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Undergraduate Members

Shira Agam

Katherine Bessai

Katherine Bessai

Shira is an undergraduate student in the Hon. Biophysics and Music programs at UBC. She is interested in crossing boundaries between disciplines such as biology and computer science. Shira is also passionate about education, and holds several teaching positions in her free time.

Katherine Bessai

Katherine Bessai

Katherine Bessai

Katherine is a third year Chemical Biology student. Along with a passion for organic and analytical chemistry, she is deeply interested in genetics and how they can be manipulated to effectively solve biological problems. She enjoys problem solving and is always ready to learn about a new lab technique or field of study. She is interested

Katherine is a third year Chemical Biology student. Along with a passion for organic and analytical chemistry, she is deeply interested in genetics and how they can be manipulated to effectively solve biological problems. She enjoys problem solving and is always ready to learn about a new lab technique or field of study. She is interested in science education, and is involved in teaching outreach programs outside of academics. 

Benjamin Brett

Katherine Bessai

Benjamin Brett

Benjamin Brett is a fourth year Biology student. He joined the iGEM team to try and solve problems in the world with the use of synthetic biology. Benjamin enjoys exploring, playing video games, and hiking around beautiful British Columbia.

Emilia Chen

Mona Golmohammadzadeh

Benjamin Brett

Emilia is a fourth year student in the combined major of Microbiology & Immunology and Computer Science. She is passionate about how computer science knowledge can be applied in biology. 

Kalen Dofher

Mona Golmohammadzadeh

Mona Golmohammadzadeh

Kalen is a 4th year student in Applied Animal Biology who found his passion for synthetic biology in microbially synthesized alternatives to animal products. He has a strong background in physiology and ecology through his experience and studies in the faculty of land and food systems. In his free time he enjoys skiing, and experimenting with fermentation by brewing beer and kombucha. 

Mona Golmohammadzadeh

Mona Golmohammadzadeh

Mona Golmohammadzadeh

Mona is in the final year of her Microbiology and Immunology degree at UBC. She is passionate about environmental microbiology, and discovering new ways that microbes can be used for sustainable energy. She is eager to work with other disciplines in an effort to bridge gaps in research and knowledge.  

Sam Hahn

Morris Huang

Ryan Hong

Sam is in his final term of Chemical and Biological engineering at UBC. This is his third year with the iGEM team. Previously, he has served as a general member and Modelling Team Lead, and this year he is a Dry Lab Co-Lead. He hopes to build a career scaling up the astounding work being done in synthetic biology to help bring novel prote

Sam is in his final term of Chemical and Biological engineering at UBC. This is his third year with the iGEM team. Previously, he has served as a general member and Modelling Team Lead, and this year he is a Dry Lab Co-Lead. He hopes to build a career scaling up the astounding work being done in synthetic biology to help bring novel protein products and exciting new biological machines into mainstream commercial and industrial use.

Ryan Hong

Morris Huang

Ryan Hong

Ryan is a third year student double majoring in Biology and Sociology. He is constantly inspired by the impact of state-of-the-art molecular and computational tools in addressing complex problems. Ryan is especially interested in approaching problems pertaining to health and immunology using translational and evidence-based approaches. He

Ryan is a third year student double majoring in Biology and Sociology. He is constantly inspired by the impact of state-of-the-art molecular and computational tools in addressing complex problems. Ryan is especially interested in approaching problems pertaining to health and immunology using translational and evidence-based approaches. He is looking forward to an enjoyable and inspiring year with the UBC iGEM team.

Morris Huang

Morris Huang

Madina Kagieva

Morris is a 4th year Microbiology and immunology student. With the advent of powerful biological tools and novel molecular techniques, he is intrigued by what synthetic biology may bring to the future. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, going on short runs, and cooking. 

Madina Kagieva

Madina Kagieva

Madina Kagieva

Madina is an undergraduate student in the Biology program at UBC. She is passionate about novel genetic engineering techniques and the ethics underlying their usage and implementation. Madina loves inspiring other people to be more involved in science, so in her free time she volunteers at the museums and holds online seminars, where she 

Madina is an undergraduate student in the Biology program at UBC. She is passionate about novel genetic engineering techniques and the ethics underlying their usage and implementation. Madina loves inspiring other people to be more involved in science, so in her free time she volunteers at the museums and holds online seminars, where she explains genetics in a “digestible” way for the general public. 

Samuel King

Madina Kagieva

Samuel King

Samuel King is a 4th year Hon. Biology student at UBC. He is deeply intrigued by the vast potentials of genetic technology and biological engineering, and how they may rapidly revolutionize the world around us. Building community through inspiration, public engagement, and education are immensely important to Samuel, as well as fostering bold creativity and innovation in the life sciences. 

Sarah Ng

Madina Kagieva

Samuel King

Sarah is a fourth year student in UBC’s Combined Hon. Microbiology & Immunology and Computer Science program. She is fascinated by the processes that compose different biological systems and in finding solutions when these systems err. She enjoys sparking interest in interdisciplinary approaches to science and learning. 

Ariel Qi

Taylor Reilly

Taylor Reilly

Ariel is a 4th year student in the Honours Cellular, Anatomical and Physiological Sciences. She is fascinated by a wide range of topics from human physiology to genetics and synthetic biology. Ariel strives to engage the public with scientific knowledge through various projects in Human Practices. Outside of school, she enjoys volunteerin

Ariel is a 4th year student in the Honours Cellular, Anatomical and Physiological Sciences. She is fascinated by a wide range of topics from human physiology to genetics and synthetic biology. Ariel strives to engage the public with scientific knowledge through various projects in Human Practices. Outside of school, she enjoys volunteering with children and working as part of the UBC First Aid Student Team.   

Taylor Reilly

Taylor Reilly

Taylor Reilly

Taylor is a 4th year honours biology student who is passionate about genetics, and specifically interested in the application to medicine. She is attentive to the rhetoric used by the scientific community and the general population to discuss genetics, and would like to help bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and public understan

Taylor is a 4th year honours biology student who is passionate about genetics, and specifically interested in the application to medicine. She is attentive to the rhetoric used by the scientific community and the general population to discuss genetics, and would like to help bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and public understanding/action. Outside of science, Taylor volunteers as an outreach peer for UBC’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office and enjoys hikes with her three-year-old husky, Boe. 

Tylo Roberts

Taylor Reilly

Tylo Roberts

Tylo is a third year student taking a Combined Hon. degree in Microbiology & Immunology and Computer Science at UBC.  He is driven by the extensive impact interdisciplinary research can have on solving the modern problems of today’s complex world. Tylo is interested in approaching biological problems at both a molecular level as well as e

Tylo is a third year student taking a Combined Hon. degree in Microbiology & Immunology and Computer Science at UBC.  He is driven by the extensive impact interdisciplinary research can have on solving the modern problems of today’s complex world. Tylo is interested in approaching biological problems at both a molecular level as well as employing data-driven approaches and harnessing the power of computational tools. 

Kimia Rostin

Janella Schwab

Tylo Roberts

Kimia is a first year science student who strives to create positive impacts through scientific research and technology. She is especially interested in the applications of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics, in other fields like biology and healthcare, which is what initially attracted her to synbio and iGEM. Outside

Kimia is a first year science student who strives to create positive impacts through scientific research and technology. She is especially interested in the applications of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics, in other fields like biology and healthcare, which is what initially attracted her to synbio and iGEM. Outside of academia, she enjoys engaging with her community by volunteering at hospitals and leading coding workshops for kids. 

Paarsa Salman

Janella Schwab

Janella Schwab

Paarsa is a 4th-year undergraduate student in the Biology program at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests focus on understanding how synthetic biology can be integrated into processes of human physiology.  Improving scientific communication through accessibility, public engagement and passion, is especially important

Paarsa is a 4th-year undergraduate student in the Biology program at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests focus on understanding how synthetic biology can be integrated into processes of human physiology.  Improving scientific communication through accessibility, public engagement and passion, is especially important to Paarsa, and she hopes that this project will foster curiosity in interpreting viral evolution.

Janella Schwab

Janella Schwab

Janella Schwab

Janella is a third year Applied Animal Biology student whose curiosity is sparked by the parallels between the natural and human worlds and how synthetic biology can narrow that gap. She is keen on inspiring this admiration for biological systems in others, especially those outside the scientific community. Outside academia she spends all

Janella is a third year Applied Animal Biology student whose curiosity is sparked by the parallels between the natural and human worlds and how synthetic biology can narrow that gap. She is keen on inspiring this admiration for biological systems in others, especially those outside the scientific community. Outside academia she spends all the time she can hiking around her home country Peru and second home Vancouver, and is always looking to learn something new.

Parneet Sekhon

Katrina Zaraska

Katrina Zaraska

Parneet is a third year student majoring in Microbiology and Immunology. She is intrigued by a myriad of research fields such as synthetic biology, human physiology and genetics. Aside from academics, Parneet has discovered a newfound passion and interest for long distance running, however she is also committed to volunteering in her comm

Parneet is a third year student majoring in Microbiology and Immunology. She is intrigued by a myriad of research fields such as synthetic biology, human physiology and genetics. Aside from academics, Parneet has discovered a newfound passion and interest for long distance running, however she is also committed to volunteering in her community through hospitals and campus resources like the UBC Wellness Centre. She is an avid paddler and loves being out on the water with her dragon boating team. 

Katrina Zaraska

Katrina Zaraska

Katrina Zaraska

Katrina is an undergraduate Biomedical Engineering student specializing in Biomechanics and Biomaterials. She is passionate about finding ways to bridge engineering and biological systems to find novel solutions to problems in the medical field. Outside of class, Katrina spends her time training and competing with the UBC cheerleading team and coaching gymnastics as a creative outlet.

Advisors

Ahmed Abdelmoneim

Ahmed Abdelmoneim

Ahmed Abdelmoneim

Ahmed is a fourth year Combined Honours, Computer Science and Microbiology & Immunology student who was first captivated by the complexity of biological systems, and how they dwarf even the best designed human technologies. He is interested in projects that can help us understand and harness the power of nature to solve the complex problems we face today. 

Arjun Baghela

Ahmed Abdelmoneim

Ahmed Abdelmoneim

Arjun is a PhD student in Bioinformatics at UBC.

Carmen Bayly

Ahmed Abdelmoneim

Sibyl Drissler

Carmen is a PhD student in the Genome Science and Technology program at the University of British Columbia.

Sibyl Drissler

Kristina Gagalova

Sibyl Drissler

Sibyl is a first year Master of Science student in the Cell and Developmental Biology program at UBC. She is interested in developing and applying statistical and microscopy-based methods in order to understand cell fate decisions in the context of development and disease.

Kristina Gagalova

Kristina Gagalova

Kristina Gagalova

Kristina is a PhD student in Bioinformatics at UBC.

Evan Gibbard

Kristina Gagalova

Kristina Gagalova

 Evan is a first year Master of Science student in the Medical Genetics program at UBC. He is fascinated by the complexity of genetic circuits underlying life and feels lucky to get to study them. In his current research, Evan looks at how changes in molecular pathways can lead to ovarian cancer.

Alina Kunitskaya

Alina Kunitskaya

Alina Kunitskaya

Alina Kunitskaya is a Master’s student in Biomedical Engineering. Outside of school, Alina enjoys running, hiking, and learning about space exploration. 

Avery Noonan

Alina Kunitskaya

Alina Kunitskaya

Avery Noonan is a PhD student in Genome Science & Technology. In his free time, he likes to play basketball and volleyball.

Faculty Advisors

Dr. Steven Hallam

Dr. Steven Hallam

Dr. Steven Hallam

Dr. Steven Hallam is a professor with the Microbiology and Immunology department at the University of British Columbia. He is also the director of the Ecosystem Services, Commercialization Platforms and Entrepreneurship (ECOSCOPE) program. His main research areas include microbial metagenomics, construction of environmental genomic librar

Dr. Steven Hallam is a professor with the Microbiology and Immunology department at the University of British Columbia. He is also the director of the Ecosystem Services, Commercialization Platforms and Entrepreneurship (ECOSCOPE) program. His main research areas include microbial metagenomics, construction of environmental genomic libraries, and the generations of computational tools for taxonomic and functional binning, population genome assembly, and comparative community analysis. 

Dr. Feng Jiang

Dr. Steven Hallam

Dr. Steven Hallam

Dr. Feng Jiang is an Assistant Professor at UBC and the Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Sustainable Functional Biomaterials. His research aims to convert naturally abundant biomass into functional biomaterials through a cost effective and energy efficient means, ultimately creating alternative sources of materials for our society. 

Dr. David Oliver

Dr. Steven Hallam

Dr. David Oliver

Dr. David Oliver is an Instructor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at UBC. He delivers innovative course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) in Microbiology. He is also the Coordinator of the Biotechnology program at UBC. 

Acknowledgements

Tarini Gupta, Daniel McClement, Red Petzen, Michael Yoon


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