Justin Wahyudi is an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley studying Bioengineering. Justin is interested in exploring the field of synthetic biology and its applications in healthcare and pharmaceutical settings. He is working with Dr. Jacob Hilzinger on the CUBES project to help genetically engineer A. platensis for its potential applications in pharmaceutical production and supporting space exploration.
Hanen is an undergraduate at UC Berkeley studying Bioengineering. He is interested in utilizing computational and synthetic biology to reduce plastic pollution, develop new drugs and diagnostics, and improve food production and the environment, especially in poorer regions of the world. At CUBES, he is focusing on engineering microbes to produce bioplastics useful for applications in space missions as well as on Earth.
After undergrad, Hanen plans to pursue a PhD in bioengineering or biotechnology to grow as a scientist. He aims to start a company one day focusing on using bioengineering to address environmental and food insecurity issues around the globe.
Luz Arias is a sophomore at UC Berkeley studying bioengineering. She is working with Hira Lesea on the ENIGMA project exploring the impact of microorganisms on polluted ecosystems. Outside of the lab, she’s occupied with cooking and skateboarding.
Xina Wang is a freshman at UC Berkeley studying chemical biology. She is working with Dr. Sanders on protein engineering for bioplastics production in space and is interested in how synthetic biology can enable human space exploration as well as how biosystems in nature can be engineered for applications in biomanufacturing and biomedicine.
Undergraduate Hue Ahnn to work with Dr. Hilzinger to help develop innovative approaches to build on our recent successes engineering the cyanobacterial ‘superfood’, Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) for production of pharmaceutical, nutrients, and flavors with application to supporting human exploration of space.
Cassandra is a motivated and curious senior undergraduate in the Bioengineering department
at UC Berkeley with a specific focus on cell and tissue engineering. She has previously worked
in immunology and polymer labs where she formulated and evaluated antibody-conjugated lipid
nanoparticles as well as contributed to the standardization of nanoindentation as a modality for
retrieval analysis of total knee replacement polymer components respectively. Through her
coursework and research experiences, she has developed a strong interest in the field of
synthetic biology which she hopes to utilize to solve problems caused by the climate crisis.
Currently, she is working with Gwyneth Hutchinson and NASA CUBES to engineer Spirulina for
pharmaceutical and flavor production with applications for supporting human exploration of
space. In her free time, you can catch her at the roller rink, or on a hike in the Berkeley hills.
Katya is a 4th year undergrad studying Molecular and Cell Biology and Computer Science. She is passionate about the ways in which we can harness biology for sustainability and medical solutions, and is really inspired by the innovative applications of bioengineering at CUBES. She is working within the FPSD division at the Arkin Lab, engineering E.Coli to produce biopolymers suitable for additive manufacturing for human space exploration.
Mindy Duong is a junior undergraduate at UC Berkeley studying Molecular & Cell Biology and Public Health. She joined the Arkin Lab as a student laboratory assistant to help with routine upkeep of the entire lab and assist individual researchers with their research projects. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting and learning other fiber arts.
Haoming a student at Wuhan University studying Life Sciences and Finance. An exchange student at UC Berkeley and worked with Ruoshi Yuan to develop high throughput platforms to study C.necator in low nutrition conditions. Skilled in microfluidic chips design and fabrication and interested in understanding biological processes in economic terms.
Eliana Matos is a highly motivated student pursuing her studies in Bioengineering, with a specific focus on cell and tissue engineering. She has experience working and volunteering with a myriad of organizations, which range from nonprofit hospitals to YMCA Camp Campbell. Here, she effectively applies her optimistic outlook and critical thinking skills. Throughout her undergraduate career, Eliana has explored a broad range of classes and clubs, delving into fields such as neurotechnology, health care advocacy, as well as advanced mathematics and sciences related to engineering. While she expresses an interest in the path towards medical school, she remains fascinated by the multitude of opportunities that bioengineering could potentially offer her. For instance, during her first year of college, she co-authored a research paper on the potential for bioengineering in space exploration, an experience that utterly astounded her. The prospect of integrating her major with space exploration filled her with an exhilarating sense of anticipation. Eliana also enjoys going to the beach and hiking in her free time.
