Difference between revisions of "Team:Birkbeck/Team"

Ariana "the Explora" Mirzarafie-Ahi
BSc Biological Sciences Graduate, Birkbeck, University of London

Ariana was offered a place at Birkbeck in 2011. At this time, higher education reforms took over with tuition fees tripling and the removal of part-time education grants. She feels privileged to have gone to such a distinctive institute at the heart of London and owes her great academic experience to Birkbeck.

Ariana graduated this year from Birkbeck, University of London with a BSc in Biological Sciences. Her final year project was on investigating protein nano cages, and throughout the years had research internships on protein crystallography, tissue engineering and bioinformatics. After iGEM Ariana is starting a PhD in Interdisciplinary Biosciences at UCL.

Elliott Parris
MSci Natural Sciences Graduate, University College London

Elliott is a 2015 University College London MSci Natural Sciences Graduate, where his major was Genetics, Evolution & Environment and his minor was Synthetic Organic Chemistry. iGEM offered a unique opportunity for him to bridge his degree disciplines with invaluable synthetic biology experience; the field in which he wishes to acquire a doctorate position.

The first in his family to go to University, he feels privileged to be a part of the first Birkbeck team and all that it represents – determination, perseverance, progression and success. Besides his desire to implement synthetic biology on healthcare, one long-term goal of his is to engineer organisms that can reverse drivers positively feeding back into climate change. A football fanatic and player alike - he eats like a pig, drinks like a fish and cycles with animosity.

Sean Ross Craig
BSc Microbiology Graduate, University of Dundee; MRes Microbiology Graduate, Birkbeck, University of London

A University of Dundee BSc Microbiology 2012 Graduate, he worked as a chef for a year and a half after graduation. Birkbeck, University of London gave Sean the opportunity to study the subject that he loves and work at the same time. He was able to complete his MRes due to the flexibility of Birkbeck. Without an institution such as Birkbeck offering the flexibility in study, he would not have been able to obtain a research based post-graduate qualification. Being a part of the iGEM team means a lot to Sean & he hopes to give back to the great institute that provided him with the opportunity to pursue a career in academic science.

When Sean is not looking at Biosynthetic pathways or dreaming up scientific ideas for the good of mankind sean enjoys playing & watching football. He also has a keen interest in nature. He has the pace to keep up with Elliott on the eating front (but doesn’t have the stamina to eat the sheer volume) however, does have the stamina on the drinking front.

Rachel Wellman
3rd year BSc Biomedicine, Birkbeck, University of London

Rachel has worked as a lawyer for several charities, including medical research charities where her interest in science was reawakened. She is taking advantage of the opportunity that Birkbeck provides to combine part time studies with full time work. When not working or studying Rachel enjoys baking - including making vegan macaroons with the liquid from cans of chickpeas and creating evil GM creatures to take over the world (what, you mean that isn't the aim of the project?!).

Barbara "Babz" Steijl
3rd year BSc Chemical & Molecular Biology, Birkbeck, University of London

Barbara has always had an interest in science. She did not quite meet the criteria for mainstream Universities however was given a chance at Birkbeck, University of London. Barbara previously worked in an office as team leader of media analysis. The flexibility of learning offered at Birkbeck allowed Barbara to continue working while pursuing a BSc in Chemical & Molecular Biology.

Barbara's interests are “general geekery” which includes scientific talks & skeptic meetings. She enjoys travelling and certainly has a few stamps in her passport. One to watch when it comes to pool! After iGEM she intends on completing her BSc and pursue a PhD in synthetic biology.

Luba Prout
BSc Chemical & Molecular Biology Graduate, Birkbeck, University of London

Luba recently completed a BSc in Chemical and Molecular Biology at Birkbeck, University of London. As part of her undergraduate degree, she undertook an experimental research project on directed evolution of XNA ligases and in parallel she also focused on the use of bioinformatics for enzyme engineering. Previously, Luba volunteered and was an intern at a biomedical chemistry lab, gaining experience in organic synthesis and analytical techniques. Her passion for science, synthetic biology and academic scholarship sparked the initiation of the first Birkbeck iGEM team.

Luba’s first degree was in law, yet her strong interest in science has led her to Birkbeck to study for a second degree, whilst taking up a support role at the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development / Birkbeck BabyLab. After the spell with BBKiGEM, Luba will start a PhD on the BBSRC LiDO programme at University College London.

Dr. Vitor Pinheiro
Lecturer, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London and Birkbeck, University of London

Originally from Brazil, Vitor went to northern Scotland for a gap year and fell in love with the weather. As the second best student in Economics in his year (in a class of two), he decided early that Mathematics was a far better investment – ditching Economics in favour of Further Mathematics. He joined University of Cambridge to do Physics, heard the calling of Chemistry but due to a poor choice of modules in the Natural Sciences Tripos, ended up a biochemist (BA, MSci and the freebie MA).

He stayed in Cambridge for a PhD in bacterial pathogenesis and for his post-doctoral career in synthetic biology. In his steady march South, he joined UCL and Birkbeck as Lecturer in Synthetic Biology in 2013.

Dr. Jane Nicklin
Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London

Jane first graduated from Bristol University with a BSc and then went on to complete her PhD at the same university. She has been a researcher and lecturer at Birkbeck since 1981, she is the Safety Officer for the whole of the department, and we are extremely grateful to have been allowed to work in her lab..

Her special expertise is in the area of microbial ecology, mycology and plant pathology. Her research centers on the study of fungal biochemistry, physiology and molecular biology. It includes biocontrol by fungi, toxin and enzymes of fungi, and fungi in heritage collections.

Yan-Kay Ho
BBSRC LiDO PhD student
MSc Natural Sciences Graduate, University College London

Yan-Kay has always had a keen interest in science: from genetics and evolution, to developmental biology, and animal behaviour. She's even dabbled a bit into palaeontology, ecology, and systems biology. Now, through the BBSRC London Interdisciplinary Biosciences PhD LiDO Consortium programme, she is seguing* into the exciting field of synthetic biology. That is, having first taken this turn in the road via iGEM on the UCL Team 2014. Of course, the road continues further, and this is why she finds herself advising a new cohort of iGEM students, both on the Birkbeck (and UCL) 2015 Teams.

(*An appreciative nod to all the lovely people at the LiDO 2015 Retreat.)

Pedro Tizei
PhD Student, University College London

Pedro graduated from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas in the Campinas Area of Brazil with a BSc in 2013.