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This page is dedicated to introducing the individuals who made our iGEM project possible. Here, you'll find information about our team members, instructors, and advisors.
We would like to sincerely thank Prof. Heribert Warzecha for his invaluable support as our PI. He guided us by reviewing experimental data, providing conceptual feedback, and ensuring safe laboratory work. In addition, he supported us with project administration, fundraising and by providing laboratory space, materials, and other resources. Without his commitment and encouragement, our project would not have been possible.
We would like to thank Bea for guiding us through the most crucial stages of our work. Your analytical expertise helped us to understand and reflect on our experimental data. Your conceptualisation skills always pushed our ideas further, suggesting new directions and experiments that enriched our projects. With your careful eye for detail, you also helped us refine our wiki drafts, ensuring that our ideas were communicated clearly and effectively. Your support was essential in shaping our project into what it is today.
We also owe our deep gratitude to Iryna for her constant dedication as an instructor. Your scientific knowledge, patience, and willingness to support us at every step made a real difference to our journey. You guided us in developing experimental plans and supervised our lab work, while also providing us with essential resources. You were always there to offer valuable feedback and help us move forward.
We would also like to express our gratitude to Lara for guiding us through the most crucial stages of our work. Your analytical expertise helped us to understand and reflect on our experimental data. Your conceptualisation skills always pushed our ideas further, suggesting new directions and experiments that enriched our projects. With your careful eye for detail, you also helped us refine our wiki drafts, ensuring that our ideas were communicated clearly and effectively. Your support was essential in shaping our project into what it is today.
In 2024, I explored the many facets of iGEM, focusing heavily on lab work and deepening my passion for synthetic biology. This year, I’ve expanded my expertise: continuing laboratory research with new organisms and assays while this year leading more dry lab efforts, including building an RPM, developing our wiki and organizing diverse projects. It was a great opportunity to step beyond the bench and learn new things as a synthetic biologist.
After participating in iGEM 2024, I was thrilled to recruit the next team for 2025 and enter the next iGEM adventure. I really enjoyed characterizing chlorite dismutase in vitro for our project and am very happy about all the new scientific experiences I was able to gather.
Since the beginning of my studies, I have wanted to take part in a student competition. Through my work with my iGEM Team and the bioreactor, I was able to gain valuable hands-on experience and dive into a field I initially knew very little about. This journey has shown me how rewarding it is to take on new challenges and gradually develop a deeper understanding along the way.
As a member of the iGEM TU Darmstadt team, I gained valuable experience in characterizing an anaerobic enzyme, perchlorate reductase, in vitro. I also had the opportunity to reach out to experts and sponsors to support our work. Beyond the laboratory, iGEM opened many doors for me, including the chance to design for our team and present our work at social events.
I joined iGEM to explore synthetic biology more deeply after starting my master’s. Working on protein engineering and helping with sponsor outreach has been a great way to learn, grow, and collaborate with others. It’s been a rewarding experience full of challenges and discovery.
My main motivation to join iGEM was curiosity. I wanted to be part of an exciting project and work together with new people to create something from scratch. For me, it was a unique opportunity to look beyond regular university courses and experience real research up close. During my time at iGEM, I learned a lot – both academically and personally. The experiences I gained are not only useful for my bachelor’s thesis but will also be valuable for my future research. What stood out most to me was how much teamwork, organization, and creativity go hand in hand when it comes to successfully carrying out a large project. Overall, iGEM was a fascinating and rewarding experience that showed me how much fun it can be to explore and discover new things together.
I always wanted to do something more than just follow my curriculum, and iGEM was the perfect choice. It was an opportunity I knew I needed to catch. Throughout the journey of our project, I gained a lot of knowledge and practical skills in the lab through my participation in the cloning subgroup (with a lot of help from my teammates). I also had the chance to practice my creativity by joining the design team, where I worked on creating our t-shirt, poster, logo, and more. It has been a long project with a lot of work, but I am truly grateful for the experience I gained from iGEM.
iGEM is a great chance to meet people who are studying or working in synthetic biology. Through the competition, I hope to meet peers and professionals who share the same interests and can bring new ideas and perspectives on current research and applications. Making these kinds of contacts is really valuable, both for learning more about the field and for possible future collaborations. I enjoy being part of the TU Darmstadt iGEM 2025 team, especially the cloning subgroup, where I can share my experience and explore new methods together with the rest of the team.
I am originally studying chemistry but fell in love with synthetic biology while working in a biochem research group. So iGEM is the perfect place to learn about the ins and outs of synthetic biology in practice. I am working with the enzyme characterization team, mainly to establish the lysate assay for perchlorate reductase and to purify it. Furthermore, I am working together with the wiki and design team to make the wiki work as expected, designed an interactive graphing tool and help optimize the workflow for all team members.
During iGEM 2025, my goal was to strengthen my practical skills in the wet lab and to learn new methods. As a part of the cloning and transformation team, I achieved this by gaining valuable insights into synthetic biology and expanding my lab experience. Beyond the lab, I was also able to explore my creative side by contributing to the design team. I'm very grateful that I was part of this incredible journey.
I joined the iGEM team simply because I was eager to try something completely new. I saw synthetic biology and this competition as a unique learning opportunity. It was an exciting chance to broaden my horizons and a chance to learn and contribute to an entirely new domain.
After studying biotechnology, I became fascinated by the potential of synthetic biology. Participating in the iGEM competition has been an ideal opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the field and to witness firsthand the innovative ideas that young scientists can contribute. As a member of the cloning subgroup, I am working on assembling and transforming the pcrABCD operon and the cld gene into Bacillus subtilis, with the aim of evaluating their function within this chassis.
A special thanks go to Christian, whose wide-ranging contributions made a significant impact on our work. With his constructive feedback, experimental support, and expertise in data analysis, he helped us strengthen our project and keep it on track. His commitment and guidance left a lasting impact on the quality of our project.
We would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Caroline, who supported us in an advisory capacity. Her insights and the background research she provided were especially valuable in shaping the foundation of our project. From the very beginning, her input helped us refine our ideas and make well-informed decisions.