The Lucks Lab Team
Julius Lucks
Principal Investigator | Chemical & Biological Engineering
B.S. Chemistry, UNC Chapel Hill – 2001
M.Phil. Theoretical Chemistry, Cambridge University – 2002
Ph.D. Chemical Physics, Harvard University – 2002-2007
Miller Postdoctoral Fellow, UC Berkeley 2008-2011
Julius B. Lucks is the Margery Claire Carlson Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Northwestern University, where he co-directs the Center for Synthetic Biology. He uses a multidisciplinary perspective to ask fundamental questions about the design principles that govern how RNAs fold and function in living organisms to sense and process chemical information. Lucks Lab research and biosensors are making a real-world impact in monitoring food and water quality, agricultural safety, sustainable biomanufacturing, and drug and therapeutic discovery pipelines. Lucks is a Guggenheim Fellow in Biology, a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and an AAAS Fellow. He co-founded the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Summer Course in Synthetic Biology and leads the first NSF graduate training program in synthetic biology. He is also a co-founder of Stemloop, Inc., a biotechnology startup empowering people with information about their health and their environment. He earned his PhD in Chemical Physics from Harvard University as a Hertz Fellow and transitioned to synthetic biology as a Miller Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. Read more.
Anibal Arce Medina
Postdoctoral Researcher | Chemical & Biological Engineering
Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
B.S. in Biochemistry, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
Anibal Arce Medina is a postdoctoral researcher in the Lucks Lab, where he studies how riboswitches sense metabolites and respond to natural ligands and antibiotics. His work aims to understand riboswitch folding and function to optimize RNA-based sensing technologies for new applications, including expanding their compatibility with different RNA polymerases.
Anibal holds a degree in Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and participated in an exchange program at the University of California, Davis. Previously, he developed low-cost methods for cell-free transcription-translation reactions. Outside the lab, he enjoys salsa dancing, live music, concerts, and playing guitar.
Kayd Bhagat
Research Staff/Lab Manager | Chemical & Biological Engineering
B.S/M.S. in Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University
Kayd Bhagat is a Research Technologist and Lab Manager in the Lucks Lab, where he studies how to best normalize chemical probing data across different experimental contexts. Their research also involves generating high-throughput structural and functional data to better understand how RNA structure relates to function. As Lab Manager, Kayd helps keep the lab running day-to-day, coordinating the many behind-the-scenes details that keep research moving.
Outside of the lab, Kayd enjoys cooking and making/selling pottery. They previously earned a BS/MS in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University with a minor in Biotechnology. During their studies, they worked on sustainable water and bioprocessing technologies and developed a computational pipeline for transcription factor discovery.
Xavier “Xave” Bower
Grad Student | Chemical & Biological Engineering
B.S. in Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago
Xave Bower (co-advized with Josh Leonard) is working to develop technologies for ‘smart’ mRNA therapeutics wherein activity can be regulated after delivery with a safe oral dose of a control molecule. They study aptazymes: short RNA sequences wherein autocatalytic self-cleavage rate is set by the concentration of a small molecule that binds the sequence, and self-amplifying RNA systems that use viral replicases to copy mRNA inside mammalian cells.
Before Northwestern, Xave spent four years at BillionToOne, a molecular diagnostics company, developing assay chemistry and bioinformatic algorithms for prenatal and oncology blood tests now used by hundreds of thousands of patients. They hold a B.S. in Molecular Engineering, with a minor in Spanish Language and Literature, from the University of Chicago. Outside the lab, Xave is a distance runner and triathlete, skis, sings and plays guitar, and is a licensed pilot.
Edric Choi
Postdoctoral Fellow | Chemical & Biological Engineering
Ph.D. Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences, Northwestern University
B.S. in Biochemistry & B.A. in Computer Science, Denison University
Edric Choi recently completed his PhD in Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences and is continuing his research as a postdoctoral fellow in the Lucks lab. He uses deep learning to advance RNA structure prediction and design, with a current focus on maximizing the information obtained from chemical probing data.
As an undergraduate, he studied the structure and folding dynamics of the S. enterica htrA RNA thermometer using SHAPE. He later joined the Gopalan Lab at Ohio State University, where he investigated disease-associated mitochondrial tRNA conformational switching and developed a fluorescence-based RNase P activity assay. Outside the lab, he enjoys basketball, biking, swimming, photography, and traveling. Fun fact: If he weren’t doing research, he would be a racecar driver or filmmaker.
Saachi Dalvi
Grad Student | Chemical & Biological Engineering
B.S. in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Tech
Saachi Dalvi is a Chemical Engineering PhD student. In the Lucks lab, Saachi aims to study how plug-and-play engineering can be leveraged to screen and optimize riboswitches for rational biosensor design. Outside of science, she enjoys reading, hiking, travelling, and playing the piano. She is also a professional Indian Classical Dancer of Kathak and a coffee enthusiast!
Saachi received a B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Georgia Tech. During her undergrad, she worked in Dr. Blazeck’s lab to establish a CRISPR base-editing platform in yeast cells for rapid, low cost antibody mutagenesis and subsequent screening. After graduating, she worked for two years at Ingredion as a Control Systems Engineer in specialty starch manufacturing.
Robyn Davies
Undergrad Student | Biology
Herma Demissie
Grad Student | Chemical & Biological Engineering
B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Columbia University
Herma Demissie is a PhD candidate in Chemical & Biological Engineering. She received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University. As an undergraduate student, Herma worked with Dr. Allie Obermeyer studying the complex coacervation behavior of ELP fusion proteins in vitro and in vivo in E. coli. After graduating, she worked in healthcare investment banking helping biotech companies meet their business needs. At Northwestern, she works on developing point-of-care CRISPR-Cas13a diagnostics to detect health and environmental targets. In her free time, she enjoys visiting new coffee shops, going on long walks and exploring new parks. Fun fact: Herma was born and raised in Ethiopia!
Juliana Feng
Grad Student | Biomedical Engineering
B.S. in Materials Science & Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
Juliana, or Siyuan, Feng is an MD/PhD student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. She earned a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, where she pursued muscle biology and biomaterials research. Currently, Juliana works on expanding the capabilities of cell-free biosensing for real-world applications. Her projects focus on enabling rapid biosensing of water contaminants using phase-separated materials and developing at-home biosensors to detect Pb through fieldwork with high-risk Chicago communities. Outside of lab, she loves K-12 outreach, knitting, frying plantains, and drinking a lot of tea. Fun fact: Juliana wants to be a pediatrician when she grows up!
Tina Fu
Grad Student | Chemical & Biological Engineering
B.S. in Food Science, University of California Davis
Tina Fu is a PhD candidate in the Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Program (IBiS), where she studies the relationship between RNA structure and function in bacterial intrinsic transcription using high-throughput screening methods. She holds a B.S. in Food Science from UC Davis and an M.S. in Biotechnology from Georgetown University. Previously, she worked on developing single-cell nascent RNA sequencing technologies. Beyond research, Tina is passionate about translating emerging RNA technologies into real-world impact through scientific communication, strategic problem-solving, and community building.
Giho Kim
Postdoctoral Researcher | Chemical & Biological Engineering
Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University
B.S. in Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University
Giho Kim is a postdoctoral researcher in the Lucks Lab, where he studies how intracellular conditions across the kingdoms of life affect RNA folding and function. His work aims to use chemical probing data to understand the energetics of RNA folding, analyze its function, and combine AI/ML methods to design functionally predictable RNA molecules.
Outside of the lab, Giho loves swimming for exercise, walking around campus, and playing acoustic guitar. He earned a BS, MS, and PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering from Seoul National University. During his graduate and postdoctoral research in Prof. Sang Woo Seo’s lab at SNU, he focused on developing a translation-level CRISPRi system in bacteria using the RNA-targeting dCas13. He leveraged it alongside transcription-level CRISPRi to perform more accurate, in-depth functional analysis of gene functions at genome scale.
Sophia Mitton-Fry
Research Staff | Chemical & Biological Engineering
B.A. in Chemistry and Biological Sciences, Northwestern University
Sophia Mitton-Fry is a researcher in the Lucks Lab, where she studies RNA structure through chemical probing. Her research focuses on ligand-binding RNAs such as riboswitches, with the goal of understanding how ligand binding induces structural changes both close to and far from the binding site, and how different factors modulate that propagation.
Outside of the lab, Sophia enjoys painting, reading, and playing board games. She earned a B.A. from Northwestern University, double majoring in Chemistry and Biological Sciences. As an undergraduate Sophia worked in Dr. Karl Scheidt’s lab working on the development and optimization of a series of inhibitors targeting ATG4B, an autophagy-regulating protein that is highly active in glioblastoma.
Maram Naji
Grad Student | Chemical & Biological Engineering
B.S. in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Psychology, Johns Hopkins University
Maram Naji is a Chemical & Biological Engineering PhD candidate. She works on improving the encapsulation of biosensors into liposomes to expand biosensor usage. Maram earned a B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Psychology from Johns Hopkins University. Before Northwestern, she researched novel drug combinations against mycobacterial infections and developed an in vitro pharmacodynamic systems for assessing antibiotics in the Nuermberger Lab. Outside of lab, she enjoys biking and reading nonfiction. A fun fact is that her name is spelled the same forward and backward.
Yuntong Zou
Grad Student | Chemical & Biological Engineering
M.S. in Quantitative and Systems Biology, Northwestern University
B.S. in Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University
Yuntong Zou is a Ph.D. student in Northwestern University’s Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences (IBiS) program. She combines biophysical insights and machine learning to develop predictive models of riboswitch function and advance the structural prediction and design of functional RNAs. She holds a B.S. in Veterinary Medicine from Nanjing Agricultural University and an M.S. in Quantitative and Systems Biology from Northwestern. Her previous experience includes research at McGill University, wildlife conservation volunteering in Australia, and studies spanning host–pathogen interactions, virology, immunology, and protein biochemistry. Outside the lab, she enjoys knitting, skiing, origami, paper sculpture, and spending time with her cat. Fun fact: Yuntong has lived in six countries and is also a part-time fortune teller and astrologer!
Alumni
Our alumni have successfully pursued various career paths, including academic, industrial, and entrepreneurial positions.
