Author

Jens Koch came to Northwestern in 2010 as an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He earned his PhD from Freie Universität Berlin in Germany.

Dr. Jeffrey Friedman is a physician scientist studying the genetic mechanisms that regulate body weight. His current research is aimed at understanding the genetic basis of obesity in human and the mechanisms by which the hormone leptin transmits its weight reducing signal.

He is currently a professor at the Rockefeller University, an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the director of the Starr Center for Human Genetics.

Andrew Scarpelli is a graduate student in the Interdepartmental Biological Sciences Program. He works in the lab of chemical engineering professor Joshua Leonard on a project trying to re-engineer the way that bacteria exchange genetic information. Andrew is super interested in how science is viewed by the mainstream and the interactions between professional scientists and the average individual unfamiliar with science. In his spare time, Andrew is a folk mandolinist, political junkie, biker extraordinaire, a vegan chef of infamy, and trivia master. He enjoys oxford commas.

Craig Smuda is a student in the Medical Scientist Training Program at Northwestern and is currently performing graduate research in the laboratory of Melissa Brown, professor of microbiology-immunology, where he studies how different forms of the protein Ikaros help the cells of the immune system develop.