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Lab News

May, 2026

Sarah graduates with a BS in Microbiology! She is starting a new chapter as a Master’s student in Genetic Counseling at the MGH Institute of Health Professions.

Sarah worked diligently for two years in our group. She pioneered our group’s efforts to use generative and predictive AI and implemented them to build and characterize a library of 5’UTRs for cell-free gene expression. These efforts will help us build synthetic genomes.

These are amazing accomplishments, and we will miss you, Sarah!


April, 2026

Big shoutout to Michaela for receiving the GRFP award! We are very proud of you, Michaela!


April, 2026

Caroline, Xavier, Luna, and Sarah shone at the Biology Undergraduate Research Symposium by showcasing their outstanding work. Thank you, rest of the team, for showing up to support them!


March, 2026

Caroline and Xavier present their first and exciting poster at the Science by the Shore Symposium. Well done!


March, 2026

Caroline receives the University Scholars Program Award! Congrats, Caroline!


January, 2026

Michaela Haensgen joins our lab as PhD student. Welcome, Michaela!


October, 2025

Our lab is joined by undergraduate students Luna Hissataka, Xavier Sahajpal, and Quintin Miller. Welcome!


August, 2025

Carlos Chavez Ramirez joins our lab as a PhD candidate and receives the Biology Department’s Graduate Student Opportunity Award. Welcome to our lab and congratulations, Carlos!


 

August, 2025

Elyse joins the UF Biology Department as a PhD candidate. Congratulations, Elyse!

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March, 2025

Sarah receives the University Scholars Program Award! Congrats, Sarah!

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March, 2025

Postdoc Riku Nagai joined our group. Welcome, Riku!

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February, 2025

Sebastian Yanez, a Chemical Engineering undergraduate student, joined our lab.

Welcome, Sebastian!

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August, 2024

Our first PhD student, Sanjana Hegde, joined the group.

Undergraduate students Caroline Anderson and Sarah Nalley joined the group.

Welcome, Sanjana, Sarah, and Caroline!

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January, 2024

Keyla Rodriguez, our first undergraduate student, officially joins the group!

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November, 2023

Elyse Winne joins the lab as our technician!

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September 1, 2023

The Abil Lab is now open!

Photo of the Abil lab space.