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Stephen spent a few years at MiraCosta Community College before transferring to University of California, San Diego to finish his B.S. in Biology. Upon transferring, he started working in a plant laboratory at the Salk Institute as a wet lab technician. After three years of working as a tech, he decided to pursue a PhD in Genome Sciences studying the role of genes involved in cell signaling throughout vertebrate development.
Lizzie hails from Golden, Colorado and received a B.S. in Biology from Regis University in 2019. She worked as a bioinformatics and wet lab technician in an asthma lab in Denver before moving to Seattle. She studies genetic variation in mucins, a group of proteins that make up mucus and protect us from all sorts of pathogens that we inhale every day.
Lizzie hails from Golden, Colorado and received a B.S. in Biology from Regis University in 2019. She worked as a bioinformatics and wet lab technician in an asthma lab in Denver before moving to Seattle. She studies genetic variation in mucins, a group of proteins that make up mucus and protect us from all sorts of pathogens that we inhale every day.
Before embarking on her journey at UW Genome Sciences, Malvika pursued a Molecular and Cellular Biology degree at UC Berkeley (2018). Malvika worked in both academia (UCSF) and industry (Ultima Genomics, Maze Therapeutics), which helped shape her scientific interests. She is primarily interested in technology development, functional genomics, and variant interpretation.
Hank received a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Applied Math from the University of Washington. He worked as an undergraduate researcher in medical genetics and did postbac research at the National Institute of Health before returning to the University of Washington to pursue an MD/PhD in Genome Sciences. He studies rare genetic conditions and uses long-read transcript sequencing to improve diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.
Riku received his bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley. He spent his undergrad and the following two years studying the development and regeneration of Drosophila wings. It was during this time that he found his love for science, genetics, and developmental biology. In his PhD, he’s interested in applying single-cell analysis to understand the mechanisms of brain development in zebrafish.
Leah is a 4th year graduate student in Genome Sciences and a member of the Dunham Lab. She did her undergraduate at The Ohio State University, where she received degrees in molecular genetics and music performance, with an undergraduate thesis on the genetics of cell adhesion molecules in Drosophila neural development. Leah enjoys playing violin, swing dancing, hiking, cycling, and playing board games.
Cliff grew up in Seattle attending Garfield High School, Seattle Central Community College, and the University of Washington. In Dr. Cole Trapnell’s lab, he’s currently studying vertebrate development using zebrafish as a model organism. He’s interested in how gene regulatory mechanisms allow for the formation of an entire organism from a single cell.
Cliff grew up in Seattle attending Garfield High School, Seattle Central Community College, and the University of Washington. In Dr. Cole Trapnell’s lab, he’s currently studying vertebrate development using zebrafish as a model organism. He’s interested in how gene regulatory mechanisms allow for the formation of an entire organism from a single cell.
Connor was born and raised in Fullerton, California before moving to Seattle to study Biology at the University of Washington. After graduating in 2018, he worked as a sequencing technician for three years before starting graduate school at UW Genome Sciences. He studies the genes important for establishing the human body plan.
Zachary J Amador (He/Him) - Graduate Student in Genome Sciences
Zachary J Amador (He/Him) - Graduate Student in Genome Sciences
I was first introduced to Genome Sciences as a summer research student as part of their NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. A great deal of my journey into science can be traced back to this first REU and has inspired me to gain as much experience as I could before apply to graduate school. Now as a graduate student I appreciate the wide range of experience I have had that has narrowed my current research interests to gene regulation and chromatin architecture.
I was first introduced to Genome Sciences as a summer research student as part of their NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. A great deal of my journey into science can be traced back to this first REU and has inspired me to gain as much experience as I could before apply to graduate school. Now as a graduate student I appreciate the wide range of experience I have had that has narrowed my current research interests to gene regulation and chromatin architecture.
Atom Lesiak - Director of Educaiton Outreach and Program Manager for Genomics Training for Data Scientists Program
Atom Lesiak - Director of Educaiton Outreach and Program Manager for Genomics Training for Data Scientists Program
With Genome Sciences Education Outreach, they create educational materials to promote science understanding and learning for the public. Their training in basic science research focused on brain development from genetics and cell biology to behavior. They present information about the GRTDS Training Program.
With Genome Sciences Education Outreach, they create educational materials to promote science understanding and learning for the public. Their training in basic science research focused on brain development from genetics and cell biology to behavior. They present information about the GRTDS Training Program.
Career Panelists
Career Panelists
Ben Mallory (He/Him) - Graduate Student in Genome Sciences
Ben Mallory (He/Him) - Graduate Student in Genome Sciences
Ben attended Butte Community College in Oroville, CA for two years before transferring to UC Davis to major in Biochemistry. After graduating, he worked as a lab technician in a genetics lab using C. elegans as a model organism. Ben is now a graduate student in Genome Sciences co-mentored by Andrew Stergachis and Lea Starita studying the mechanisms of gene regulation.
Ben attended Butte Community College in Oroville, CA for two years before transferring to UC Davis to major in Biochemistry. After graduating, he worked as a lab technician in a genetics lab using C. elegans as a model organism. Ben is now a graduate student in Genome Sciences co-mentored by Andrew Stergachis and Lea Starita studying the mechanisms of gene regulation.
Alex Netzley (He/Him) - MS Data Science and Genomic Research Training for Data Scientists Fellow
Alex Netzley (He/Him) - MS Data Science and Genomic Research Training for Data Scientists Fellow
I am first-year MS Data Science student here at UW, participating in the Genomics Research Training for Data Scientists (GRTDS) program. Previously, I received a BSE in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and spent two summers at Medtronic, working on medtech projects in the cardiac and surgical robotics space. Currently, as part of the GRTDS program, I am a research assistant in the Gavin Ha Lab at Fred Hutch Cancer Center, where I work on developing methods to predict gene expression from liquid biopsies using deep learning.
I am first-year MS Data Science student here at UW, participating in the Genomics Research Training for Data Scientists (GRTDS) program. Previously, I received a BSE in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and spent two summers at Medtronic, working on medtech projects in the cardiac and surgical robotics space. Currently, as part of the GRTDS program, I am a research assistant in the Gavin Ha Lab at Fred Hutch Cancer Center, where I work on developing methods to predict gene expression from liquid biopsies using deep learning.
Melinda Wheelock - Research Scientist in Genome Sciences
Melinda Wheelock - Research Scientist in Genome Sciences
Melinda is a dedicated researcher with a passion for understanding the intricate workings of the world. She obtained her B.S. in Marine Biology at the University of Oregon and an M.Sci. in Marine Science from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, where she studied invertebrate communities using metagenetic barcoding. Currently, she works as a Research Scientist II in the Department of Genome Sciences at UW, where she focuses on the functional analysis of clinically significant genetic variants with the aim of improving our understanding and treatment of disease. Outside of the lab, Melinda finds joy in giving back to her community through scientific education and volunteer work with the Seattle Aquarium’s Beach Naturalist Program.
David Read - Computational Biologist at Shape Therapeutics & Genome Sciences Alumnus
David Read - Computational Biologist at Shape Therapeutics & Genome Sciences Alumnus
I grew up in Michigan, attending UMich for undergrad before coming to Seattle for my PhD at UW. I work on the analytics and informatics team at Shape, primarily working on AAV capsid engineering for gene therapy delivery. In my free time I climb, dote as Cat Uncle upon my girlfriend's beloved Cleocatra, and make nightmarish (but occasionally tasty) cocktail creations.
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