Yifei is in his fourth year of Life Sciences. Yifei is the new QGEM Dictator after overthrowing Dragos in a peaceful coup and enjoys bossing the QGEM team around from his SynBio throne. His favourite class at Queen’s was molecular biology, and he hopes to pursue a career that combines SynBio and medicine. Yifei has a burning passion for Metro prepared meals, but hopes to have enough money one day after becoming the CEO of his own biotech startup that he can hire Chef Dee #anotherone. His favourite sports team is the Toronto Raptors, and he hopes that his amateur career as a Roots model will one day allow him to replace Drake as their new courtside celebrity.

Nolan is in his fourth year of Biochemistry. He is particularly interested in bacteria and the rise of antibiotic resistance, so this year’s biofilm project was right up his alley. When he isn’t running around in the lab or admiring crystal structures, he can be found listening to old Dire Straits records and learning classic rock riffs on his Les Paul. In the future, Nolan hopes to pursue a career in research working to create novel antibiotics.

Matthew is in his fourth year of Life Sciences, and is returning for his second year with the QGEM team. He enjoys the competitive spirit of QGEM, and likes idea of student-driven research. He believes this project offers an excellent chance to apply what he has learned throughout his years at Queen's, while also offering the opportunity to get involved with the new and exciting field of synthetic biology. He hopes to peruse a career in medicine, but in the meantime can be found in the gym or on the dance floor.

Ruben is in his second year of Biochemistry. He was drawn to QGEM by the thought of manipulating E. coli into doing his bidding and the idea of tackling real world issues. Using his flamingo shirt, he hopes to bring fresh style and ideas to the QGEM outreach team. When not writing interview questions Ruben can be found honing his fine motor skills dissecting fruit flies.

Michael is in his third year of Life Sciences. He saw QGEM as an exciting opportunity to see the process of a research project, and learn more about synthetic biology. He also hopes to learn valuable lab skills while working in a collaborative environment. Michael wishes to continue his studies, and pursue research once his undergraduate degree is complete.

Andrew is in his third year of Biochemistry. A few months ago, he had the chance to witness a QGEM presentation in his introduction molecular biology course, and since then, he felt as if his life was changed. He began researching synthetic biology, and realized that THAT was what he wanted to be doing in his life. Because of QGEM, he decided on pursuing a computing minor, thus giving him either bioinformatics or synthetic biology as career options after he graduates.

Deyang is in his second year of Life Sciences. He was drawn to QGEM because of its uniqueness as a student led undergraduate research team, as well as the potential applications of synthetic biology, from pharmaceutical applications to oil remediation. He currently helps with the dry-lab, and outside of QGEM, Deyang enjoys badminton, long runs, and the occasional all you can eat sushi buffet.

Rajiv is in his third year of Life Sciences. He was originally drawn to QGEM last summer because he wanted to explore the avenues of research in a student-led environment. Rajiv contributed to both the Dry-Lab as well as the Policy and Practices component last summer but is working as a Wet-Lab volunteer this summer. In his spare time, Rajiv enjoys hiking, tagging his friends and family in Facebook memes, and enjoys the occasional Netflix episode. In the future, Rajiv plans to continue pursuing research that combines his interests in both healthcare and synthetic biology.