The Lucks lab welcomes a new member: Xavier “Xav” Bower! They are currently in the Chemical and Biological Engineering PhD program at Northwestern University, co-advised with Josh Leonard. Before Northwestern, they graduated with a B.S. in Molecular Engineering and a Minor in Spanish Language and Literature from University of Chicago and then worked at the diagnostics company BillionToOne. At BillionToOne, they independently pioneered techniques in assay chemistry and bioinformatic algorithms to launch new tests at a molecular diagnostics startup, which addressed unmet clinical needs for hundreds of thousands of prenatal and oncology patients.
At Northwestern, Xav plans to apply their expertise in molecular biology, lab automation, sequencing, bioinformatics, and clinical translation towards the development of high throughput measurements, deep learning models, and therapeutic applications of functional RNA. They also aim to help develop new enterprises leveraging the ongoing revolution in high-throughput synthetic biology to galvanize broad and inclusive participation in fighting disease, climate change, and societal inequality on a global scale. Outside of science, Xav enjoys distance running, skiing, spending time outdoors, watching film, songwriting and performing music. Fun fact: they are a licensed pilot! Welcome to the lab, Xav!
Lucks Laboratory 