Meet the Executive Team

Sofia Lara: Co-Chair

Hi! My name is Sofia Lara and I am a course 20 Junior. At BioMakers, I oversee all club activities and focus on long term planning of events and club initiatives. I like to read and play tennis on my free time, and my interests include cancer immunology and medicine. I like cats, matcha, and al dente pasta.

Kyra Henriques: Co-Chair

Hi! I’m Kyra Henriques, a second-year student majoring in Computer Science and Molecular Biology (Course 6-7) at MIT. I serve as Co-Chair of MIT BioMakers, overseeing strategic club initiatives and external collaborations. I work in the Love Lab at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, where I analyze scRNA-seq data with R and Python to study how different cell culturing systems impact immune cell viability and transcriptional profiles. I also work at the Koch in the Langer/Traverso Lab, focusing on developing targeted drug delivery systems. Additionally, I’m involved in MIT Women in EECS, MIT iGEM, and the MIT Biotech Group. Outside of academics, I enjoy exploring new cafes and playing badminton. 

Geoffrey Enwere: Project Coordinator

I’m Geoffrey, a junior in Course 20 (Biological Engineering). I used to be a Co-Chair, but have entered sweet retirement and am now one of our Project Coordinators! I currently UROP in the Voigt developing fungal engineering tools. I previously worked in the Community Biotechnology Initiative in the Media Lab optimizing MICP protocols for better biocement. Outside of my academics, I am a history enthusiast and dumpster diver! I am also involved in the Undergraduate Association, DormCon, ESP, and the Tech.

Ikechi Nwokoro: Project Coordinator

Hi! My name is Ikechi Nwokoro (you can call me EK), and I’m a sophomore majoring in Biological Engineering (Course 20). I plan to contribute to MIT BioMakers by organizing projects and facilitating workshops to make the BioMakerSpace more accessible to club members and the broader MIT community. I’m also involved in the MIT Biotech Group, iGEM, NSBE, and Cru.

Valeria Mejia: Publicity Director

Hello! I’m Valeria. I’m a sophomore at MIT majoring in Chemical-Biological Engineering. I currently work at the Galloway Lab in the Department of Chemical Engineering focusing on developing a platform known as “STRAIGHT-IN,” which combines site-specific recombinases with homologous recombination. I specifically utilize “STRAIGHT-IN” to integrate large genomic libraries into iPSCs. Outside of the lab, I am also involved in the Latino Cultural Center, MIT Biotech Group, and Number Six.

Alana Power: Secretary

Hi! My name is Alana and I’m the Secretary of the BioMakers Group. I’m a current sophomore in course 2-A studying mechanical engineering with a minor in biomedical engineering. Aside from BioMakers, I am also on the Solar Electric Vehicle Team here at MIT and I’m a UROP in the Langer Lab.

Alison Huang: Treasurer

Hey! I’m Alison, a freshman planning on majoring in Chemical-Biological Engineering (10B). I mainly organize community events and handle finances within the BioMakers Group. Outside of BioMakers, I’m involved with Technique, East Campus, ClubChem, MedLinks, and E33.

Justin Buck, PhD: MIT Instructor & BioMaker Space Manager 

Dr. Buck is a “Busineerist” (Businessman + Engineer + Scientist = Busineerist™); he is a life-long entrepreneur, engineer by training, and a scientist by [fortunate] accident.

Justin was a co-founder of Cambrian Innovation, Inc., an environmental product and service company specializing in biological wastewater treatment for the industrial food and beverage market.  Justin served as the CTO of Cambrian Innovation for 12 years, and at various times in the company history, he led the R&D, Engineering, and Field Operations departments.  Justin also managed the company intellectual property portfolio and serves on the Board of Directors.  Justin stepped down from his full-time role at Cambrian Innovation in 2018 to pursue other interests, and in 2019 joined the Departments of Biological Engineering and Chemical Engineering at MIT as an Instructor, primarily focused on directing the new campus BioMakerspace.

Justin received his BS in Chemical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines and his PhD in Biological Engineering from MIT.  In addition to his roles at Cambrian Innovation, Justin has held roles across the spectrum of engineering activities ranging from AutoCAD draftsman, to plant small project improvement (TICA) engineer at Dow Chemical, to Process Engineer in the Oil and Gas Group at Washington Group International (later acquired by URS Corporation and then AECOM).