Team | iGEM Hamburg 2025

Leader

Kristina

M.Sc. Molecular Life Science

Kristina, powered by coffee and to-do lists, is often found rotating in the lab. While doing experiments in the background, she quickly designs some new primers, writes a few emails and tidies up the lab bench in between. In more relaxed moments, she enjoys the sunshine or rain in a garden, builds cozy little worlds while gaming or spends time with friends and family. In fact, she's drawn to anything involving plants, coffee and awesome people - those things are always fun, no matter if it's for science or for free time.

Leader

Lucy

M.Sc. Molecular Life Science

Lucy is basically a triathlon-powered whirlwind. She always gives everything and then a little bit more, just to prove physics wrong. Her favorite place to be is underwater, where the world finally remembers to use its indoor voice and everything slows down. When she’s not busy being a dolphin, Lucy roams the great outdoors on foot or by bike, through forests or along the beach, happily getting soaked by rain or letting the wind rearrange her hairstyle. Her secret engine? A killer playlist full of beats… and sugar. Lots of sugar. Cookies, cakes, you name it - sugar is her Swiss Army knife. Baking is her playground, where creativity explodes in flour and sprinkles. And when she’s not in the kitchen (or the lab, or at uni), she’s busy capturing the world with her camera, painting it with colors, or writing it into words. Basically, Lucy doesn’t just live life - she decorates it.

Student

Berdan

B.Sc. Biotechnology

Berdan doesn't take life too seriously and always approaches tasks with an open mind. He waits until the last minute to start tasks, but still manages to deliver. Some might call it luck.

Student

Evangelos

B.Sc. Biology

As a biologist, Evangelos is always open to meeting new people and learning something new; whether it’s colleagues, lab techniques, or fresh ideas. He’s not the type to just stand around in the lab - he’s happy to lend a hand wherever he can. Music plays a big role in balancing things out for him: listening, playing, or going to concerts (with a soft spot for jazz and classical music). And when there’s still time left in the day, he enjoys volunteering or getting some exercise.

Student

Joel

B.Sc. Food Chemistry

Joel is studying food chemistry, always relaxed and never missing a chance to crack a joke. He keeps the mood light no matter where he is. When he’s not busy with science, he’s probably diving into a game, a book, or just the next playlist. And if there’s time left, sports are always on the agenda—because staying in motion is just part of his formula.

Student

Laurenz

B.Sc. Nanosciences

As a nanoscientist, Laurenz brings a unique perspective to our iGEM team. Infamous for running on his own time and occasionally skipping the memos, he still manages to show up exactly when he’s needed. Embracing the international spirit of iGEM, he left the team in September to spend a semester abroad in Paris, where he indulged in his passions for meeting new people, learning languages, and diving into Math, Science, and Philosophy. But when the Grand Jamboree drew near, he returned—much like the Avatar, restoring balance.

Student

Mariia

B.Sc. Food Chemistry

Mariia has dreamt of becoming a scientist since kindergarden times - and she is on the best way of achieving her dreams, studying food chemistry and partaking in iGEM. Although she could use some more sleep - jogging and yoga need to be done by 6:45 every morning - and some less stuff on her to-do list - she probably won't have any spare time for you for the remainder of the month -, she is very passionate and engaged into everything she does. And there is one most important rule: don't try to interact with her whenever she is hungry :)

Student

Marius

M.Sc. Nanosciences

Marius likes singing and sometimes when he is with his friends from the university choir, it is not unlikely that they will start one of the current semesters pieces on the street with people turning their heads. Besides music, one of his greatest hobbies is running and he completed his first half marathon in Hamburg this year. Regarding his studies, he is fascinated by applications of nanotechnology in the biomedical domain.

Student

Milo

M.Sc. Molecular Life Science

Milo took a bit longer than some of his peers to discover his passion for the life sciences, but now that he has, he is fully committed. His enthusiasm is infectious, especially when it comes to food, coffee, fermentation, and a good workout. He immerses himself deeply in specific topics and is always eager to learn, especially if you share your interests with excitement and a good excel sheet.

Student

Ole

M.Sc. Molecular Life Sciences

Ole is probably more often on vacation than in the lab — at least that's what the rumors say. A self-taught coder with a knack for figuring things out on his own, he balances lab time with plenty of movement outdoors. Whether it's soccer, running, cycling, hiking, or snowboarding, he's always chasing the next adventure — ideally rounded off with a refreshing Spanish tinto de verano (you should try). But actually, he's more of a structural biology guy.

Advisor

Boy

M.Sc. Molecular Life Sciences

Boy likes to balance long meetings with a bike ride through nature on his way home. Some might say that this is the main reason why he attends the meetings. His main interest is clearly in helping to plan lab projects (planning, not executing). His ideas are met with varying degrees of enthusiasm, and every now and then, a week later, it is decided that the idea was perhaps quite good after all. Apart from cycling, Boy has a strange fetish for plants and is probably one of the reasons why it is a good idea to have guidelines for genetically modified plants in Germany.

Advisor

Lennert

M.Sc. Molecular Life Sciences

Giving everything I got in the lab and on the pitch - working on my masters degree in Molecular Life Sciences or playing handball with my team. I am deeply rooted with the iGEM competition, acting as advisor for the team and being a part mentor, part cheerleader and part troubleshooter for our amazing young scientists and their innovative ideas.

PI

Michael Kolbe

Primary PI

Manipulation of human host cells is a fundamental challenge for all pathogens. To understand host-pathogen interaction and pathogenesis, we examine the characteristics, functionalities and interactions of molecular structures involved in the survival and multiplication of bacteria within the host. We integrate high-end technologies like X-ray lasers and electron cryo-electron microscopes with other biophysical methodologies to study the functional dependence of structural determinants in virulence factors from water-borne bacterial pathogens and investigate the rules for effector protein secretion, transport dynamics and regulation.

PI

Mirko Himmel

Secondary PI

Human-pathogenic bacteria of the Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bpm) group can cause systemic infections with fatal outcomes. Our research focus is on critical steps in the intracellular life cycle of pathogens of the Bpm group and the investigation of new therapeutic intervention strategies.We investigate molecular details of pathogen-host interactions with a focus on the dynamic regulation of actin-dependent motility of bacteria in the host cell and the modulation of the actin cytoskeleton by bacterial effector proteins. In this context, we also study the functional role of various bacterial secretion systems in host cell entry and intracellular survival of the pathogen.