Members

BS in Marine Sciences, University of Alicante (2017)

MS in Aquaculture & Biology, Nord University (2018)

Alex graduated from Nord University with a MS in Aquaculture & Biology. His thesis involved the epigenetic study of farmed fish. After working two years at OIST's Core Facilities (SQC), Alex is now the data manager and bioinformatics lead for the Biodesign Unit, where he supports other members in their research, while also finding ways to implement AI to streamline lab operations.

In his spare time, Alex can be found freediving at the depths of the ocean trying to escape the overstimulating outside world, or attempting to cook some delicious meals (and failing).

BA Biology UC Santa Cruz (1988)

MS Biology Stanford University (1992)

Andy is a lifelong technical specialist who began studying algal biology at UC Santa Cruz. His career started at Sandoz Crop Protection in 1988, working with Bacillus thuringiensis gene expression in Brassica oleracea. He earned his MSc from Stanford University in 1992, studying rice adh1 promoters under Virginia Walbot.

His diverse career spanned multiple continents and disciplines: developing transformation protocols for Calgene Pacific's Blue Rose Project in Australia (1993), creating soluble Human B-cell receptors for T-cell tracking at University of Washington (1996), live imaging Drosophila neurodevelopment at RIKEN Japan (2004), studying striatal cholinergic systems with Jeff Wickens at OIST (2010), characterizing tunicate genomes with Nicholas Luscombe (2017), and currently supporting Naomi's multidisciplinary Biodesign lab while coordinating public fieldwork studies (2025).

Andy enjoys surfing longboards and music.

BS in Science, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (2024)

Anna graduated from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv in 2024 with a BS in Biology, specializing in biophysics and bioinformatics. For her thesis, she investigated the effects of a thiazole derivative and doxorubicin on cytological parameters of blood in mice with lymphoma. At the Biodesign Unit, Anna is currently focusing on protoplast regeneration in Arabidopsis thaliana.

During her free time, Anna can be found gardening, swimming, painting, or simply doing anything that makes her feel relaxed and stay creative.

Anne is a Biology Bachelor’s student at Philipps University Marburg, specializing in synthetic biology in plants and bacteria. During her Bachelor’s studies, she worked on the characterization of regulatory elements in Taraxacum and on establishing different transformation methods for non-model plants. Her work primarily focused on transient high-throughput assays using protoplast transformation.Anne is currently working in the Biological Design Unit on Physcomitrium patens protoplast transformation and Taraxacum protoplast regeneration.

In her free time, she loves hanging out with colorful fish in the ocean or exploring the best coffee spots around Okinawa.

MEng Molecular Bioengineering, Imperial College London (2024)
 

Antonio graduated from Imperial College London (UK) in 2024 with an MEng in Molecular Bioengineering.
For his thesis, he developed synthetic gene circuits for a larger project to use auxin as a morphogen in yeast.
Currently, Antonio is a PhD Student & Research Intern (it's complicated), continuing from the lab's time in the UK. In his research, he is working on alternative methods to agriculture for obtaining plant-derived biomaterials.
Outside the lab, Antonio is typically lounging at the beach, or trying out a new creative outlet, ranging from sewing to electronics to woodworking.

Website

BS in Molecular and Cell Biology, ENS Lyon (2003)

MS in Molecular and Cell Biology, ENS Lyon (2005)

PhD in Evolutionary Developmental Biology, ENS Lyon (2008)

Cédric completed his PhD in plant evo-devo at the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon. He then worked on various aspects of insect evo-devo as a postdoctoral fellow: the emergence of novel traits in flies (Sean Carroll's lab) and water striders (Abderrahman Khila’s lab), the orientation of cell division in Drosophila (Bénédicte Sanson’s lab), and the production of structural colours in butterflies (Antónia Monteiro's lab). Now, he is supervising projects on insect cuticle at the interface between biology, photonics, and engineering.

Away from the bench, Cédric enjoys sipping a cup of green tea in tête-à-tête with Virginia Woolf (and many others).

BS in Science, Hokkaido University (2019)

MS in Life Science, Hokkaido University (2021)

PhD in Life Science, Hokkaido University (2024)

Chiyo got her PhD in Life Science from Hokkaido University, where she studied the regulation of cell-to-cell communication in land plants, focusing on plasmodesmata as key structures for plant multicellularity. She is currently a postdoctoral scholar in the lab, investigating artificial control of multicellularity using synthetic biology approaches in plants.

Outside the lab, she enjoys painting and drawing in Okinawa. During her time in Hokkaido, she also loved hiking in the mountains and relaxing in hot springs.

Eftychis obtained his PhD from the University of Oxford in the UK, where he focused on plant evolutionary development (evo-devo). After completing his PhD, he moved to the University of Tokyo as a JSPS Fellow, where he worked on developing a new experimental model system for hornworts, one of the seven main groups of land plants. Following a year in Hong Kong as a postdoctoral fellow at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Eftychis returned to the UK as a research associate at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences, where his research centered on chloroplast biology. He now oversees projects with a broad focus on plant synthetic biology.

Outside the lab, Eftychis enjoys “experimental travelling” and slow running.

In her role as a research unit administrator, Kanae finds it truly rewarding to be able to support the research activities of the PI and unit members. She is also deeply grateful for the valuable opportunity to engage with distinguished guests from both within Japan and overseas.

Merle graduated with a BS in Biology from the University of Marburg with a specialization in plant biology. During her participation in iGEM and her bachelor’s thesis, she worked on characterizing endogenous regulatory elements via Agrobacterium-mediated leaf infiltration in Taraxacum kok-saghyz (Russian dandelion) as an alternative chassis for rubber production. She is currently a Research Intern, focusing on protoplast regeneration in dandelion as well as plastid transformation in dandelion and Marchantia.

Outside the lab, Merle enjoys exploring Okinawan nature - whether hiking, cycling, or running. On calm evenings, she also enjoys doing various types of crafts and listening to music.

Saori is a research administrator supporting the general operations and daily running of the lab. Her role involves handling administrative tasks, ensuring the lab functions smoothly and assisting researchers so that they can focus on their projects. She was born and raised in Okinawa and later moved to the UK to pursue her studies. Although her background is English literature and media post-production, she enjoys applying the skills she gained in an environment where collaboration is essential beyond the fields.

Outside of work, Saori enjoys listening to music, travelling to the mainland for live music, and studying art. Spending time with friends and family is also very important to her, as it helps her stay balanced.

Yoshiko, who likes to be called Yoshi, majored in organic synthesis when she was a student. In Tokyo, she spent five years supporting cancer research, mainly carrying out sequencing and cell culture. Yoshi also spent around a year volunteering abroad, mostly in Thailand, India, and Egypt. After returning to Japan, she switched her research focus from animals to plants. Now, she uses her experience to help keep the Biodesign lab running smoothly and efficiently on a daily basis.

Yoshi's favorite hobby is to plan trips abroad, having visited over 30 countries so far, she may have even been to your city!