Anindya obtained his PhD from Raman Research Institute, Bangalore, India. His primary research was on studying the effect of salt and polyelectrolytes on the self-assembled structures of ionic amphiphiles, mostly using the small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) technique. He is currently studying spatiotemporal force generation in active actin-microtubule networks using optical tweezers, confocal microscopy, and differential dynamic microscopy. He loves listening to music and playing cricket and football.

Ashlee received her PhD in Chemistry from Pennsylvania State University in 2024 working on controlling the microscopic motion of self-propelled micropropellers. She recently joined the lab in August 2024 and is now working on topologically active DNA-based materials.

Contact: amcgovern-at-sandiego.edu

Aysan received her Ph.D. in 2024 from the University of Toronto, Canada. Her doctoral research focused on the use of feedback-controlled microfluidic extensional flow devices in soft matter systems. In October 2024, Aysan joined the BioSPOT lab as a postdoctoral fellow. She is currently working on the spatiotemporal characterization of bio-inspired active composites using optical tweezers.

Contact: arazzaghi-at-sandiego.edu.

Michael is a second-year biophysics major with a minor in music. His past work revolved around the dynamics and conformation of topologically active DNA but has since expanded to understanding the topological response of Olympic Ring DNA to enzymes such as Topoisomerase. He spends his free time playing the clarinet and sailing with friends.

Camyla Cueva is a Biology major at Southwestern Community College. Her research focuses on analyzing the dynamics and structure of DNA in ionic conditions, which is crucial for understanding the properties of biopolyners and their potential as materials. In her free time, Camyla enjoys hanging out with loved ones, listening to music, and reading.

Katarina Matic is a third-year Physics major with a minor in mathematics and has been part of the lab since June 2023. She was awarded the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Scholarship for researching bacterial cells in cytoskeleton composites. Her work examines how cells embedded in fibrous scaffolds are spatially distributed and how they modify the scaffold structure and mechanics, which is critical to engineering tissue and living materials. In her free time, Katarina enjoys reading and working out.

Sean is a rising junior double majoring in Integrated Engineering and Biophysics with a concentration in Biomedical Engineering and a minor in mathematics. Sean's research is currently focused on analyzing the properties of shake gels by using optical tweezers to observe the behavior of fluorescent microbeads submerged in shake gel solutions. Sean is also on the cross-country and track teams here at USD and enjoys going to concerts, the beach, and hanging out with my friends.

Dimitra is a junior majoring in Biophysics and minoring in philosophy. Dimitra's research is currently focused on investigating the active linking and unlinking of highly concentrated DNA rings mediated by the Topoisomerase II enzyme. Dimitra loves to hike, go to the ocean and concerts, and read.

Christopher (Chris) is a junior at the Bishop's school. His research focuses on the use of computer science in computational biology. In his free time, Chris likes to drink boba with his friends and listen to music.