The 2021 team consists of:
Team members
Name: Luke Rossen
Function: Team Manager
Program: MSc. Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Biology
Age: 22
To me, iGEM is an opportunity to take a next step in one’s (academic) career. An opportunity that offers much more than just taking on the design challenge, it offers growth in soft skills, networking, interdisciplinary teamwork, innovative thinking and personal growth. I’m proud to be called this year’s team manager, and will be involved in all the ins and outs of the project. I’ll make sure to unite the team with a common goal, be the first contact for everyone in- and outside the team, but also ensure we are having a great time along this challenging, convivial, and dynamic road. I have great faith in my team, and I can’t wait to see what we’ll come up with!
Name: Naomi Span
Function: Secretary & Integrated Human Practices Captain
Program: MSc. Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Biology
Age: 23
After doing my bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering & Chemistry, I switched to the department of Biomedical Engineering for my master’s. I thought it would be a great experience to join the iGEM team this year. This is because I wanted to gain more experience in the field of synthetic biology as well as working on my soft skills. Also, working in a multidisciplinary team for a long period of time is an exciting opportunity. This year, I will be the secretary of the iGEM team together with working on the Human Practices and performing experiments in the lab. I am very enthusiastic to be part of this team!
Name: Josephina Smits
Function: Public Relations & Website/Wiki Captain
Program: MSc. Biomedical Engineering, Regenerative Medicine & Technology
Age: 25
Being part of the iGEM team is a great way to challenge your own personal and academic development as you get the chance to freely develop and plan our own innovative scientific project. After following the iGEM competition for a few years now, I thought it would be a great experience to participate in the competition this year myself. In this team I will take care of the Public Relations and be the Website/Wiki captain. With these challenging roles for myself, I want to broaden my experience in the lab, improve my communication skills, and develop my programming skills. Besides, I will help out in the lab and with Human Practices. I cannot wait to see where this challenge will lead me to!
Name: Daniek Hoorn
Function: Finance Manager, Sponsor Coordinator & Lab Captain
Program: MSc. Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Biology
Age: 22
During my bachelor’s the iGEM team already caught my eye, and now I have got the opportunity to join this student team. Next to improving my soft skills, it is also really nice and interesting to work together in a multidisciplinary team to solve a problem. From a young age, I was already very interested in seeing and improving the world. Being part of the iGEM team gives me the chance to extend my interests in a practical way. Furthermore, the international competition is an experience on its own, which you will probably never experience again. As sponsor coordinator I am in contact with different stakeholders to raise money to fund our research. Together with my functions as finance manager and lab captain I can really focus on what we need and how to obtain it to achieve our final product. I am looking forward and very excited to work in the iGEM team this year!
Name: Fleur Kalberg
Function: Human Practices Captain
Program: MSc. Medical Engineering, Chemical Biology
Age: 21
During my bachelor and master I have gained a lot of knowledge about chemical and synthetic biology and I have become more and more fascinated about all the possibilities synthetic biology gives for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. I am excited to apply this knowledge and all possible strategies I have seen in this iGEM project. Within this team, I will be mostly focusing on human practices. I look forward to coming into contact with stakeholders and discussing our project ideas. Furthermore, I hope to make more people enthusiastic about synthetic biology with the project that is going to do with the education and engagement part of the iGEM project. Additionally, I will contribute to the lab work where I can apply the information of stakeholders and broaden my experience in the lab.
Name: Ingrid Kolen
Function: Design Coordinator & Lab Captain
Program: MSc. Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Biology
Age: 21
The most interesting part of iGEM for me is the possibility to develop new skills, incorporate and broaden my knowledge and learn something completely new. With iGEM, you get the opportunity to define your own project and try to solve world problems while challenging yourself.
In our team, I will be responsible for the designs of all visual objects that we are going to use such as the wiki, clothing, posters and presentations and our logo. Furthermore, as one of the three lab captains, I will be in charge of managing the lab work and working in the lab. Additionally, I will contribute to the human practices team. Therefore, iGEM will be the best and most fun option to improve my communication and lab skills and gain new experiences with a lot of learning opportunities. Together with our team, I am enthusiastic and curious to see where the journey will lead us!
Name: Werner Doensen
Function: Lab Captain
Program: MSc. Biomedical engineering, Chemical Biology & MSc. Science Education and Communication, Chemistry
Age: 21
After four years of university I have gained a lot of knowledge and skills but I know I can develop myself a lot more. Though iGEM is an opportunity for me to go further than the regular courses. Together with a great team of students we can learn what it is like to set up our own project with both theoretical and practical research. As a lab captain I will delve into all the tasks that go along with doing research in a lab. Furthermore, iGEM is a possibility to develop a large variety of skills which will be useful in the future. This is because iGEM is not only about the research, we also have to keep track of the finance, ethics, socials, promotion and human practices. Therefore iGEM will both be good for my personal as well as my professional career development, making it both a pleasure to take part and really useful for my future.
Name: Tessa Warmink
Function: Modelling Captain
Program: MSc. Biomedical engineering, Orthopaedic Biomechanics
Age: 21
Where I spent most of my bachelor learning about chemical biology and regenerative medicine, my studies are currently focused on the field of biomechanics. Joining the iGEM team felt like a great opportunity for me because I would like to immerse myself in as many areas as possible, and beside this I also love a challenge! In our project I will be responsible for the computer model. With this function I hope to get more familiar with modelling biochemical reactions, while learning more about synthetic biology. Additionally, I want to use this project to improve my soft skills and learn how to work in a multi-disciplinary team.
Advisors
Claire Michielsen
Being a member of the Tue iGEM 2019 team is a descission I will never regret. In the end when I looked back, I was inspired by the competition and realized that the knowledge we have gathered as a team about iGEM should not get lost. Therefore, I choose to guide the next Tue iGEM team, so that they can perform even beter and maybe take an award home!
Dr. Yan Ni
Yan Ni is a senior researcher in the Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering. She received her PhD degree in Biochemical Engineering in 2013. Her PhD research was focused on identification of new enzymes and their application for organic synthesis. From 2014-2017, she worked as a postdoc researcher in Delft University of Technology and University of Groningen. In 2017, she joined Prof. Maarten Merkx’s group in TU/e as a postdoc working on bioluminescent protein sensors for diagnostics. Since 2019, she started her current position in the group of Prof. Luc Brunsveld in the field of Chemical Biology.
Supervisors
Prof.dr.ir. L. (Luc) Brunsveld
Prof. dr. ir. Luc Brunsveld is a professor at our university. His main fields of research are mainly concerning chemical biology, like Biochemistry or Molecular Cell Biology. Besides lecturing students, he conducts research concerning protein-protein interactions. He also advises us during our iGEM project, which we are more than happy with!
Prof.dr. M. (Maarten) Merkx
Prof. dr. Maarten Merkx is an expert on protein sensors and leads the research group Protein Engineering operating at the interface of chemical biology and synthetic biology.
Prof. dr. ir. T.F.A. (Tom) de Greef
Dr.ir. Tom de Greef is an expert at modelling dynamic systems and synthetic circuits.
