Team:Duke/Team

Our goofy troupe of undergrads and our wise and fearless advisors.


Undergraduate Team Members

Wet Lab Members

Adam Yaseen


Adam is a junior majoring in Biophysics and is the president of Duke iGEM. This is his second year as a member of iGEM. Outside of lab, Adam enjoys watching films, anime, and reading novels. His favorite film is Oldboy (the original Korean film, not the disgrace that was the American remake), his favorite anime is Neon Genesis Evangelion and his favorite novel is Notes from the Underground. He is most interested in metabolic engineering and CRISPR mediated recombineering and hopes to pursue a Ph.D in bioengineering.

Ben Hoover


Ben is a senior at Duke University majoring in Biomedical Engineering and pursuing a focus in electrophysiology and medical instrumentation. As a second year returner to iGEM, he has matured slightly from the middle school excitement and naiveté of last year’s research experience (see bio in Duke iGEM 2015). In addition to working with the iGEM team on campus, he works as an RA and TA for ECE and enjoys teaching and interacting with children. It was only a year ago since he was one, after all.

Emma Miles


Emma is a junior at Duke University majoring in Biomedical Engineering. This is her first year on the iGEM team. In addition to working on the team, she also works as a laboratory assistant for the Tobin Zebrafish Lab. Future plans include focusing in tissue engineering with special regard to women's issues. She is from Pueblo, Colorado and loves to visit with family, friends, and her pet.

Jaydeep Sambangi


Jaydeep is a junior at Duke University majoring in Biomedical Engineering, specialty currently undecided. This is his first year as a member of an iGEM team, and he is largely interested in learning various laboratory techniques. He plans to study medicine and one day pair that study with an engineering degree to do something exciting and new. Jaydeep enjoys reading and watching TV in his spare time and above all likes to learn new things.

Nisakorn Valysasevi


Nisakorn is a senior at Duke University majoring in Biology and Computer Science from Bangkok, Thailand. This is her first year on the iGEM team and is passionate about computational biology (protein modelling and genetics) and the biomedical applications of computer science. She plans on getting a job in the biotech industry or joining a startup after graduation. Her other interests include film, EDM, Japanese, and cooking/eating meat that’s somewhat raw on the inside (real stomach of steel).
"All composite things must pass away. Strive onward vigilantly.” - The last words of the Buddha

Parth Patel


Parth is a junior at Duke University majoring in Biomedical Engineering. However, he is a senior exec among iGEM members with a whopping 5 years of iGEM competitions under his belt. This is his second year on the Duke iGEM team after co-leading the Gaston Day School iGEM team for three years. He has a love for Anime/Manga like no other and listens to a variety of music, from Jpop and Bollywood to rap and heavy metal. Quote: "One does not simply wait for the pcr to finish....Pokemon anyone?"

Thomas Luo


Thomas is a sophomore studying Biomedical Engineering from Madison, Wisconsin with interests in tissue engineering and murine surgery. This is his first year as a member of iGEM. He is also a member of Kontos Lab at the Duke Medical school and has previously interned at Cryns Lab at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine. He plans to either attend medical school or pursue a job in industry. Additionally, he enjoys being a member of the Duke Marching Band and traveling with friends.


Dry Lab Members

Attyat Mayans


Attyat is a junior studying Public Policy and Chinese at Duke University. She enjoys conducting research through Duke Bass Connections and the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, and is a part of the Duke Moot Court Team, Duke East Asia Nexus and the Center for Multicultural Affairs. After graduating from Duke, she intends on pursuing a Ph.D. in Social Policy.

Neelesh Moorthy


Neelesh is a Trinity junior at Duke University majoring in Economics and minoring in German. He is planning on attending law school after graduation, hopefully with a focus on international markets. He currently serves as the Managing Editor for The Duke Chronicle, and was the former Local/National Department Head last year.



Advisors

Michael Lynch


Michael Lynch MD, PhD is a rather attractive assistant professor of both Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering at Duke University. He received both his Ph.D and M.D. at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He always wears a blue lab coat and smiles with his perfect white teeth at everything, even when lab plans go awry. His research focuses on modifying bacterial pathways to produce chemicals essential for applications such as pharmacology and industry.

Adim Moreb


Adim is a Ph.D. student in the Biomedical Engineering department. He joined the Lynch lab in 2015. His work focuses on improving the speed and efficiency of genome engineering in bacteria.