Microbiome Editing Technologies
Our Team
Principal Investigator
Brady Cress, PhD
Brady Cress leads research on microbiome editing technologies. As part of IGI’s BIOME, research in his lab focuses on engineering microbial communities to address global challenges associated with human health and climate change. Brady completed an NIH Kirschstein-NRSA (F32) Postdoctoral Fellowship with Jennifer Doudna, where he and colleagues developed CRISPR-associated transposases for species- and site-specific genome editing within microbial communities.
Postdocs
Jaymin Patel, PhD
At IGI, Jaymin seeks to study mechanisms by which microbes exchange and manipulate genetic material within complex microbial communities. By understanding the biochemistry of these mechanisms, we can harness their use for translational applications, exploring the potential of microorganisms to address pressing global challenges, with applications in bioremediation, biomanufacturing, agriculture, and environmental sustainability. Prior to Berkeley, Jaymin completed his PhD at Yale under the supervision of Dr. Farren Isaacs and Dr. Jason Crawford. There, he used a multidisciplinary approach, combining synthetic biology, chemical biology, and bioinformatics to discover and examine the biosynthesis and function of specialized metabolites produced by the human microbiome. This work can enable a deeper understanding of the chemical ecology of complex microbial communities, as well as provides a framework for the discovery of novel molecular scaffolds for drug discovery from metagenomic information.
Liana earned her Ph.D. at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, where she used high-throughput systems biology approaches to uncover novel genetic regulators of biofilm formation. In the Cress Lab, she is interested in leveraging mobile genetic elements to improve microbiome engineering of non-model gut bacteria. Outside the lab, she enjoys cooking, hiking, climbing, solving puzzles, and watching horror movies.
Liana Yong, PhD
Siqi Yang, PhD
Siqi completed her PhD in Prof. Sheng Yang’s lab at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Science. Her research focused on developing genome editing tools for microbial cells, enabling the reverse engineering of evolved strains and the construction of new biological systems based on novel biological knowledge. At IGI, she is interested in in situ microbiome editing using phages. Outside the lab, she enjoys playing the piano, listening to music and attending concerts, practicing yoga, and collecting all kinds of adorable plush toys!
Madeline Hayes, PhD
(she/her)
Madeline Hayes completed her undergraduate studies at Colorado State University in Fort Collins CO where she worked to characterize the lipids of human and animal pathogens. After spending three years in the plant pathology department at UW-Madison, she joined the Microbiology Doctoral Training Program in Dr. Ophelia Venturelli's lab using computational models to predict and design microbial communities for bioprocessing. Madeline is currently working with the Joint Bioenergy Institute to improve microbial lignin degradation for sustainable biofuel and chemical production. She is passionate about sustainability and the outdoors, enjoying hiking, camping, and paddling with her dog, Lily.
Graduate Students
Sophia Swartz
Sophia Swartz received her B.A. in Molecular & Cellular Biology from Harvard University in 2022, where she used confocal microscopy to study the biogeography of various microbial communities ranging from human oral biofilms to plant leaf pathogens to human pores. Sophia is a joint member with the Rubin lab, where she will investigate the regulation and integration mechanism of CRISPR-associated transposons to develop and optimize editing tools for non-model microbes. Outside of the lab, Sophia loves to lift, climb, caffeinate, and hike.
Ryuichi Ono
Ryuichi is a former visiting student at the Cress Lab. Ryuichi received a B.A. in Bioinformatics from The University of Tokyo in 2024, where he studied bacterial genome editing and MGE-driven dissemination of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes (ARGs). Ryuichi returned to the Cress Lab as a PhD student in August 2024, where he will investigate the delivery system of genome editors into bacterial communities and novel biotechnology that can benefit community editing by both computational and experimental approaches. Outside the lab, Ryuichi loves to hike, cook, draw, sing, and read novels & mangas.
Pia Andrade (they/she)
Pia received a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Washington in 2021, where they performed genetic manipulation in Patescibacteria in Dr. Joseph Mougous' lab. Pia began as a graduate student in the Plant and Microbial Biology department in 2024, and under the joint mentorship of the Ronda and Cress labs they will be working on developing tools for targeted editing in various microbiomes as well as applications. In her free time, she likes to play guitar, ski, thrift, go to concerts, and eat good food!
Staff
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Michael is a Research Associate in the Cress Lab. Michael received a B.A. in Molecular & Cellular Biology from UC Berkeley in 2023, researching novel proteins in Borgs in the Savage Lab and the Banfield Lab. Outside of the lab, Michael loves to create new recipes, train olympic weightlifting, and run!
Michael Cui
Agnès Oromí-Bosch
Agnès is a Staff Scientist working jointly with the Rubin Lab. Agnès is a microbiologist and synthetic biologist with expertise in developing genome editing tools to transform non-model microorganisms into therapeutic agents. She holds a MSc in Biotechnology from Wageningen University & Research, where her thesis focused on engineering thermophilic bacteria for the production of bio-chemicals. At Caribou Biosciences, she developed a CRISPR-Cas9-based method to engineer anaerobic gut bacteria from the Bacteroides genus into therapeutic candidates for immuno-oncology. At Felix Biotechnology, Agnès worked on a platform to isolate, engineer, and characterize phages targeting multie-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria, and she developed phage candidates for consumer and clinical applications. In September 2023, she joined IGI, where she focuses on strategies to enable efficient CRISPR-based editing of non-model gut bacteria, and uncovering microbe-host interaction mechanisms. Beyond her work, she enjoys “sobremesa” with friends and nature activities such as climbing, trail running, backpacking, and skiing.
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Hannah is the Lab Manager for the Cress lab. In June 2023 she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology from the University of Washington. During her studies, she researched plant-herbivore interactions with a focus on cloning a gene called INR, responsible for defense against caterpillars, into model plants. She also spent a summer conducting research at UC Davis on Virus Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS). Outside of work, she enjoys outdoor activities such as skiing, kayaking, paddle boarding, and ultimate frisbee.
Hannah Luskin
Angela Voelker
Angela is a Research Associate with the Cress Lab focusing on phage. In 2023, Angela received a B.S. in Molecular Environmental Biology from University of California, Berkeley. While at Cal, she had the opportunity to develop a diverse research and scientific background in freshwater ecology, plant genetics, and now microbiology. Angela loves working with phage and enjoys solving the puzzles the research process presents. Outside of the lab, Angela enjoys backpacking, climbing, running, and reading scifi novels. Her favorite author is Brandon Sanderson, but her favorite novel is The Hobbit.
Undergrads
Patrick Vu
Patrick Vu is an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley studying Molecular & Cellular Biology with interests in microbiology, global public health, empowering marginalized communities, and the intersections of healthcare and research. In the lab, Patrick works on wet-lab experiments related to exploring microbiome editing projects. In his free time, Patrick loves to tend to his plants, volunteers in the community, explore cultures through cooking, play volley and tennis, as well as frolicking on the UC Berkeley campus glade.
Julianne is an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley pursuing Molecular & Cell Biology and Public Health. She is really passionate about health equity, specifically how treatments and therapeutics can be more equitably distributed to marginalized communities and the systemic barriers that cause this disparity in the first place. In the lab, they currently work with Agnes on her project to develop new tools for microbiome editing. Outside of lab, Julianne loves attending concerts, thrifting, and trying new food places!
Julianne Tenorio (she/they)
Lucas is an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley studying Molecular and Cellular Biology, with interests in biochemistry, microbiology, and therapeutics. In the lab he works with Agnès on bacteriocin tools for editing the microbiome population. Outside of lab, Lucas enjoys running, climbing, hiking, and exploring nature with friends.
Lucas Morthole
(he/him)
Natalie is an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley. Assisting the Cress Lab and collaborating with Angela, Natalie’s research primarily includes working on the phage functional genomics project. Some of her research interests include environmental microbiology and virology. In her free time, Natalie enjoys cooking new foods, hiking, and doing any type of craft.
Natalie Aluwihare
(she/her)
Givi is an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley studying Molecular & Cell Biology, with an interest in the application of molecular therapeutics. At the Cress Lab, he will be assisting Sophia in characterizing the mechanisms of microbiome editing tools. In his free time, Givi enjoys playing the guitar, basketball, and going on long walks.
Givi Mchedlishvili
Preeti Rao
Senior Program Manager
Audrey Glynn, PhD
Audrey Glynn received a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Tulane University, completed her post-doctoral studies with the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease, and entered the programmatic side of research during a 2-year AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship with the Office of Naval Research Global. She went on to work for Strategic Analysis, Inc, through which she provided over 8 years of direct support to the DARPA Biological Technologies Office, helping to de-risk and bring novel medical countermeasures to the clinic. Since joining the IGI in late 2021, Audrey provides programmatic and strategic support across multiple IGI projects, including BIOME, the Affordability Task Force, and the Sickle Cell Initiative. When not supporting BIOME and other IGI activities, Audrey can be found in the yoga studio, in the kitchen whipping up vegan cuisine, or anywhere reading a good book and sipping a glass of rosé.
Executive Administrative Officer
Rachel K. Evans earned a Doctor of Music degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. Before that, she completed a B.A. and M.M. at UCLA. In addition to her passion for performing (and teaching) music, Rachel has worked in a variety of diverse fields, most recently working as a Project Manager in Telecommunications before joining the IGI in early 2022. At IGI Rachel spends most of her time providing administrative support and planning/hosting events.
Rachel K. Evans, PhD
Lab Alumni
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Juana Cruz Sampedro: Undergrad, 2023-2024. Current: Intern at Gordian Biotechnology
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Ted Llera: Rotation Student, Spring 2024.
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Kate V. Miller: Lab Manager and Research Technician, 2021-2023. Current: PhD student, Stanford University
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Mark J. Ware: Rotation Student, Spring 2023. Current: PhD student, Sook Wah Yee Lab @ UCSF