Our team brings together 19 students from different fields of study: law, design, biology, chemistry, and physics. The multidisciplinary approach of our team allows us to successfully carry out all the various aspects of our project, but also to constantly learn from one another. We agree as a team that iGEM is an amazing opportunity to bring to life scientific ideas, expand our knowledge, practice laboratory techniques and meet inspiring young minds.
We come from different institutions: Pierre et Marie Curie University, Paris Diderot University, Paris Sud, ESPCI, ETSL and ENSCI.And we are fortunate to be mentored by our four tutors : Deshmukh Gopaul, Patsy Polston, Vincent Le Gros and Guillian Graves.
The multidisciplinarity of our group also gives us the opportunity to constantly learn from each other, whether in biology, chemistry, physics, as well as in design and law. Being able to conduct our laboratory experiments for our own research is a real achievement for us. IGEM is a great adventure in which we can deepen our knowledge and acquire new skills.
He is an Associate professor at Institut Pasteur in the Genomes and genetics department. Ph.D. in biochemistry and structural biology, namely x-ray crystallography. Specializes in Protein DNA interactions, especially site-specific recombination, and Holliday junction intermediates. Head of the undergrad training programs in the Department of Education of Institut Pasteur.
Guillian Graves is a French industrial designer / biodesigner working in Paris where his design studio is located. He is also teacher / program leader in the fields of « design & biology » at ENSCI-Les Ateliers (French National School for Advanced Studies in Design).
Vincent is a veterinarian from Toulouse, but the animals he is interested in are very small... Indeed, he is now doing a PhD in Pasteur Institute on viruses tranmitted by mosquitoes! His aim is to decipher the role of joint cells into the pathology of chikungunya disease. To do that, he is taking advantage of both in vitro and in vivo model, using recombinant viruses to highlight unknown mecanisms.
Patsy is our cool American coach. She is always pressing us to say everything in English; to improve our language skills. She is also very keen on getting every thing straight before we put something out from our work; all Ts crossed, and all Is dotted !
He is a 2nd year student at ESPCI Paris. He did his prep class at St Geneviève School in Versailles. Benoit is crazy about judo and science, that’s why he has got a black belt of minipreps! He comes from Toulon and knows perfectly the ancestral way to distribute out Pastis shots, the typical alcohol of Southern France. He makes the team always have fun either in the lab or in the bar!
After obtaining her scientific high-school diploma, she began studying biology and chemistry at Pierre et Marie Curie University. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree and, she is starting her Master 1 studies in Public Health at Paris Saclay University. The smile and the joyfullness of Hanifa marked our iGEM days! Whether she is working hard on the wiki or experimenting in the lab, you can hear her laugh and stories from far away (we learned that she hated silence in the room!). In addition to her scientific knowledge, she is able to adapt and learn new skills quickly and effectively. Not only that, her perseverance also allowed her to improve her Photoshop skills (by creating scenes with our faces on Pokemon bodies). Beware of her experiments in the lab, she might decide to transform our bacteria into Pikachu organisms! You got it, Hanifa is the perfect iGEM team member!
She has a scientific high-school diploma. She spent two years in Joffre high-school in preparatory classes, "Grandes Ecoles": the first year she was in MPSI (Maths-Physics, Science Engineering) and the second year she was in PSI prep. She is now in the second year of engineering school at ESPCI, which is the equivalent of a bachelor degree in maths, physics and chemistry. Marie is the perfect example of what a young modern woman should be. This intelligent and hard-working girl is always there in the lab, welcoming you with a warm smile and kindness. Her classy style and elegance make her the Grace Kelly of women in science. She is also the trustworthy keeper of our lab-book.
After obtaining a scientific high school diploma, she spent two years in a preparatory class of applied arts. She is currently finishing her 4-year course at ENSCI – Les Ateliers (Ecole nationale superieure de creation industrielle), an industrial design school. Lisa is a colorful person...quite literally! Indeed, she always wears very rainbow-color clothes, which surely brightens everyone's day. Her apartment is covered with two things only: her drawings and her plants (step on them and you are in big trouble!). Lisa is always up for a good laugh, but she can also be very calm and serious, which we believe makes her the perfect iGEM team member. Lastly, her patience will always surprise us, especially when she has to help biologists, chemists and law students, with doing ridiculously basic things on the Adobe suite (she must be a Jedi or something!).
After getting her high-school diploma, she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Chemistry in Tours, France. During this time, she discovered her passion for chemistry and last year she joined the ESPCI in Paris. Audrey is a generous girl, extremely devoted to the project design. She contributed to the project with an interesting element– by conducting surveys in New Caledonia, regarding the public opinion on synthetic biology.. In spite of being shy and reserved, Audrey has many scientific qualities!
Mélanie obtained her scientific high school diploma. She wanted to work in cosmetics, so she did one year of chemistry at the Science University in Montpellier. This year she was in a biophysics program. She obtained her BTEC National Diploma and she will start her first year of bachelor’s degree in cosmetic products in the fall of 2016. With her smile and her accent from the South of France, Mélanie brings a lot of fun to the lab, especially during the late-night work. Being a hard-worker and efficient is what makes her a PCR master and a serial bacteria lyser!
She comes from Saint-Malo, France. She has studied law for 3 years in Rennes, Britany and specialized in IP law last year at Paris Sud University. She has lived in Canada for 6 months and in Germany for another 6 months in order to complete internships. Claudia is one the sweetest members of the team, bringing her calm and her kindness to the group… which really need it sometimes! She’s always available to help, in her area of expertise of course, but also in any way she can. Last but not least, Claudia is the kind of girl who’s able to bring your smile back in difficult times. A great team player, for sure!
She is studying industrial design at ENSCI-Les Ateliers in Paris. Before this, she obtained a bachelor diploma of design at the « Ecole des Arts décoratifs» and a technical degree in product design. Charlene is a very nice person with a beautiful smile and a good sense of humor. She is always there when it comes to laughter between friends and making jokes. She loves good “terroir” products and never forgets to bring us artisanal sausages or good wine as soon as she can, YUMIIIII! She's also a very sweet person who is serious and conscientious when it comes to work. She is a great addition to our team by bringing a new vision and addressing aspects of the project in a wider and original way. She is our little ray of sunshine!
The woman at a hundred degrees! After two years of hard preparation for the competition of engineering schools, she spent a year preparing a diploma to be a dietician-nutritionist, but she didn’t like the passivity that came with it. So she raced to the laboratory, where it was more dynamic and where she could run around enzymes and equipment! She will go to a company of more than 2000 m2 of pharmaceutical bottles! Cindy is a perfect IGEMer !! She is a very joyful, dynamic, and funny girl . She was our first cool wiki teacher and she was very helpful during the lab work. Her enthusiasm, good mood, and efficiency allowed our team to advance our project.
After obtaining his scientific high-school diploma, he did a Biotech degree in Bioanalysis and Controls where he acquired several laboratory competencies. He wanted to dive into scientific research and he flew to study in Paris to receive training in biomedical research. Second of the class, his passion for virology grew and he integrated the UPMC Master Molecular and Cellular Biology. He did the Master 2 Fundamental Virology at Institut Pasteur, where his knowledge about virology increased exponentially. Second of the class, he obtained a grant to fund his doctorate in virology during the next 3 years. Mathieu is a person who seems very calm at first sight, but when you know him well, he is a very funny guy and we spend a very pleasant time in his company! Between each laboratory experiment he never hesitates to make jokes to lighten the mood. He just validated his master in virology brilliantly and he is very good at what he does. We can say without a doubt that he is of great help in the lab and in the scientific design of our project!
After her high-school diploma in Science in Labruyere school in the city of Versailles, she spent 3 years in preparatory school ’Henri IV’, one of the top preparatory schools in Paris. And now, she is in her second year of engineering school at ESPCI. Lise is one of our team members from ESPCI where she is studying physics and chemistry. She is also involved in her school’s association, where she loves organizing parties and playing volleyball! Most of all, Lise is a really funny girl who has a great sense of humor. But she knows when to be serious! Lise always brings happiness to the group!
She has a scientific high-school diploma, she spent two years in preparatory school for "Les Grandes Écoles" and she is now in her second year of engineering school at ESPCI, which is the equivalent of a bachelor degree in maths, physics and chemistry. Svetlana is a funny girl who knows how to work in the laboratory and who is not afraid when we have a lot of work to do. She has a very good taste in music, which was very useful to us when we stayed late nights in the lab. In brief, Svetlana is a serious girl who knows when and how to have fun. She is the “Before Sis’”, as in the opposite of “An after work”!
After having her scientific high-school diploma, she turned in a double degree in law and economics. And now she is in Master 2 in digital and intellectual property law at Paris Saclay. This fan of Harry Potter, unconditional 9gag and buzzfeed, has also toured the world and will share her travels with you! Beautiful tanned lawyer, she likes to decorate the skin of fellow team members with a small tattoo felt. Come meet Victoire, she will stir you up !!
He was born and raised in Paris. He did 2 years of medical school before switching to law. And today he is studying for a Master degree in intellectual property. Victor first wanted to be a doctor, but then decided to use his great wit and eloquence to be a lawyer. He always has a joke on the tip of his tongue as well as a cigarette. Although he might talk a little bit too much during presentation sessions, his subtle and sophisticated humor is essential to our team - even Claudia would agree. He's never the last to party that's for sure! Oh, and did I mention he's so strong he couldn't help but break a petri dish with his bare hands the first time he helped in the lab ?!
After having her high-school diploma in Biotech, she decided to continue her studies in a Bachelor in Biotechnology. Her grades allowed her to pursue her University diploma in biochemistry and biomolecules. And now she is in Master 2 in infectiology. Our little lab rat always with her white headband, ready for all the operations, but be aware, she won’t be in before 1 pm! Shhh it's a secret!
She finished high school in Belgrade, her hometown. She was in a ’bilingual’ class, which was oriented towards social sciences and literature. Some of her classes were half in Serbian, half in French, which helped her improve her French vocabulary. After graduation, she moved to Paris to begin studying life sciences at Pierre and Marie Curie University. This year, she obtained her Bachelor’s Degree and, in the fall, she is starting her Master studies in genetics at Paris Diderot University. Marina is Serbian gal, she is a hard-worker in the lab but always ready to go out for a drink. She is very kind and helpful since she is our serotonin girl!
He is studying industrial design at ENSCI-Les Ateliers in Paris. 5 things to love about Xavier: He is an awesome designer (he likes to make smelly wallets out of kombucha). He works out and is very athletic (but would definitely skip a session to go on a Pokemon hunt). He is a great artist and plays the piano (he also listens to PNL, so...). He is very careful about his diet and likes to eat healthy food (but will wash it down with 5 beers!). And finally, he is an amazing person, and a great asset to have in an iGEM team (indeed, his spirit animal is the penguin...)
He has a bachelor in Cellular Biology and physiology, and he’s currently in his last year of Master degree in Biochemistry of therapeutic and toxic molecules. The best way to describe Mehdi is to use one of his quote: "Mehdi is our god" Mehdi Morel, August 25, 2016! We really appreciate his humility. Beware, he also has a really mysterious sense of humor (try to not be offended!) and he is a master of language accents. He has also many skills in biology, some may say that he's a genius (his mother and him!). So it's making him a really good asset in the laboratory! Big player of golf on his Wii console, he plays also soccer "sometimes". His favorite animal is the albinos dolphin!
He did his high school in Saint-Céré, a small village in the French countryside, in the middle of fields and cows. Then, he studied physics, chemistry and mathematics at a university-level during two years of preparatory classes, in Toulouse, the birthplace of aviation. He is now in second year of ESPCI Paris, an engineering school and a research center in physics, chemistry and biology. Thomas is essential to the iGEM Pasteur team. He can solve a chemistry problem while flying an aircraft. If you meet him, you will probably hear his accent which comes from Toulouse in the south of France
