Meet the Team
Madeline Gruenberg (Maddy)
Maddy Gruenberg is a junior studying Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She has had the pleasure of participating in iGEM last year and is ecstatic to help lead this years team and share her love of science. Maddy works part-time at the AFRL (Air Force Research Labs) and has fallen in love with research, the opportunity to build a project from the ground up is something she loves getting to do with the help of her team members!
Natasha Kennel (Asha)
Natasha Kennel is a rising sophomore studying Physiology and Neuroscience. This is her second year being involved with iGEM and is so excited for this year’s project. She joined iGEM to expand her passion for the sciences and to meet new people. Aside from academics, Natasha enjoys tennis, baking, spending time with loved ones, and exploring new coffee shops.
Alex Stone
Alex has been interested in biology since early childhood. iGEM presented an exciting opportunity to gather real experience in the field. Alex is majoring in biomedical engineering and plans to work with prosthetics, with the goal of owning his own clinic some day.
Crista Hernandez
Crista is a Biomedical Engineering major at Wright State and joined iGEM as a way to be more involved within the school and to expand her experience within the science community. Crista plans to work with inovating new ideas for prosthetics later.
Emma Tetlak
Emma is a 3rd year Marketing Student at Wright State University. She joined iGEM to create friendships and grow her portfolio. As this is her first year in iGEM she is excited to get to know the community and fellow teammates. Emma plans to further her career and skill completing certifications in relating fields, and working to get involved in internships to get a jumpstart professionally.
Jaidan Peters
Jaidan is a Senior in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major who joined iGem to gain laboratory experience! Jaidan plans to pursue a master's degree in oncology and a career in cancer research.
Jeremy Rismiller
Jeremy Rismiller is going into his 4th year at Wright state, majoring in Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering. He joined iGEM in order to gain more laboratory experience and gain experience in the research and development of experimental procedures.
Megan King
Megan is a biochemistry and molecular biology major, likes to read and likes sports. Family means the world to her. IGEM just seemed like something that would look good for the future, but more than that, it looked like something fun with critical thinking and problem solving. And she really would take any excuse to spend more time in the lab.
Padma Deepa Doppalapudi
Padma is a sophomore majoring in Electrical Engineering. She joined IGEM for the interdisciplinary, creative, and scientific method-like approach to exploring the various depths of science. Her favorite part is the free-flowing nature of IGEM and how it allows combining all different disciplines. She also enjoys reading and gardening in her free time.
Sara McLain
Sara is a Junior that has spent from Fall 2019 to Spring 2022 working towards a Medical Laboratory Science Bachelor's degree. Sara is now striving for a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Bachelor's degree. Sara wishes to find a career in research and looks forward to seeing so many other aspects that go into research! Sara plans on using her experiences from iGEM and working part-time at AFRL to find her spot in the field.
Paulette Aruagbon-Ogbomo
Paulette is a biomedical engineering major(pre-med). The reason Paulette joined iGEM was to know more about how biological processes affects the environment.
Mentors and Advisors
Dr. Michael Craig (Wright State)
Dr. Michael Craig received his PhD in systems biology and physiology. He currently serves as a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Wright State University. His research interests are in cancer biology, bioinformatics, epigenetics and exercise physiology. He works with Dr. Kadakia on projects aimed at identifying microRNA biomarkers of physiological or disease state. He is contributing an Office of Naval Research study aimed at identifying the epigenetic mechanisms related to athletic performance changes occurring in response to moderate and high-intensity exercise.
Dr. Weiwen Long (Wright State)
Dr. Weiwen Long received his PhD in structural and cellular biology and did his postdoctoral work in cancer cell signaling and gene transcription. He currently serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Wright State University. His research interests and expertise are in the fields of protein kinase signaling, steroid receptor and coactivator signaling in cancer progression and metastasis. Dr. Long currently leads research projects aimed at understanding the development of therapeutic resistance and metastasis in lung and breast cancer.
Dr. Amy Breedon (AFRL)
Dr. Breedon is a research scientist contracted to work at the Air Force Research Laboratory. Prior to that, she obtained a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Georgia Institute of Technology studying synthetic biology and metabolic engineering and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh. She has served as an instructor and mentor for multiple teams in the iGEM competition.
Dr. Michael Goodson (AFRL)
Dr. Michael Goodson has a Bachelors in Marine Biology and a Masters in Oceanography. His PhD and postdoc were focused on studying host-microbe interactions in marine organisms. He looked at how the microbes that live in and on us affect us, and how we can utilize them to improve our health and performance.
Dr. Chia Hung
Dr. Chia Hung is a research scientist in the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory. Although trained in Immunology and Virology, Dr. Hung has worked in many areas including biofilm biology and synthetic biology. Dr. Hung is actively working on engineering microbes, either in planktonic or biofilm setting, for materials production. His research interests also include protein engineering, gene regulation, logic gate circuit development, and metabolic engineering. The research focuses on providing new foundational tools to enable new chemistries for AF materials, supply chain security, remote site management, and bio-enabled manufacturing of materials. Outside of science, Dr. Hung is busy with flying RC airplanes, launching model rockets, and hiking in the wilderness.
Dr. Claretta Sullivan (AFRL)
Dr. Claretta J. Sullivan is a program manager and biological scientist in the Soft Matter Materials Branch of the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. She earned a bachelor of science degree in mathematics and computer science from Tougaloo College. After a number of occupations in industry and education, she earned a Ph.D. in Life Sciences from the Genome Science and Technology Program at the University of Tennessee (Knoxville). She was subsequently a research assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at Eastern Virginia Medical School where she studied outer membrane vesicles from bacteria and their role in inflammation associated with sepsis. Her current research efforts at AFRL are focused on developing ordered materials using bacteria and their biofilms.
Dr. Madhavi Kadakia (Wright State)
Dr. Madhavi Kadakia received her PhD in infectious disease and microbiology, and conducted her postdoctoral research in tumor biology. She currently serves as the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation and professor in the department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Wright State. She oversees cancer research projects aimed at understanding the molecular pathways driving cancer progression and the development of chemoresistance in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. She also collaborates on projects with the VA Hospital and Office of Naval Research.
Dr. Nancy Kelley-Loughnane (AFRL)
Dr. Nancy Kelley-Loughnane is currently the Research Lead of the Biological Materials and Processes Research Team (Bio-RT), and Senior Research Biologist in the Biomaterials Branch, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate (RX), Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Dr. Kelley-Loughnane received a B.S. in chemistry from the University of New Hampshire and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Boston College. Prior to leading the Bio-RT, she was Biosciences Technical Advisor to the Chief Scientist of the 711 Human Performance Wing, AFRL and the 711th HPW's lead scientific/technical advisor for Genetic and Synthetic Biology (GSB) research, including systems biology, genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and the microbiome. Over the last three years as lead of AFRL/ 711 HPW team, her primary focus has been to oversee the technical direction of tri-service team that uses synthetic biology, specifically Office of Secretary of Defense funded Synthetic Biology for Military Environments (SBME) Applied Research for the Advancement of S&T Priorities Program (OSD) to address the future performance and situational awareness for our country’s military. Currently, she chairs the Enhancing Warfighting Systems Subarea of the DoD Biotechnology Community of Interest focused on includes research and development in the efforts that apply synthetic biology, biomanufacturing, and computational biotechnology, at the intersection with materials and engineering sciences to address warfighter needs. Her current AF research integrates multi-disciplinary expertise in fields such as synthetic biology, protein chemistry, molecular biology, and microbiome and leads research in the development of novel materials, bionano-based sensors to detect human performance markers, and protection strategies for AF assets.
Juan Ingaramo
Juan was a part of the Wright State iGEM team last year and has joined the 2022 team as a mentor. He helped to advise Human Practices and was a beneficial contact when we were reaching out to people.