Team Members

  • Mike-Jewett
  • Michael C. Jewett

    Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence, Northwestern University

    Walter P. Murphy Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University

    Director of the Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University

    Institute Fellow at the Northwestern Argonne Institute for Science & Engineering

    B.S., University of California, Los Angeles, 1999
    M.S., Stanford University, 2001
    Ph.D., Stanford University, 2005
    Postdoctoral Fellow, Technical University of Denmark, 2007
    Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Medical School, 2009

    m-jewett(at)northwestern(dot)edu

    Click here to read more about Mike.

Staff

  • Lauren-Clark

    Lauren Clark

    Lab Manager

    B.S., M.S., University of California San Diego

    lauren(dot)clark(at)northwestern(dot)edu

    Lauren is developing a cell-free protein synthesis platform using chloroplast S30 extract.
  • Ashty-Karim

    Ashty Karim

    Research Assistant Professor

    Ph.D., Northwestern University

    B.S., University of Texas at Austin

    ashty(dot)karim(at)northwestern(dot)edu

    Ashty is developing cell-free systems for biosynthetic pathway prototyping and natural product discovery.
  • Dale-Perdue

    Dale Perdue

    Research Technician

    B.S., University of Kentucky

    dale(dot)perdue(at)northwestern(dot)edu

    Dale is working with Ariel using cell-free systems to study protein glycosylation.
  • Dale-Perdue

    Isaiah Richardson

    Research Technologist

    M.S., Northwestern University

    B.S., Concordia University Wisconsin

    isaiahrichardson2022(at)u(dot)northwestern(dot)edu

    Isaiah is advancing methods for sustainable bioproduction.
  • Add photo

    Hannah Kato

    Group Administrator

    Add Degree

    hannah(dot)kato(at)northwestern(dot)edu

Postdoctoral Associates

  • Rochelle Aw

    Rochelle Aw

    B.S., Imperial College London, U.K.

    Ph.D., Imperial College London, U.K.

    rochelle(dot)aw(at)northwestern(dot)edu

    Rochelle is developing tools for cell-free glycoprotein synthesis.
  • Yun-nam Choi

    Yun-nam Choi

    B.S., Postech Korea, Korea

    Ph.D., Postech Korea, Korea

    yunnam(dot)choi(at)northwestern(dot)edu

    Yun-nam is working to develop carbon fixation pathways for sustainability.

  • Maria de Lourdes Cabezas Tapia

    B.S., The University of Texas at Austin

    Ph.D., Northwestern University

    m-cabezas(at)northwestern(dot)edu

    Maria is developing high-throughput technologies for engineering biology using cell-free systems.

  • Peivand Sadat Mousavi

    NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship

    B.S., University of Waterloo

    Ph.D., University of Toronto

    peivand(dot)sadatmousavi(at)northwestern(dot)edu

    Peivand is developing methods to accelerate the discovery of therapeutics.

  • Jess Willi

    SNSF Early Postdoc.Mobility Fellow

    B.S., M.S., Ph.D., University of Bern, Switzerland

    jessica(dot)willi(at)northwestern(dot)edu

    Jess is working on engineering and retro-evolving ribosomes.

Graduate Students

  • Maddie-Dewinter

    Maddie DeWinter

    B.S., University of Colorado

    madison(dot)dewinter(at)northwestern(dot)edu

    Maddie is working on engineering cell free protein glycosylation pathways.
  • Holly Ekas

    Holly Ekas

    NDSEG fellow

    NSF GRFP (declined)

    Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow

    B.S., The University of Texas at Austin

    hollyekas2024(at)u(dot)northwestern(dot)edu

    Holly is working on transcription factor-based sensing.
  • Laura Guerrero

    Laura Guerrero

    NSF Graduate Research Fellow

    B.S., University of Wisconsin-Madison

    lauraguerrero2026(at)u(dot)northwestern(dot)edu

    Laura is accelerating biodiversity and biodesign of therapeutics.
  • Camila-Kofman

    Camila Kofman

    NSF Graduate Research Fellow

    B.S., Stanford University

    ckofman(at)u(dot)northwestern(dot)edu

    Camila is redesigning ribosomes to facilitate basic knowledge and enable new applications.
  • Grant-Landwehr

    Grant Landwehr

    NSF Graduate Research Fellow

    B.S., Louisiana State University

    gmlandwehr(at)northwestern(dot)edu

    Grant is developing cell-free systems for sustainability.
  • Caleb Lay

    Caleb Lay

    NSF SynBAS Fellow

    B.S., University of Cincinnati

    caleblay2025(at)northwestern(dot)edu

    Caleb is working on engineering materials from insects.
  • Kat Myers

    Kat Myers

    B.S., Purdue University

    kathryn(dot)myers(at)northwestern(dot)edu

    Kat is accelerating biodesign for synthetic biology applications.
  • Meagan Olsen

    Meagan Olsen

    NSF Graduate Research Fellow

    B.S., University of Arkansas

    meaganolsen2026(at)u(dot)northwestern(dot)edu

    Meagan is developing cell-free systems for equitable biotechnologies.
  • Deepali Prasanna

    Deepali Prasanna

    B.E., RV College of Engineering

    deepalivenkateshprasanna2023(at)u(dot)northwestern(dot)edu

    Deepali is advancing methods for therapeutic synthesis.
  • Blake-Rasor

    Blake Rasor

    NDSEG Fellow, NSF GRFP (declined)

    B.S., Miami University

    blakerasor2023(at)u(dot)northwestern(dot)edu

    Blake is using cell-free metabolic engineering for biosynthesis.
  • Kosuke_Seki

    Kosuke Seki

    CLP Training Grant Fellow

    B.S., University of California, Irvine

    kseki(at)u(dot)northwestern(dot)edu

    Kosuke is developing enabling technologies to expand genetically encoded chemistry for regulating protein structures.
  • Zachary Shaver

    Zachary Shaver

    B.S., Davidson College

    zachary(dot)shaver(at)northwestern(dot)edu

    Zach is working on reimagining medicine manufacturing.
  • Ariel-Thames

    Ariel Thames

    NIH F31 NRSA Fellow

    B.A., Vanderbilt University

    ariel(dot)thames(at)northwestern(dot)edu

    Ariel is using cell-free systems to study protein glycosylation.
  • Brenda-Wang

    Brenda Wang

    NSF Graduate Research Fellow

    B.S., University of California, Berkeley

    brendawang2025(at)u(dot)northwestern(dot)edu

    Brenda is working on accelerating biodiscovery and biodesign using cell-free systems.
  • Katie-Warfel

    Katie Warfel

    NDSEG Fellow

    B.S., Bucknell Universty

    katherinewarfel2017(at)u(dot)northwestern(dot)edu

    Katie is using cell-free systems to engineer glycosylation pathways.
  • Derek Wong

    Derek Wong

    NSF Graduate Research Fellow

    B.S., University of California, San Diego

    derekwong2024(at)u(dot)northwestern(dot)edu

    Derek is working to identify novel antibiotics.

<–h1>Master’s Students

Undergraduate Students

  • Nathalie Boadi

    Nathalie Boadi

    Biological Sciences

    Works with Blake Rasor
  • Regina Fernandez

    Regina Fernandez

    Chemical Engineering

    Works with Derek Wong
  • Joey Galindo

    Joey Galindo

    Chemical Engineering

    Works with Kosuke Seki
  • Anika Gupta

    Anika Gupta

    Biomedical Engineering

    Works with Grant Landwehr
  • Rebeca Lion

    Rebeca Lion

    Biomedical Engineering

    Works with Grant Landwehr
  • Sarah Sobol

    Sarah Sobol

    Chemical Engineering

    Works with Katie Warfel

Alumni

  • For a complete list of previous lab members, visit our Alumni Page.