Team Members

Our team consists of six members from diverse technical backgrounds. Each member played a critical role in developing the technology from teh 2012 Calgary iGEM team and has played a significant role in developing our technology.

Robert Mayall

I'm Robert, a fourth year student studying Biomedical Science at the University of Calgary. This is my second year in iGEM and I haven't been scared off yet. I like long walks on the beach and genetically modifying bacteria to do my bidding. My main focus in our iGEM project is FRED, and I get to do the electrochemistry. I have no idea how the others can say things about the world outside of iGEM, who has time for a life with all these projects?

Emily Hicks

This is my fourth summer in iGEM, which probably means that I really need to get a life. This summer I will be working on both team OSCAR and FRED as well as yelling at people in the lab for leaving the gel boxes open and moving the enzymes. I’ll no doubt be enjoying the late nights in the lab and hope to learn by the end of the season how to successfully carry a gel from the lab to the imager in one piece. In my spare time I enjoy beating David at flight control, collecting stuffed pandas and other important tasks.

Lisa Oberding

I have just graduated from the University of Calgary with a degree in Cellular, Molecular, and Microbial Biology. This is my first year with iGEM, which I got involved with as a chance to gain more research experience, learn about synthetic biology, and further define my research interests. Outside of the lab I enjoy snowboarding in the Rockies (sliding down the mountain on my face), camping (being chased by angry insects), reading, and drawing (possibly the only two safe hobbies I have- unless you count paper cuts). On the team this year I have mostly been a part of the desulfurization project, as well as helping out with a transposon library screen. And, as of yet, I have not set myself or anything else on fire.

Maggie Renaud-Young

I am in my fourth year of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology PhD program in the Southern Alberta Cancer Biology Research Grouphttps://2013.igem.org/Main_Page at the University of Calgary. The focus of my studies is the cellular response to obstructed DNA replication, and how disturbances to this process contribute to genome instability using the budding yeast model system. This is the second year that I have worked with iGEM and it is has been a great experience for me. I really enjoy the team approach of taking composite parts to build systems that can perform unique biological functions. I love the social aspect of being on the team and I especially look forward to attending the Jamborees.

David Lloyd

This is my fourth year being involved in iGEM in which time I have had the opportunity to work with the Alberta team for two years as an undergraduate and now as a team advisor for Calgary for the second year. I am in the process of completing my MSc in Biochemistry and have many interests including Genetics, Immunology, Cell Biology, Bioinformatics, and Microbiology. In the future, I hope to merge my passions for Biochemistry, Cell Biology, and Synthetic Biology into an exciting career, opening up a biotechnology company around biological solutions to everyday problems. iGEM has been an amazing opportunity and I greatly look forward to another year in the competition!

Iain George

I just completed my undergraduate degree in Cellular, Molecular and Microbial Biology at the University of Calgary. Currently, I work in Dr. Howard Ceri and Dr. Ray Turner labs studying how bacterial biofilms can be used to cleanup toxic environments. My research has focused two species of Pseudomonas that can interact with and possibly degrade naphthenic acids and chlorinated biphenyl while contending with heavy metal conditions. This fall I am beginning a Masters project studying functional genomics in yeast. This is my first year working with the team and it has given me the great chance to mentor my teammates and learn new skills. When I am not living in the lab, you'll find me in the amazing mountains and trying my hand at photography.

Patrick Wu

I'm wrapping up my fourth year in Bioinformatics, which means that once I graduate, I will pretend to know both biology and computer science. In reality, the only computer science I can probably do is HTML, and so my primary work this year was building this wiki. And drawing cute things. Both of these responsibilities have made me into a pretty big design geek over the summer. This is my third year in iGEM, and I continue to work against the advice and concerns of my friends and family physician. In my "spare time" I draw, do karate, and sleep (a dying art).

Advisors

Dr. Lisa Gieg

I have been doing research in the field of environmental microbiology for about 20 years. I hold a Ph.D. from the University of Alberta, and worked for a dozen years as a PDF and Senior Researcher at the University of Oklahoma before coming to the University of Calgary as an Assistant Professor in Biological Sciences. My research focuses on petroleum metabolism by microbes in the context of oil spill clean-up, microbial enhanced energy recovery, and in oil sands tailings ponds remediation. This is my second year being involved with iGEM. It is a pleasure to work with dynamic, smart, and talented students and colleagues who are exploring the use of synthetic biology to solve real world problems.