ISB News

Dr. Sid Venkatesh

Sid Venkatesh Publishes Co-First Authored Paper in Science

ISB Assistant Professor Dr. Sid Venkatesh is the co-first author of a paper in the journal Science. While at Washington University in St. Louis, Venkatesh and colleagues identified a novel gut microbial enzyme that impacts satiety-related signaling pathways in undernourished children treated with microbiota-directed complementary foods.

AmeriCorps Member Faduma Hussein Joins ISB as Public Health Ambassador Coordinator

Faduma Hussein recently joined the ISB Education team as the Public Health Ambassador Coordinator, becoming only the fourth AmeriCorps member to serve at ISB. In this Q&A, she shares insights into her education, what drew her to ISB, career aspirations, and more.

Ilya Shmulevich

‘A Life Like No Other:’ Remembering Beloved ISB Professor Ilya Shmulevich

Devoted husband and father. Animal lover. Accomplished pianist. Avid cyclist. Compassionate human. Exceptional scientist. The ISB community mourns the loss of Professor Ilya Shmulevich, PhD, who died on April 13, 2024. He was 54 years old.

ISB Assistant Professor Dr. Sid Venkatesh

Sid Venkatesh Joins ISB as Assistant Professor

Dr. Sid Venkatesh recently joined ISB as assistant professor and is our newest faculty member. In this Q&A, Venkatesh discusses his research, his aspirations in the gut-microbiota field, his philosophy as a scientist, what he does when he’s not in the lab, and more.

Sarah Clemente

AmeriCorps Member Sarah Clemente Joins ISB as Systems Thinkers in STEM Ambassador Coordinator

Sarah Clemente recently joined ISB as a Systems Thinkers in STEM Ambassador Coordinator, and is the third AmeriCorps member to work with us. In this Q&A, Clemente shares what drew her to ISB, what she hopes to accomplish over the next year, and more. 

Dr. Sean Gibbons Spotlighted in Alumni Profile

MIT’s Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics recently featured Dr. Sean Gibbons in an alumni profile. Gibbons discussed his academic arc that started in Montana and led to his master’s studies (sponsored by a Fulbright Graduate Fellowship) at Uppsala University in Sweden, completing his PhD in biophysical sciences at the University of Chicago, and conducting his postdoc work in the lab of Eric Alm. He also talked about some of…

Spotlight On Amy Zamora, Former ISB Systems Research Scholar

Between 2018 and 2020, Amy Zamora’s tenure as a systems research scholar allowed her to merge her two interests – math and biology – and to learn a lot more along the way. “I didn’t really know how to combine my passions until I came to ISB,” she said.

Goldwater Scholar Daniel Chen

ISB Undergraduate Researcher Daniel Chen Earns Goldwater Scholarship

Daniel Chen, an undergraduate researcher in ISB’s Heath Lab and junior at the University of Washington, has been awarded a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. Chen has been a key member of ISB’s COVID-19 Immune Response Study.

the case for masks

Molecular Biologist Dr. Sui Huang: We Should All Be Wearing Masks

ISB’s Dr. Sui Huang has been a powerful voice in a growing chorus contending that masks are an effective tool to stop the spread of COVID-19. Huang calls guidelines from the CDC and other public health agencies “unfortunate,” as they sweep aside a potentially powerful measure that could help “flatten the curve.”

Spotlight on Caroline Cannistra, ISB Systems Research Scholar

Caroline Cannistra joined ISB in 2018 as a Systems Research Scholar. The Systems Research Scholars Program provides recent college undergraduates a springboard to become the next generation’s pioneers of interdisciplinary scientific research.

Nathan Price

Dr. Nathan Price Named NAM Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine Scholar

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) announced ISB’s Dr. Nathan Price as a 2019 Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine Scholar. NAM’s Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine Program provides a platform for a new generation of leaders to collaborate with the NAM and its members across generations and fields of expertise.

Amy Zamora

Spotlight on Amy Zamora, ISB Systems Research Scholar

Amy Zamora joined ISB in August as a Systems Research Scholar. The Systems Research Scholars Program provides recent college undergraduates a springboard to become the next generation’s pioneers of interdisciplinary scientific research. In this Q&A, Zamora describes her experiences at ISB, research interests, future aspirations, and much more.

Spotlight on James Yurkovich, ISB Translational Research Fellow

Dr. James Yurkovich joined ISB this summer as a Translational Research Fellow. The three-year Translational Research Fellows Program provides a unique opportunity for bench-to-bedside translational research with mentorship from experts in systems biology and clinical research. In this Q&A, Yurkovich delves into his research interests, future aspirations, hobbies, and more.

Dr. Wei Wei Joins ISB Faculty

Prior to joining ISB’s faculty, Dr. Wei Wei earned his Ph.D. from Caltech and served as a faculty member at UCLA Medical School. In this Q&A, Wei discusses his research career to date, how research might change over the next decade, and much more.

ISB Associate Professor Dr. Sean Gibbons

Dr. Sean Gibbons joins ISB faculty as WRF Distinguished Investigator

Dr. Sean Gibbons has joined ISB as our newest faculty member. Gibbons’ new position brings a number of changes, including relocating to the Pacific Northwest from the Northeast. Read on for a Q&A with Gibbons that sheds light on his research career to date, areas of study and even a hidden talent.

Spotlight: Ayodale Braimah, Undergraduate Intern

Congratulations to Ayodale Braimah, an undergraduate intern in the Baliga Lab, who has just been accepted into the medical school at the University of Kansas. Ayodale has been studying microbiology at the University of Washington and sought a position in the Baliga Lab in order to immerse himself in an authentic research experience in microbiology and molecular biology. He specifically wanted to better understand how organisms adapt to new environments….

Spotlight: Alison Paquette, Research Scientist

Congratulations to Alison Paquette who recently was promoted to Research Scientist in the Price Lab. Alison received her PhD in Experimental and Molecular Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. She is interested in identifying molecular biomarkers that may predict preterm birth and adverse neonatal outcomes such as preeclampsia. “Pregnancy complications are not very well understood, and we are amongst the only labs really taking a systems biology…

Spotlight: Christine Pham

Christine Pham, 2016 ISB High School Intern, was accepted by WSU’s Honors College and was named a Distinguished Regents Scholar, which awarded her a four-year tuition scholarship. “ISB saw the potential in me when I had not realized it myself. Working with multiple mentors and lab partners fostered my growth as an individual. As I head to college with the hopes of pursuing an interdisciplinary subject, I will build upon…