Meet Our Team
Sara Boyle
SENIOR
Neuroscience
Sara Boyle
From early childhood, I’ve always loved knowing exactly how everything works. Around the age of five, I realized that the questions that were the most interesting were the ones my parents didn’t know the answer to, so I gave up on my dream of being an artist-veterinarian-doctor and decided to become a mad scientist.
Now I am a senior studying neuroscience and cognitive science with a minor in computer science and am quite content. My interests include playing violin and reading books, but mostly brains.
Jordan Harrison
SENIOR
Biology
Jordan Harrison
I hail from eastern North Carolina but called my residential STEM high school in Durham, NC home and ignited my interest in life sciences there. My family and friends have done a fun DIY science experiment on every Labor Day since I was born.
I am a fourth year biology major with a plant biology concentration. I first spent a year and a half in the Medill School of Journalism and predictably have a passion for science communication. My personal research interests are in sustainability and plant circadian rhythms. My dream is to write for National Geographic.
Paul Perkovich
SENIOR
Chemical Engineering
Paul Perkovich
I am a senior chemical engineer pursuing a minor in biotechnology. I have previously been involved in research developing a surface-based microfluidic bioreactor.
I love learning new things and frolicking in the cold snow while my friends complain about it. My interests include applying synthetic biology to sustainability, telling bad science jokes, and playing in the marching band.
Tasfia Azim
JUNIOR
Chemical Engineering
Tasfia Azim
I didn’t learn how to properly pronounce my name (Thushfia) until I was in third grade. But that was a dark time in the past. Today, I am a junior studying chemical engineering and pursuing minors in biotechnology and creative writing. You can say that I’m indecisive about my interests.
When I am not in the lab, I’m probably [crying in my apartment while] writing stories about mutant flying squirrels and consuming large volumes of apples and hazelnut coffee.
Michelle Cai
JUNIOR
Biomedical Engineering
Michelle Cai
I’m a junior pre-medical and Biomedical Engineering student, so I’m both bossy and boring, which I’ve found tends to work out really well in social settings. I’ve been interested in playing with biology ever since I learned as a child that jellyfish could use their bodies to produce light and poison people, neither of which I could do at 5.
At 19 I still can’t produce light or poison people, but my interests are a bit more benign now, so it isn’t such a disappointment. I am particularly interested in gerontology, end of life care, and psychopathology, and on the lighter spectrum of things I enjoy rainy days, soft cookies, and ballet.
Sam Davidson
JUNIOR
Chemical Engineering
Sam Davidson
I have been interested in genetic engineering since I was 8, when I read a relevant article in a copy of TIME for Kids in the back of my grandma’s car on the way to go see a movie.
Since I never shut up about space and AI technology, my friends often wonder why I’m not pursuing one of those fields instead. If I were pursuing one of those fields, I’d probably never shut up about genetic engineering.
Shu Huang
JUNIOR
Chemical Engineering
Shu Huang
I am a junior majoring in chemical engineering, but I’m not fond of thermo. After learning about genetics and doing cloning experiments, I fell in love with synthetic biology and decided to pursue a biotechnology minor. (I’m always excited about running gels.)
When not in the lab, I’m probably playing with cats or watching Japanese anime.
Tyler Lazar
JUNIOR
Chemical Engineering
Tyler Lazar
My first name is actually John. The other John Tyler (the tenth president of the United States) died on January 18, which is coincidentally my birthday. A chemical engineer minoring in biotechnology and sociology, my research interests include antibiotic discovery, medicinal plant biology, and sustainability.
Outside of laboratory, I am a plant enthusiast who enjoys running in the mountains, sipping tea in San Francisco, and grappling with life’s mysteries.
Meet Our Advisors
Dr. Joshua Leonard
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Chemical and Biological Engineering
Dr. Michael Jewett
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Chemical and Biological Engineering
Dr. Keith
Tyo
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Chemical and Biological Engineering
Dr. John Mordacq
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Biological Sciences
Meet Our Graduate Students
Kelly Schwarz
LEONARD LAB
Bradley Biggs
TYO LAB
Will Bothfeld
TYO LAB
Ben Des Soye
JEWETT LAB
Patrick Donahue
LEONARD LAB
Quentin Dudley
JEWETT LAB
Joe Muldoon
LEONARD LAB
BAGHERI LAB
Sarah Stainbrook
TYO LAB
Peter Su
LEONARD LAB
TYO LAB
