Team members

Kalisa Volfovich (she/her), B.Sc. Chemistry

Team leader, Human Practices leader

Hi, I'm Kalisa, a curious, kind and positive person. I love to meet inspired people and to work with them! Scientists are most of all passionate about what they are doing! I find it, and the whole iGEM, such a fascinating experience and a great way to practice group and communication skills in a role of a team leader.

Riina Mätäsniemi (she/her), B.Sc.Tech. Biotechnology

Team leader

Hey, I'm Riina. I'm a co-team lead. In addition to administrative tasks I work on various side quests. I joined the team to challenge myself and for all the hands-on learning opportunities offered by a versatile scientific project. Throughout the journey, I have found confidence in feeling lost and passion for having a platform to build something that feels meaningful. I have learned a lot about myself, and I am grateful to have shared the experiences with amazing people.

Aisa Khormali (she/her), M.Sc. Biomedical Technology

Hi! I am Aisa, a master's student in Biomedical Technology. I am an international student taking part in iGEM this year. Honestly, I am so glad that I am doing this project as a part of visual and lab team.

Ari Heino (he/him), B.Sc. Biochemistry

Lab leader

Hey there. I'm Ari👋 I believe that genetic engineering will affect the world and the humanity even more than AI or cold fusion. I want to see where this goes. I'm a lab co-leader and also a member of the visual and some team as well as the IT team. Also the research team. I've co-written protocols for the handling of blood and for measuring its properties. I've also co-written the promotional video script.

Julie Parente (she/her), B.Sc.Tech Biotechnology

Visual & Social Media leader

Hello everyone! I am Julie and I initially joined The ABOA 2025 team because of my deep interest in synthetic biology and my desire to work in an international environment. As part of the Human Practices, IT and Visual & Social Media subteams, I have enjoyed taking on different challenges. I have discovered that I really enjoy talking with people about synthetic biology and I've learned a lot from these conversations.

Linnea Huuska (she/her), B.Sc.Tech Biotechnology

Fundraising leader

Hi! I’m Linnea, and I’m part of the fundraising and lab sub-teams. Some tasks that I do include grant applications, reaching out to sponsors, and helping with experiments in the wet lab. I’m fascinated by synthetic biology because it allows people to design and create something entirely new. In iGEM, I’m really thankful for our incredible team and the amazing people I get to work with on this project.

Milla Gerasin (she/her), B.Sc.Tech Biotechnology

IT leader

Hi there! I'm Milla and I’m the IT subteam lead, and an active member of our Human Practices subteam. I joined Team Aboa because it seemed like a fantastic opportunity to dive deeper into the world of synthetic biology and contribute to solving real-world problems. Participating in iGEM has been an incredible experience, and I can’t wait for the Grand Jamboree!

Nea Åberg (she/her), B.Sc. Biochemistry

Hi! My name is Nea. I'm deeply interested in synthetic biology and how scientific ideas can transform into solutions that truly impact people’s lives. This passion inspired me to join this year's ABOA team. As part of the lab and fundraising teams, I've gained hands-on experience in the lab while also learning about the financial side of running a science project. It has been hard work, but incredibly rewarding to see our ideas come to life.

Nyytti Koskinen (they/them), B.Sc. Biochemistry

Lab leader

Hey, I'm Nyytti and I'm the co-leader of the lab team. I have also been a member of the IT team from the very beginning and ended up joining the HP team after attending the meetings and events multiple times "just for fun". I am not a member of the visual + social media team but I have drawn quite a bit for our project and also posted lab pics "just for fun". Next I'm probably organizing a coup to overthrow our team leaders :D

Pekka Hyppölä (he/him), B.Sc. Biochemistry

Hello! I'm Pekka and since the beginning of my studies, I always knew I wanted to join the iGEM team because it seemed like such a cool opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the lab and get to meet other really passionate science nerds (and also because of the passionate sales pitch our PI Pauli gives to all freshmen). I'm a member of both the lab and human practice teams. The amount of things I've learnt during the course of the project is truly staggering. From 3D modelling of protein structures and protein-protein docking to how to read scientific literature and communicate your ideas to experts in different fields and the public. I really love how the project has come together and all the different ideas have materialized into actual results!

Tytti Sandholm (she/her), B.Sc. Biochemistry

Visual & Social Media leader

Hi, I’m Tytti and I’m the co-subteam leader for visu and some team. I like drawing, making visuals and just overall being creative. I am also part of the lab team and help out as much as I can. Synthetic biology is my passion because it’s so interesting and has so much potential for the future. During iGEM I have learned to trust my visual eye a lot more and have met so many amazing people.

Venni Tuulosniemi (he/him), B.Sc.Tech Biotechnology and Biomedical Engineering

Hail and well met!
I'm Venni, and I'm part of the visual + some and lab teams in an official capacity. For me, iGEM has been a unique occasion to get familiar with the scientific process and see a project through from start to finish, with a great team of like-minded people. Synthetic biology in general is a field that doesn't come up in my studies by proxy, so having the chance to wrangle more information into my brain, especially in a field this fascinating, is a wonderful opportunity B-)