User:Alec Nielsen

Introduction


Hi, my name's Alec and I'm a graduate student in the Quantitative Biology program at UCSF. I'm part of Chris Voigt's lab, and my research interests comprise synthetic biology and biotechnology. I graduated with BSs from the departments of Bioengineering and Electrical Engineering at the University of Washington in 2009, where I was part of Eric Klavins' and Herbert Sauro's groups.

Why synthetic biology? Life is the coolest thing in our universe, and I think humanity is defined by our desire and ability to make stuff that improves our world. To make stuff with Life, to make new Life, is seriously cool and powerful. I don't think it's naive to envision a future where human ailments have been conquered, where everyone lives a long life to its full potential, and where historical problems of scarcity have been eliminated. I want to help make this come true.

Other things about me: I have a wonderful girlfriend named Kathy. I've played guitar in a couple of bands. I like electronics, programming, and kissing (primates' best invention). I'm enamored with the notion that the art, science, and technology of biology can be democratized and disseminated to the hobbyist, amateur, and curious individual (see DIYbio.org). Contact me if you'd like to.

Graduate Student in Voigt Lab
My research can be loosely described as the theory and implementation of constructing genetic devices. I'm especially interested in computer-aided design, high-throughput robotics, and algorithms for understanding and improving assembly.

Researcher in Klavins & Nemhauser Groups
In an inter-lab collaboration between Eric Klavins' group (Electrical Engineering) and Jennifer Nemhauser's group (Biology), I'm working to port the auxin-response network from plants into yeast--the goal being both to study the ubiqutious network in plants and to develop a toolkit for engineering new behaviors in yeast. It's an awesome project, and I'll be sad to leave it this summer.

Intern in Baliga Group
In Nitin Baliga's Halobacterium group at the Institute for Systems Biology, I created a multiplexing chemostat capable of growing, measuring, and controlling the turbidity of several cell cultures. The goal was to develop a device capable of providing precise control over multiple cultures' cellular densities, because genetic regulatory responses depend intimately upon the growth phase of the culture.

Researcher in Sauro Group
As a member of Herbert Sauro's group in the department of Bioengineering, I worked to standardize ribosomal binding site mRNA secondary structure and to improve the predictability and functional composition of standard RBSs.

I've also worked Michal Galdzicki on his semantic description for biological parts, called Semantic SBOL (Synthetic Biology Open Language).

Team Member for iGEM 2008
University of Washington's 2008 team for the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition designed and began to implement a system for trans-kingdom genetic transfer, the Vector-Jector. Plasmid conjugation from bacteria (E. coli) to yeast (S. cerevisiae) was performed under user-specified conditions; I engineered the shuttle plasmid for conjugation between the two organisms.

Since then, I've stayed involved with iGEM, serving as an undergraduate advisor for UW's team, and volunteering at the 2009 iGEM Jamboree.

Education

 * 2009, BS in Biological Engineering & Electrical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle

Research interests

 * 1) Molecular logic and information processing
 * 2) Computer-aided design of biological systems

Contact Info

 * Alec Nielsen
 * alecnielsen@gmail.com
 * 425.750.4182

Personal Links
[[Media:Alecnielsen_curriculum_vitae.pdf]]

@alecnielsen on Twitter

Alec's FriendFeed Profile

Alec's Facebook Profile

Alec's LinkedIn Profile

Professional Links
Klavins Group Homepage

Sauro Group Homepage

UW iGEM 2008