, which is quite rare, I try to spend time with my amazing girlfriend, play video games with my friends (specifically Dress To Impress with my wet lab baddies), and browse the internet for clothes that I cannot buy!

I am the TA, Robin Rounthwaite! I'm a graduate student in Benedict Paten's lab, working with genome graphs. The tool I built is called "VG Normalize," designed to restructure complex regions of variation without affecting the underlying haplotypes. These restructured regions are usually visually simplified, and can increase aggregate mapping accuracy in read mapping. In my free time I write my fantasy novel, climb trees, and study philosophy (e.g. understanding creativity, how humans learn to accept and interact with reality, and how best to love our neighbors.) Understandably, my philosophy-study is quite influential in my work as a TA. Learning is one of the coolest things that humans do!

David Bernick is a professor and undergraduate director of the Biomolecular Engineering Department at UCSC. Dr. Bernick has been the PI for iGEM at UCSC for a decade now and he has been an excellent instructor. His involvment in the project has played an integral role in the success of the project.

Hi, my name is Julia, and I was a member of the 2023 UCSC iGEM team. This year, I had the privilege of helping the 2024 team. After taking a gap year (or two), I hope to return to graduate school to pursue a PhD in a bioengineering-related field. Outside of science, I enjoy hiking, skiing, and baking. Being part of iGEM and assisting this year's team has reinforced my passion for research and collaboration, and I'm excited to see where the future takes both me and the 2024 team!

Heyyy! I’m Neely, a high school student with aspirations to dive into Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics. As I prepare for higher education, I find it both exciting and daunting to envision the practical applications of my future studies. However, my involvement with iGEM has been a transformative experience. Working alongside a team of driven, intelligent peers has given me a glimpse into what a career in research could look like—facing challenges head-on, solving complex problems, and innovating from the ground up. When I’m not in the lab I love tanning with a book by the pool, joining a pickup basketball game (especially with iGEM members during lunch), or playing the piano.

Hi, my name is Kayla! I am entering my second year of college and currently interning for the UCSC iGEM 2024 team. I heard about iGEM through a past intern who had spoke fondly of his experience. Luckily, since starting this journey I have immersed myself in the fascinating world of synthetic biology. My initial goal of entering this experience was to get introduced to the world of research, granted along the way, this journey has given me so much more. Not only new friendships and life lessons, but I have a deepened understanding of this specific field of science, as well as science in general. Additionally, outside of my internship, I enjoy diving into a good book, going on refreshing hikes, and above all being with my friends and family.