Microbiome Club
The MIT Microbiome Club our student-led community education and outreach arm. The MIT Microbiome Club was created to provide a space at MIT dedicated to the exploration of the vibrant field of human microbiome studies, bringing together the students, researchers, clinicians, and members of the public currently working on or interested in this field. The Microbiome Club sponsors hands-on workshops and lunch and learn discussions, dinners with faculty and industry professionals, and educational material for short courses at MIT and science outreach events in the Cambridge community. The club is also involved with hosting larger CMIT events such as microbiome-focused symposia and hackathons. Through these activities and more, we aim to create a space for interested students to come together and plug into the network of research and outreach opportunities in this vibrant, new field. The MIT Microbiome Club is actively looking for interested members keen on helping shape the future of this club on campus.
If you are interested in getting involved in the Board or organizing club activities, email microbiome-exec@mit.edu. Or sign up to be added to the club mailing list.
Club Leadership
Veda Khadka, PresidentÂ
Veda Khadka is a fourth year graduate student in the Microbiology PhD Program at MIT. Veda is pursuing her thesis research in the Lieberman lab where she is investigating the education of the immune system to the commensal microbiota on the skin surface. As president of the microbiome club, Veda hopes to utilize virtual platforms developed during the pandemic to broaden club membership and look to microbiome research beyond Boston. Outside of lab, Veda loves to cook, bake, brew, and pretend to like running!
Alex Poret, VP and Community Team Member
Alex Poret is a senior undergraduate student in Bioengineering (course 20) at MIT. She is currently doing research in the Lieberman lab at MIT, studying the transmission and pathogenicity of Burkholderia dolosa in cystic fibrosis patients. In her free time, Alex enjoys running, dorm-room gardening, and exploring Boston.
Michaela Gold, Treasurer
Michaela is a second-year Microbiology PhD Student working in the Ribbeck Lab at MIT where she studies how mucus regulates opportunistic pathogens. She is also the Microbiome Club’s Treasurer and leads the Bacterial Bonanza, MIT ESP classes for middle and high school students, and starting this year an event for the Cambridge Science Festival! In her free time, Michaela enjoys running, reading, and baking.
General Board
Gabriel Lozano Betancourt
Seminar Series Team
Postdoc, Rakoff-Nahoum Lab, Boston Children’s Hospital
Gabriel.LozanoBetancourt@childrens.harvard.edu
Maria Eugenia Inda
Journal Club Lead
PEW Postdoc Fellow, Synthetic Biology Center, Lu Lab, MIT Biological Engineering
inda@mit.edu
Charles Jo
Industry Lead
PhD Candidate, Rakoff-Nahoum and Khalil Labs, Boston University Biomedical Engineering Program
cbjo@bu.edu
Vaibhav Saini
Industry Team
Business Development & Technology Development, MilliporeSigma (Burlington, MA)
vaibhav.saini@gmail.com
Zijay Tang
Community Lead
PhD Candidate, Lu Lab, MIT Biological Engineering
tctang@mit.edu
Izzy Goodchild-Michelman
Community Team
Undergraduate Student, Zomorrodi Lab, Harvard Molecular and Cellular Biology
igoodchildmichelman@college.harvard.edu
Annika Gomez
Symposium Team
PhD Candidate, Cordero Lab, MIT Microbiology Program
gomezal@mit.edu
Christopher Mancuso
Publicity
Postdoc, Lieberman Lab, MIT IMES
mancusoc@mit.edu