Meet the 2020 Mentors!

Ana Karla Cepeda Diaz

Graduate student, Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, Harvard University

"I am a first-year PhD student and first-year mentor for Genes in Space. I am interested in all things microbiology! In the past, I have studied a virus used for gene therapy; a bacteria which can hijack and replicate inside mammalian cells; and, most recently, the protozoan which causes malaria. In my PhD, I hope “to boldly go where no one has gone before” understanding the extraordinary molecular mechanisms harnessed by single-celled organisms. I am also an enthusiastic sci-fi fan.

I became a mentor for Genes in Space to pursue my belief in science accessibility. I dream of the day when all you need to do science is a question and the passion to answer it, and Genes in Space represents a glimpse of a future in which space biology is broadly accessible. I look forward to collaborating with young scientists as we learn together and work to make their questions a reality."

Kate Malecek

Postdoctoral Fellow, Whitehead Institute at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

"I’m interested in cell fate choice during development, aging, and regeneration. I’m currently studying this in the context of a flatworm system. I’m particularly interested in the effects of the environment on epigenetic regulators like chromatin modifications. To this end, I’m currently working on genome editing in regenerative animals, and a profile of the epigenetic landscape of stem cell specification and patterning during regeneration. I am most engaged when working with others to develop new biochemical tools and methods to measure something unknown for the first time. This is exciting to me because when we access new knowledge about the mechanisms of gene regulation, we can understand better the dials that evolution tunes to shape the adaptation of living things to every facet of their environment. 

I am driven by mentoring young students new to research, and have grown from years of experience mentoring in the lab and classroom. I find that mentoring helps me refine my scientific goals and ideas by sharing the process with others. It’s also just fun to learn from the perspective and curiosity of others. This is my first year as a Genes in Space mentor. I’m thrilled about the ability of this program to empower young people to pose and refine important scientific questions, and offers them literally out-of-this-world resources to ultimately contribute impactful studies. I’m looking forward to working with GiS participants to explore your ideas and design transformative experiments together. It’s a real privilege to work on the frontier of science with the Genes in Space team and all of our enthusiastic participants."

Bess Miller

Graduate student, Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, Harvard University

"I’m a fourth-year graduate student studying developmental and regenerative biology. My main interest is in understanding how different cell types are specified and patterned to form functional organs during development. Currently, my research focuses on the development of liver innervation and modulation of liver development and function by the autonomic nervous system. 

This is my second year as a mentor for Genes in Space, and I’m very excited to be returning as a mentor this year. The Genes in Space program is a fantastic opportunity for young investigators to gain experience in designing research projects and pursue a line of inquiry that they find fascinating. As a mentor, it’s a privilege to help students refine their ideas and see their scientific confidence and acumen grow over the course of the competition. Space biology is a young field with many exciting open questions, and the International Space Station provides a unique platform to study the effects of microgravity on biological systems."

Aleks Radakovic

Graduate student, Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, Harvard University

"I am a second year graduate student in Jack Szostak's laboratory within the Biological and Biomedical Sciences PhD program at Harvard Medical School. Before attending graduate school, I did research that ranged from organic chemistry to plant metabolism and cancer biochemistry. My current research interest, however, is in how life can originate from simple chemical processes and evolve to biological complexity that we see today. Specifically, I am curious about the evolutionary processes that drove the functional coevolution of nucleic acids and proteins to establish the Central Dogma. This intellectual freedom to pursue exciting questions and ideas regardless of the exact field is what I love about science!

I see Genes in Space as the perfect opportunity to stimulate young scientists to ask intriguing questions that transcend the usual textbook knowledge. On top of that, these questions are being asked in space, which opens a whole new world for creative thought. Being able to contribute insights from my own research and learn about the unique scientific perspectives from students is what inspired me to become a GiS mentor. I am beyond excited to participate in what I believe is one of the coolest programs for aspiring scientists!"

Alyson Ramirez

Graduate student, Molecules, Cells, and Organisms Program, Harvard University

"I’m Alyson, a 6th-year PhD candidate at Harvard University. In general, I'm interested in developmental biology, or the study of how a single cell becomes an entire organism. I’m fascinated by how all of the processes that go into making an organism are coordinated in space and time. Interestingly, a great way to learn more about these processes is to study whole-body regeneration, as regeneration is essentially development, but it can be done over and over and over again. In my thesis lab, we study whole-body regeneration in a new model system, the three-banded panther worm (Hofstenia miamia). I study the process of regenerating a new tail; specifically, once a worm is cut in half, how does the head piece know it is missing the tail and how does it re-make it? I'm hoping that finding the answers to these questions could provide some insight about why this worm is so good at regenerating while humans are not.

I was a mentor previously with the Genes in Space competition in the UAE in 2016, and I'm excited to be back to mentor in the US Competition. I love the GiS competition because I enjoy thinking about the experiments proposed by participants and finalists- there are so many interesting ways to use PCR in space, and I’m constantly surprised by the creativity of submitted proposals. Space has always been interesting to me, and thinking about PCR being done so far from home really lets you dream big about what science can accomplish. As a PhD student, sometimes it is easy to think only about your own work- being a mentor and working with students in the competition is a great reminder that science is universal."