Teams/Ambassadors
2020 After iGEM Ambassadors
On this page you will find: Ambassador Projects, Asia , Europe, Latin America, North America, Africa, and After iGEM Coordinators.
The iGEM Ambassadors represent and promote iGEM and synthetic biology in their respective regions. The iGEM Ambassadors are a diverse, international, and passionate team of regional leaders who have experienced iGEM and now work together to promote initiatives to expand iGEM and collaborate with local stakeholders to disseminate cooperation across their community.
CONTACT US:
All Ambassadors: ambassadors-2020 [AT] igem [DOT] org
Coordinators: after [AT] igem [DOT] org
Asia: asia_ambassadors2020 [AT] igem [DOT] org
Europe: europe_ambassadors2020 [AT] igem [DOT] org
Latin America: LA_ambassadors2020 [AT] igem [DOT] org
North America: NA_ambassadors2020 [AT] igem [DOT] org
Africa: africa_ambassadors2020 [AT] igem [DOT] org
They are committed to helping you be a part of the iGEM community. You may have already met your regional ambassador on a coffee chat earlier in the season. If you did you are one of 1000 iGEMers worldwide who shared their challenges, ideas, inspirations and progress during the time of COVID-19. It was based on this feedback that we were able to adapt the iGEM Competition for 2020. We want to help you connect with other teams in your region, and provide support for virtual meetups. We also want to make sure you are having fun!
The Ambassadors believe that synthetic biology is one of the most exciting fields in the world that has a tremendous amount of potential to do good, and we believe that iGEMers are the ones to actualize this potential. Therefore, Ambassadors also focus on engaging iGEM alumni and help promote synthetic biology in their region. We hope that your involvement with iGEM and the ambassadors continue long after the competition, and that the lessons you learn this season will help guide you throughout the rest of your career.
AMBASSADOR PROJECTS
iGEMers of The World
Podcast
Women in STEM
Interview Series
Just One Giant Lab
iGEM Collaboration Partner
Global Meetup
Welcome Ceremony
Where Are They Now?
Alumni Campaign
Online Events
iGEM Calendar
AMBASSADORS TO ASIA
Varsha Jaisimha
South Asia
- Location:India
- Email:varsha [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:IISER-Pune-India 2019
My Intro Message
HelloI! I am Varsha. I am from India and I am currently pursuing an integrated BS-MS degree at IISER-Pune. I am interested in the applications of Synthetic Biology, particularly in the field of medicine and public health. I believe that the interface of Science and Society is very crucial and aim to contribute to this frontier. I am an adventure seeker, traveller and dancer!
My iGEM Life
I began my iGEM story as a team member of the 2019 team from IISER Pune. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, getting to interact with a diverse set of people working towards a common goal and learning things that cannot be picked up from a normal lab project. I decided that the iGEM community is not one I want to part with and I am continuing my journey as a mentor to two teams as well as a member of the Measurements Committee and After iGEM in 2020.
Zeeshan Siddiqui
Oceania
- Location:Australia
- Email:zeeshan [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:UNSW Sydney 2018(member), 2019 (advisor)
My Intro Message
Hey everyone, I’m Zeeshan! I recently completed my Bsc (Hons) in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics from UNSW Sydney, Australia! I absolutely love Synbio (protein engineering in particular) and its potential to revolutionize how the world functions! I was president of the UNSW Biotech society (BABSOC) in 2019, with a goal of promoting Synbio within the university. I enjoy science communication and playing the guitar.
My iGEM Life
My iGEM adventure started in 2018 with the UNSW Sydney team. I was responsible for all things protein engineering! Our team project was to develop a modular, synthetic enzymatic scaffold. iGEM was one of the most unique and exciting experiences of my life, and I am looking forward to meeting you all!
Daulet Aitymbayev
Central Asia
- Location:Kazakhstan
- Email:daulet [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:NU_Kazakhstan, 2017 (team member), 2018 (team leader), 2019 (team adviser)
Kaavya Ashok
East Asia (Japan)
- Location:Japan
- Email:kaavya [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:NYU New York 2019
My Intro Message
Hello everyone! I’m Kaavya. I graduated in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Biology from NYU New York. I am passionate about synthetic biology’s power to solve many problems in the world. Outside of iGEM, I am passionate about science memes and parodies, K-pop, J-pop, social justice, bubble tea, public health, and my dog Giorgio
My iGEM Life
I was one of the founding members and leaders of the 2019 NYU New York team. Our project focused on metabolically engineering pathways to synthesise these small molecules found in plants called “flavonoids”. I specialised in wet lab work and mobilising collaborations. am so excited to work with everyone and talk about science!
Ryo Niwa
East Asia (Japan)
- Location:Japan
- Email:ryo [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:Gifu 2016-2019
My Intro Message
Hi iGEMers! I am Ryo NIWA and a 1st year of Master student at Kyoto University, Japan. I got my BSc of Applied Biological Sciences and experienced bacterial genome assembly of traditional fermented food. I am now focusing on genome engineering of iPS cells. I love eating noodles, ramen.
My iGEM Life
My first year of participating in iGEM was 2014 as a member of iGEM Gifu team. From the year, I joined the team for 4 years in a row as a wet lab member and wiki editor. I was also appointed as a leader of the team in 2018. I am very honored to be a part of iGEM Ambassador program this year. I am looking forward to seeing you all!
Muhammad Farhan Maulana
Southeast Asia
- Location:Indonesia
- Email:muhammad [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:ITB_Indonesia/2017 2019
My Intro Message
Hello! You can call me Muhammad or Farhan. Currently I’m a Business Development Associate in one of the deep-tech accelerators in Indonesia, Nano Venture. Shifting from Microbiology BSc to business landscape is exciting! I have a dream to kickstart synthetic biology ventures in Indonesia. I believe communicating science such as being an Ambassador is an important stepping-stone for that! In my spare time, I play guitar and sing any kinds of songs :D
My iGEM Life
My iGEM life started in 2017, when I became wet lab coordinator for my university team (ITB_Indonesia). Then, in 2019, I became the team advisor for the same team. I’m still intending to continue our iGEM projects through applying various grants though. By participating in iGEM, I get so much experience and skills I’ve never gotten from the class!
Jiabao Li
East Asia (China)
- Location:China
- Email:jiabao [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:XJTU 2018,2019
My Intro Message
Hello world! My name is Jiabao LI and you can also call me Kahou or Ori LI. Currently being a senior student of BSc Chemical Biology in Xi’an Jiaotong University, I love Honor Science Program (Chemical Biology) and synthetic biology throughout the university life. In my spare time, I will explore knowledge in psychology as well as math models and work as the current president of Memory Association in my university.
My iGEM Life
My iGEM life began in the winter of 2017 with the notice of iGEM announcement in our university. I took part in iGEM 2018 and was the drylab leader of XJTU. Although Xi’an was pretty hot in summer, doing math modelling could make me cool and soon became my hobby. In iGEM 2019, I was the advisor on mathematical models in XJTU. Now, being one of 2020’s iGEM Ambassadors in China, we will make you enjoy in the world of synthetic biology as well as iGEM activities! Today iGEMer, tomorrow iGEMer Forever!
Xinyu Huang
East Asia (China)
- Location:China
- Email:xinyu [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:FAFU_CHINA 2016, 2017
My Intro Message
Hey everyone, I'm Xinyu Huang, I come from Fujian Province, China, after I finished my bachelor's degree in biological science, I came to Hangzhou for further study in EMBLab at Westlake University as a Ph.D. student. I hope the interdisciplinary application of bioinformatics and biotechnology can bring new strategies for researchers to solve some current environmental problems.
My iGEM Life
My iGEM Journey started in 2016 as a team member in Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University iGEM team. Then I became the advisor of the FAFU_CHINA 2017 team. In my 2-year iGEM experience, I met many amazing people and got a lot of help from Alumni iGEMer. So after that, I joined CCiC(The Conference of China iGEMer Community) and now become an iGEM Ambassador, I am very glad to participate in iGEM with a new capacity, and experience harvest this extraordinary season with everyone.
AMBASSADORS TO EUROPE
Athina Milona
Mediterranean, Southeast Europe
- Location:Greece
- Email:athina [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:Thessaly 2019
My Intro Message
Hello everyone! I’m Athina! I am from Greece and I got a BSc in Biochemistry and Biotechnology. By exploring entrepreneurial avenues, I hope to be a part of the effort to achieve Sustainable Development and make SynBio’s applications accessible to everyone. I love travelling and exploring different cultures.
My iGEM Life
My first engagement with iGEM was as a member of iGEM Thessaly 2019 team. Last year we made an extraordinary journey and shared our passion by creating ODYSSEE. One of the greatest opportunity iGEM offered me was to meet and interact with people from all ar-ound the world. This year, I’m once again lucky to be a part of iGEM community and work with unique and inspiring individuals for the same goal: to help change the world by sharing the iGEM culture with every corner of the globe.
Carolina Elizondo
Central Europe
- Location:Germany
- Email:carolina [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:Tec Monterrey 2015 2016
My Intro Message
Hello everyone! My name is Carolina Elizondo and I am from Mexico, where I did my Bachelor's Degree in Biotechnology Engineering. I believe that Synthetic Biology is essential for solving many of the world's problems. However, prior to engineer biological systems, a deep understanding of them is required. That is why I am studying for a Master Degree in Systems Biology at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. In my free time, I enjoy running, baking desserts, sharing Mexican food with my friends and dancing as if no one were watching.
My iGEM Life
My first approach to iGEM was in 2012 when I was in high school, making me fall in love with science and with working in the lab. In 2014 I was collaborator of the team from my university, Tec-Monterrey, team member in 2015, team leader in 2016 and advisor in 2018 and 2019. I have participated as well in the Mentorship Program, mentoring team REC-CHENNAI from India in 2017 and high school team DNHS from the USA in 2018. Also, I had the opportunity to be Judge in 2018. Now, I am really excited for being an Ambassador and meeting you all!
Nemira Zilinskaite
British Isles, Baltics
- Location:UK / Lithuania
- Email:nemira [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:Nottingham 2018
My Intro Message
Hello everyone! I’m Nemira! Currently, a student at the University of Nottingham doing my final year of BSc Biotechnology and starting my PhD in October! I’m originally from Lithuania, but now living in the UK. I'm an active member of the Student Union working towards improving the education outcome at my university! My main passion is bioscience, but I also enjoy music and astronomy!
My iGEM Life
My iGEM journey started in 2018 when I joined the Nottingham iGEM 2018! I was responsible for wet lab and human practices! In 2019, I have joined After iGEM as part of the communication committee, where I worked on the newsletter and this year I'm an ambassador for Europe. iGEM allowed me to meet so many amazing people, who all taught me something new and I'll always be grateful for all of them! And now I can’t wait to meet you all - future colleagues and people, who are changing the way we understand science!
Nerea Capon Lamelas
Nordics, Iberia
- Location:Sweden / Spain
- Email:nerea [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:Stockholm 2019
My Intro Message
Hello there! My name is Nerea Capon and I am a second year Master student in Neurochemistry and Molecular Neurobiology, although my bachelors is in Genetics. I am currently studying in Sweden but I am originally from Spain. I love the mountains and anything that has to do with it: hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, camping… Fun fact about me: I once drank liquid incense from a non-labeled bottle, thinking it was something else. Always label your bottles, people!!! #LabSafety101
My iGEM Life
I was Team Leader for iGEM Stockholm 2019, where I got to work with really amazing people and get to know the amazing iGEM community! I cannot wait to meet all of you and help this amazing community grow. I hope my positiveness and “let’s do it” attitude can help you and don’t hesitate to contact me for whatever you need.
Ojas Tulsyan
Western Europe, Nordics
- Location:Denmark
- Email:ojas [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:Copenhagen 2019
My Intro Message
Hi! I’m Ojas! I believe that synthetic biology will contribute to the revolutionary switch to a sustainable ecosystem. To do my part, I’m pursuing a graduate program in Biotechnology from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. I hail from Nepal and I’m an environment enthusiast. It is my passion to bring scientific solutions to ground reality and I enjoy dancing my way around.
My iGEM Life
I and iGEM happened as a Lab Manager for the UCopenhagen iGEM team 2019 where I assisted my team with the experimental design and the modelling. We are continuing our project ‘Ovulaid’ beyond the scope of the competition to materialise our motivation. It’s never an easy ride but the iGEM platform propelled my drive to help society benefit from the advancements of Synbio.
Maxim Bokov
Eastern Europe
- Location:Russia
- Email:maxim [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:Moscow 2019
AMBASSADORS TO LATIN AMERICA
Cibele Zolnier
South America
- Location:Brazil
- Email:cibele [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:USP-EEL-Brazil 2018 (team leader)
My Intro Message
Hi, everyone! My name is Cibele Zolnier, I’m from Brazil and I am currently an undergraduate student in Biochemical Engineering at the University of São Paulo (USP-EEL). For four years, starting as a member and eventually becoming vice president, I was part of the Synthetic Biology Club USP-EEL. More recently, I started working on a research project related to protein engineering at the Synthetic and Molecular Biology Laboratory of USP-EEL. Apart from SynBio, my other passions include dogs and baking cakes, both separately as dogs aren’t the best kitchen helpers..
My iGEM Life
My iGEM journey started in 2016, when the first team from USP-EEL attended the competition. I had just joined the Synbio Club USP-EEL, which gave me the chance to help the team and get an idea of what the competition was like. After that, I had the opportunity to form a new team in 2017, for which I was chosen as Team Leader. Being able to participate only in iGEM 2018, attending the Giant Jamboree was really a dream come true. In 2019 I had the amazing chance to mentor another iGEM team from Brazil and also became a member of iGEM Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Now, I couldn’t be more excited to be an Ambassador and help the iGEM community grow!
Henrique Retti
South America
- Location:Brazil
- Email:henrique [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:USP Brazil 2017, 2018 and 2019
My Intro Message
Hello everyone! My name is Henrique, I’m from Brazil and I’m an undergraduate student in Biological Sciences, at the Institute of Biosciences of the University of São Paulo. In the last 5 years, I’ve been part of several different research and education projects, from the organization of a biology conference to iGEM itself. Currently, I’m working with evolutionary ecology, trying to understand a little bit about some evolutionary patterns in the immune system of Drosophila. Beyond that, I’m interested in politics and geek-stuff, especially Pokémon (What may or may not be related to my initial interest in Synthetic Biology).
My iGEM Life
I started this delightful iGEM journey back in 2016 when I first heard about the iGEM competition. However, I properly got involved in this world in 2017, in my first year in the USP-Brazil Team. Since then, I’ve participated in the same team in both 2018 and 2019, mainly as “the modelling person”. I also had the amazing opportunity to mentor two teams in 2019, UAAAN and Tec-Chihuahua. I’m really excited about this amazing opportunity as Ambassador, looking forward to helping the growth of the iGEM community and talking about science for everyone. Allons-Y!
Daniel Dominguez
Central America, Mexico, Carribean
- Location:Mexico
- Email:daniel [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:CINVESTAV_IPN_UNAM, 2012
My Intro Message
My name is Daniel Domínguez, I am from Mexico City and I have a B.S. in Biotechnology Engineering from National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico. I have worked for several years in biobusiness and technology transfer. During 3 years I led the Innovation, Research and Development Department for an agricultural company. I am the co-founder of Allbiotech, a non profit organization aiming to promote the development of biotechnology and bioeconomy in Latin America.
My iGEM Life
I participated as a student in 2012 with the team CINVESTAV-IPN-UNAM (Mexico). We explored the use of regulatory systems from Purple Non Sulphur Bacteria to control biofuel production in photosynthetic bacteria in response to light and oxygen changes. We were the first runner-up and won three special prizes in the regional stage in Colombia. Since then, I have collaborated with several iGEM teams in the region, especially in Human Practices, and I have been a huge fan and promoter of iGEM.
Heber Torres
Central America, Mexico, Carribean
- Location:Mexico
- Email:heber [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:UANL 2011-2014 & 2019, CIDEB UANL 2012-2014, Tec Guadalajara (2017), Ecuador (2018)
My Intro Message
My name is Heber Torres and I am Bachelor in Biotechnology and Genomics with a Master Degree in Molecular Biomedicine. I am currently studying a PhD program focused on Communication and Educational Innovation. In recent years, I have been working in scientific education with a project in charge of training young researchers at baccalaureate level, involved in the development of biotechnology and synthetic biology projects to solve problems in our region and our city, Monterrey, Mexico.
My iGEM Life
I participated as a student in the UANL team from 2011 to 2014 and as an Instructor in a UANL High School team from 2012 to 2014, the first Latin American team being a finalist in the worldwide competition. From 2016 to 2018, I collaborated as an instructor and advisor to some latino teams from different countries.
AMBASSADORS TO NORTH AMERICA
Melody Wu
US Southwest, Northeast
- Location:USA
- Email:melody [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:Alverno_CA 2016, MIT 2019
My Intro Message
Hello! My name is Melody Wu, and I’m an undergraduate majoring in Biological Engineering at MIT originally from the Los Angeles Area in California. I’m really passionate about exploring the interdisciplinary, in particular at the intersection of planetary health, synthetic biology/biotech, and art. I love creating art to communicate science concepts, particularly the amazing world of synthetic biology, in an easy and fun way but also just to create surreal art. At MIT, I’m also involved in the student group trying to build up MIT’s BioMakers community.
My iGEM Life
My iGEM journey started the summer after my second year at Alverno Heights Academy (2016 iGEM Alverno_CA). Our project was focused on reducing the effects of supercoiling in multi-genetic circuits to allow for predictable gene expression in bacteria. I remember the struggles we had over failed PCRs but also the joy we had taking apart a second-hand thermocycler and putting it back together. Attending the Jamboree and meeting people from all over the world who had been using the same synthetic biology tools but for a diverse range of projects and being able to present our work that I had invested hours of time into was gratifying and thrilling. In 2019, I continued my iGEM journey as part of the MIT iGEM team, where our project was focused on directing neutrophil-like cell migration along a chemokine gradient secreted by engineered HEK cells. The same iGEM spirit is still there, but now there’s a larger community, and I’m glad to be a part of it.
Yoshi Goto
US Northwest
- Location:USA
- Email:yoshi [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:Washington 2016-present (member, now advisor), SoundBio 2017-2019 (advisor, co-founder)
My Intro Message
Hiya everyone, I’m Yoshi! I am the Director of Operations at SoundBio Lab, Seattle’s Community Lab. Born in Japan but grew up in the US, I lived half my time in New York and the rest in Washington state. I graduated with a degree in Bioengineering from the University of Washington - Seattle specializing in synthetic and systems biology. I am passionate about innovation through science and nonprofits. I have particular interest in Community Lab initiatives and democratizing and spreading citizen science. I’m also interested in teaching high school students.
My iGEM Life
My iGEM journey started with the allure of free food, inviting me to the Washington iGEM team in 2016. We worked on a metabolic engineering project with the violacein pathway. While we didn’t get close at all to a finished project, the challenge of the competition and the Jamboree inspired me to keep going. Over 3 years, I went through working in wetlab, drylab, treasurer, and the project lead. I am convinced that the iGEM experience is unique to anything else offered to students and with enough commitment, leads to amazing connections in a truly innovative field of biotechnology. In 2017, I co-founded the SoundBio iGEM High school team, the first high school Seattle team. The SoundBio team has shown me that iGEM can be a platform to spark innovation for high school students as well. I am now an advisor to both teams, and also am part of the After iGEM High school and Education committees. Year after year, I have been coming back to the Jamboree, with stronger passion and connections to our growing community!
Sara Far
Canada
- Location:Canada
- Email:sara [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:Calgary 2019
AMBASSADORS TO AFRICA
Nana Oye Djan
West Africa
- Location:Ghana
- Email:nana [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:AshesiGhana 2017(student member), AshesiGhana 2020 (junior instructor)
My Intro Message
Hi! My name is Nana Oye and I am currently a faculty intern at Ashesi University. I graduated from Ashesi University in 2019 with a BSc. in Mechanical Engineering. I love to bake (sometimes), read (whenever I have a chance, and mostly fiction), write, organize stuff (anything whatsoever for my peace of mind) and watch and read anything about hair (mostly natural hair).
My iGEM Life
Heard about iGEM in 2017 when one of my school’s faculty opened up applications to start a team, the first ever in Ghana. Gave it a try, learnt a lot (about synbio and myself) and I won’t trade that experience for the world. Our team focused on providing a safer alternative to mining refractory gold from ore. I thoroughly enjoyed my iGEM experience and I am definitely excited to meet new people as a result of this role, learn from them and challenge myself on a whole different level.
Alex Kyabarongo
East Africa
- Location:Uganda
- Email:alex [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:Makerere University (Team leader )2018
My Intro Message
Alex, a Veterinary Medicine Intern Student affiliated to Makerere University in Uganda. He is so passionate about biological science and technology, an Animal lover and so friendly. He always say that “It takes so much patience to work with bacteria”
My iGEM Life
All began in 2018, where i was part of a pioneer iGEM Makerere University Team 2018, as Team leader and a sole representative of the team at the 2018 iGEM Jamboree where i met people that changed my life. And then joined the amazing After iGEM comms Team 2019 and now After iGEM Ambassador to Africa 2020. It has been a great time working with a great team and enjoying my days on the planet. iGEM has changed the world and i can't wait to see what happens next, so curious!
Jeff Hu
Middle East & North Africa
- Location:UAE
- Email:jeff [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:SDSZ_China 2017, 2018, 2019
My Intro Message
Hello! I am Jeff, a Chinese pursuing a bachelor’s degree at NYU Abu Dhabi. I am especially interested in science communication and education. I want to create an active iGEMer community in the MENA region and encourage more teams to join iGEM. Meeting people from different backgrounds and hearing their stories is something I take great pleasure in. Besides being an ambassador, I am also the chair for the After-iGEM High school committee, trying to create a high school iGEM alumni network and making the iGEM high school track better. Apart from what I am doing in iGEM, I am also starting an education company to develop affordable ways of biotech education for high school students. I enjoy cooking and road trips in my free time.
My iGEM Life
I joined iGEM in China during my first year of high school in 2016, and I never left. I participated in different roles in iGEM: from a team member to a team leader, and finally, a primary Pi for my school’s iGEM team. Now, I am the advisor for NYU Abu Dhabi’s iGEM team. I see the great potential of iGEM, and I want to utilize my power to make it better. I started a network while I am a team leader trying to connect high school teams in Mainland China. I enjoyed collaborating with other teams and the fostering of a community that focused on the advancement of synthetic biology. Following that experience, I decided to be a part of the After iGEM high school committee and become an After iGEM Ambassador.
AFTER iGEM COORDINATORS
iGEM Foundation
The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of synthetic biology, education and competition, and the development of an open community and collaboration. Visit us at igem.org
Contact
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Cambridge, MA 02139
Due to COVID-19, iGEM staff are working remotely and cannot receive phone calls.
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