Chris Mancuso is a postdoc in Tami Lieberman’s lab where he is studying the role of antagonism in skin microbe ecology. He completed his PhD at Boston University in Biomedical Engineering in 2020 in Mo Khalil’s lab. Chris has been a member of the microbiome club for three years, and this is his second time organizing the symposium. These activities take time away from his true passions: hiking, camping, and eating homemade bread.
Jing Yuan is a postdoc at the MIT Senseable City Lab, where she is studying the role of the city microbiome in human health. Her microbiome experience is diverse, encompassing various ecosystems such as forests, coastal wetlands, wastewater systems, and agricultural fields. Jing joined the Microbiome Club last summer and is organizing the symposium for the first time.
Daniel Sellers is a 2nd year PhD student in Biological Engineering. He works in Dr. Katharina Ribbeck’s lab studying how the gut microbiota and our intestinal mucus protect us against enteric pathogens such as those consumed through mishandled food. Daniel loves all things fermented food, whether it is making or consuming them, and his favorite microbe is the powerhouse behind many fermented foods – Lactobacillus!
Alexa Gomberg is a third year Microbiology PhD student in Alan Grossman’s lab. She is studying an integrative and conjugative element in gram-positive bacteria and is excited about host-symbiont interactions across all scales of life. This is Alexa’s third year on the symposium organizing committee. When not pipetting or organizing the symposium, Alexa is doing flips at MIT Gymnastics or in her garden!
Jett Liu is a 1st year PhD student at MIT who is interested in leveraging microbial machinery and evolution for sustainability challenges. Away from the bench, Jett is a sports enthusiast, a reader of poetry, and a surfer when he’s back on the west coast. His favorite microbes are the ultra-small “Candidate Phyla Radiation” bacteria. This is Jett’s second year on the symposium organizing team.
Gabriel Vercelli is a PhD student in Otto Cordero’s lab. With a background in physics, he is interested in applying quantitative methods to understand biological systems and his main research focus is the influence of spatial organization in the assembly and function of microbial communities. Outside of the lab, Gabriel enjoys board games, hiking and philosophical conversations. This is his first year in the Microbiome club and on the organizing committee.