Yi Sun is a Molecular Biology Global Talent Fellow at Open Avenues, where she works with students leading projects in Molecular Biology.
Yi is an Associate Scientist at Vizgen, where she works on developing and improving spatial genomics technology and bringing it to wider applications. Yi spent 2 years utilizing Next-Generation Sequencing technology for clinical
research and diagnosis before moving to the biotech industry in 2022. Prior to that, she had 10+ years of research experience using and optimizing molecular biology techniques for gene regulation studies. Yi holds a BS in Biological
Sciences and an MS in Biology.
A fun fact about Yi: She plays basketball but is not good at it and her favorite animal is dinosaurs.
Xavier is a Molecular Biology Global Talent Fellow at Open Avenues, where they work with students leading projects on scientific search clinical data and fundamental principles of molecular biology in Biotech companies.
Holding a PhD in Immunology and Microbiology from Virginia Tech, Xavier has several years of experience in research and 1 year in the Biotech industry. He currently works as Scientist at Elicio Therapeutics, a company responsible
for creating and designing a cancer vaccine to deliver immunotherapeutics directly to the immune system.
Outside of work, Xavier enjoys running and hiking, trying new restaurants and coffee shops around the Boston area, or travelling and visiting his family in Spain.
Sai Namburi is a Molecular Biology Global Talent Fellow at Open Avenues, where she works with students leading projects in cell biology.
Sai Namburi is a Research Associate at Caribou Biosciences where she works on the development of CAR T- Cell therapies for cancer.
Sai Namburi has 6 years of experience in pre-clinical researchShe has research experience in both academic research institutions and pharmaceutical industries.
Sai Namburi holds a Master’s degree in Microbiology and Immunology.
A fun fact about Sai is that you can find her biking on CA-1 if she isn’t at work.
Marie is a Molecular Biology Fellow at Open Avenues Foundation.
She has 10+ years experience with Stem Cells and Cell therapies including academia and biotech company. She is currently Director of Research and Development at Garuda Therapeutics, a biotech company in Cambridge, MA. Marie has
worked across many therapeutic areas including Oncology, Hematology, and Cell Therapies. She holds a PhD in Oncology and Hematology for the University of Paris Diderot, France.
Harini Sivagurunatha Krishnan is a Molecular Biology Global Talent Fellow at Open Avenues, where she works with students leading projects in molecular biology.
Harini is a Senior Research Associate at Dicerna Pharmaceuticals (a part of Novo Nordisk) where she works on in vitro and in vivo screening of RNAi agents for therapeutic molecule selection, hit identification, and lead optimization,
thereby helping Dicerna in its drug discovery efforts. Harini has 5 years of experience in Biotechnology. As soon as she graduated from her master’s in 2017, she worked for one of the stem cell research labs at USC, LA, then
moved to a lab focusing on prostate cancer at Weill Cornell Medicine, NY for a short period. To gain experience in an industrial setting, she switched to a start-up focusing on cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, based in
Brooklyn. Finally, she moved to Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, as she was fascinated by RNA biology and wanted to learn more about RNAi Therapeutics.She holds a master’s in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Georgetown University.
A fun fact about Harini: She loves traveling and Ioves planning for trips equally (or even more). So far, she has shared her travel itineraries (for Puerto Rico and Utah-Arizona-Vegas road trip) with 8 people and they were able
to execute the plan successfully. 😀 She loves spicy food more than anything and people get surprised when she tells them she does not have much of a sweet tooth. She likes desserts, but she has to end her meal with something
spicy.
Gauri Kulkarni is a Molecular Biology Global Talent Fellow at Open Avenues, where she works with students leading projects in the field of Biotechnology & Biomedical Engineering.
Gauri is a Senior Research Associate (Cell Therapy) at Obsidian Therapeutics, Inc. where she has a critical role in isolation, transduction, and expansion of Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs) to support efforts for developing
clinical treatments for cancer patients.
Gauri has over 3 years of experience in Biotechnology & Biomedical Engineering. Gauri is passionate about biomedical and preclinical research and development, and desires to contribute to developing solutions that will solve
medical and health-related problems. She is experienced in applying her expertise for research and process development.She holds a master’s degree in biomedical engineering.
A fun fact about Gauri: I have taken formal training in Indian classical dancing and singing.
Foram is a Molecular Biology Global Talent Fellow at Open Avenues, where she works with students leading projects in Molecular Biology.
Foram is a bioengineer at Parallel Biosystems Inc. where she works on immune system organoids for rapid immunotherapy discoveries. Foram has 6+ of years of experience as a scientific researcher in the field of molecular biology,
bioengineering and bionanotechnology. She has conceptualized, led and executed several interdisciplinary projects where she has utilized biological proteins and DNA for bio-inspired nanotechnological applications. Foram holds
a masters in Molecular Bioengineering and a PhD in biology.
A fun fact about Foram: I like to go on long walks and hikes. I love creating art projects and painting. I love to start my day with Yoga and mediation, followed by a warm cup of masala chai. When I am in a bad mood, I like to
break into a spontaneous dance party with my husband 🙂
Arijita is a Molecular biology (MB) Global Talent Fellow at Open Avenues, where she works with students leading projects in MB.
Arijita is a Scientist at Tessera Therapeutics where she works on advancing platform technology in gene editing in order to develop genetic medicine for rare genetic disorders. Arijita has over 10 years of research experience in
molecular biology and biochemistry. She has been working at Tessera therapeutics for a year.
Prior to that Arijita was a postdoctoral associate at SUNY Upstate Medical University, investigating DNA replication stress associated DNA damage and repair. She holds a MS degree in Biochemistry and PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology.
A fun fact about Arijita: She loves travelling and checking out food options in new cities. In her free time, she also enjoys singing and dancing to Bollywood numbers.
Alice is a Molecular Biology Global Talent Fellow at Open Avenues, where they work with students leading projects on biological research methods and science communication.
Holding a dual degree in genetics and fine art from Yale University, Alice has 3 years of experience in research and science communication across the medical field and biotech. They currently work as Scientific Communication Expert
at Dyno Therapeutics, a company applying Machine Learning methods to viral design for gene therapy delivery.
Outside of work, Alice enjoys photography, graphic novels, and biking around the Boston area in search of vintage markets and small history museums.
