Hi. My name is Niko, a PhD student in Bioengineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). I work in Rob Phillips’ lab.

I hold a Master of Research (MRes) in Systems and Synthetic Biology from Imperial College London, where I worked with Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro and Tom Ellis on methods for gRNA multiplexing and metabolic pathway rewiring in yeast. I received my Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Iowa, where I researched diabetes and the insulin signaling pathway in transgenic mouse models with E. Dale Abel.

I am interested in:
- Ongoing research in synthetic biology // cellular evolution // genome synthesis // genome recoding // biocontainment // genetic circuits. When I'm not working, I am writing.

Top 5 Books Right Now:

-The Black Cloud by Sir Fred Hoyle

-The Fate of Rome by Kyle Harper

-Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl

-King Solomon's Ring by Konrad Lorenz

-Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age by W. Bernard Carlson