Team
Introductions of the members will be put in here soon! Watch this space.
PI
- Prof. dr. Filipe Branco dos Santos
- Prof. dr. Jeroen Hugenholtz
Instructors
- Prof. dr. Frank Bruggeman
- dr. Willi Gottstein
-
Team Members
- Hugo Pineda
- Nicolas Vecchini
- Stijn Kok
- David Lips
- Christine Anyansi
- Tamar Huygen
Nicolas Vecchini
Nico, our Puerto Rican who managed to find his way to Europe all the way from the Caribbean. Making a pit stop in Spain to get his undergraduate degree in biology, Nico did an internship in genetics in which he tried to turn Pseudomonas Syringae - a nasty plant-killing pathogen - blue, supposedly with a brilliant purpose. He then went over to Germany do even more work in plant physiology, leveraging the potential of plants to save mankind one small step at a time. Nico also enjoys long walks, contemplating metabolic routes over tea, and sometimes secretly wishes everyone would just do the same.
Hugo Pineda
A bonafide true Spaniard, Hugo has also travelled a long way from his Spanish undergraduate education in Biology, to study a masters in the heart of the Netherlands. With his inquisitive mind and passion for all things undefined, he plays an irreplaceable role in our team. Fond of ants and bubbles, his strangely specific sense of humour and oscar winning smile adds to his already multidimensional personality. After iGEM, Hugo will be involved in the largest sequencing effort to date to map out the avocado’s complete genome - he calls it the human genome project, but for avocados.
Stijn Kok
Our member with the least international name. His interests include modelling stochastic processes in cyanobacteria, creating almost - but not quite - hipster targeted music, and pondering the intricate complexity of life, the universe and everything. So deviously handsome he could be a part time model (but probably would still need to keep his day job), Stijn plans to spend part of his time seducing/informing the general public on the implications of synthetic biology and part of his time distracting us while writing nerdy lab songs and making a model or two.
David Lips
David obtained his free spirited nature from his secular education at the Amsterdam University College, where he explored the boundaries of life as we know it in a revolutionary Biology/Physics/Math/Engineering/Psychology/Art joint bachelor’s degree programme. Swayed by evolution’s elegant design principles, he believes synthetic biology can solve mankind’s most pressing problems and is completing his masters degree in preparation to lead the way. When not working (never), David plays improv theater and tries to make people laugh so hard that triple DNA helices form spontaneously.
Christine Anyansi
Christine graduated with a Biology bachelors degree from the States. Prior to coming to Amsterdam for her master’s degree, she contributed to the growth and success of some of the most innovative biotech startups in Boston. By joining the iGEM team, she brings not only her love of Scrubs but also her joyous and peaceful spirit. She likes to think she is the team’s glue and without her, we would spontaneously combust into pieces of dutch and spanish castaways.
Tamar Huygen
With a degree in biology and several years experience studying mathematics, Tamar is the perfect bridge between our modelling and laboratory efforts. She can plot growth rates from second-order non-linear differential equations in her mind, and then directly translate the results into actionable steps in the lab. When not growing pathogenic bacteria in her garage, Tamar can be found climbing in one of Holland’s many indoor climbing halls, reaching for heights she will surely top with this iGEM project.