Carl de Boer, PhD, PLEng
Carl is the founding member of the lab. He did his PhD in the lab of Tim Hughes at the University of Toronto, and a post-doc at the Broad Institute in Aviv Regev’s group. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering at UBC, and co-director of the Genome Regulatory Code Consortium. You can reach Carl here.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Dogancan Ozturan
I earned my PhD in Biomedical Sciences and Engineering from Koç University under the supervision of Dr. Nathan A. Lack in 2022. After a brief postdoctoral fellowship at Vancouver Prostate Centre, I joined de Boer lab in September 2023. My main focus is the high throughput characterization of gene regulation, transcription factor biology and technology development.
Mayasah Al-Nema
Mayasah completed her PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences at UCSI University, Malaysia, where her research focused on the identification and optimization of dual inhibitors targeting Phosphodiesterase 1B and 10A as potential therapies for schizophrenia. At the de Boer lab, she is working on identifying compounds that target TERT promoter mutations, a critical area of study in cancer research. Outside of the lab, Mayasah enjoys baking and reading novels.
Sean Windle
Sean is working on constructing large synthetic chromosomes and DNA in mammalian cells to better understand gene regulation in different contexts. They are also interested in designing large genome editing screens to identify mutations impacting normal gene expression. Prior to this, Sean earned a PhD in Pathobiology at the University of Washington developing scalable and inducible Cas9 systems for gene characterization in the malaria parasite. When not in the lab, Sean enjoys traveling to new countries, eating new foods, and spending time with their cat, Jazzy.
Agnes Resto
Agnes earned her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, under the supervision of Dr. Jianping Fu. Her research was centered around the use of human embryonic stem cells to model early human development, specifically looking at the formation of the amniotic sac. After her PhD she spent some time in Spain, where she did a brief postdoctoral fellowship centered on in vitro models of kidney development. In September of 2025, she joined the de Boer lab and Shakiba labs, where she is working to understand early lung cell differentiation.
Areli Lorenzana-Carrillo
Areli completed her PhD in the Sutendra Lab at the University of Alberta, where she studied the molecular mechanisms underlying dilated cardiomyopathy and chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity. With a background in translational cardio-oncology research, she aims to bridge molecular mechanisms of cardiac disease with gene regulatory networks that drive cell function and dysfunction, integrating genomics and computational approaches. When she’s not in the lab (or thinking about being in the lab), she enjoys getting lost in fantasy worlds through books, movies, and video games, going to concerts and festivals, and spending time with her partner, her dog Buffy, and her family.
Graduate Students
Syed Asfar Lathif Salaudeen
Asfar is pursuing his PhD in Genome Science and Technology at UBC. He received his B.Tech degree in Biotechnology in 2020 at Crescent University, Chennai, India. Besides being a huge biology enthusiast, he is also interested and curious in expanding his knowledge in Programming and Statistics, which drove him to join our team! He is also highly passionate about teaching and communicating science. In his leisure time, Asfar loves to make tea and enjoy having a good cup for any excuse! When not learning something new or indulging in his love for tea, he likes to spend time watching Netflix and walking along shores.
Tweet to @asfarlathif
Omar Tariq
Omar is a PhD student at the School of Biomedical Engineering. He graduated in 2020 from the University of Ottawa with a degree in Biomedical Science where he developed an interest in computational biology research. He is investigating how mutations in cancer-associated Transcription Factors affect their function.
Abdul Muntakim Rafi (Rafi)
Abdul Muntakim Rafi is a Ph.D. candidate in Biomedical Engineering. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology and later pursued his Master’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering at University of Windsor.
Rafi’s research concentrates on employing machine learning to design cis-regulatory models, develop methods to interpret them, and explore ways to enhance their performance, contributing to a quantitative comprehension of cis-regulatory logic. He has expertise in various programming languages and machine learning libraries, publications in top-tier ML conferences, and experience of working as a machine learning engineer in software companies and startups. Rafi has successfully supervised undergraduate students in the lab and is always on the lookout for motivated undergrads/high schoolers to join his research endeavors.
Nick Mateyko
Nick is pursuing a MSc in Genome Science and Technology at UBC. He obtained his BSc in Biochemistry at the University of Victoria, where he worked on the structural biology of bacterial enzymes. He was drawn to the de Boer lab by his interest in synthetic biology and machine learning and a desire to understand eukaryotic gene regulation. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, running, and trying to climb as many mountains as he can around Vancouver.
Will Cheney
I’m a PhD student at University of British Columbia studying biomedical engineering. My interests lie in adapting and engineering proteins for therapeutic or practical use. I’ve previously built opioid biosensors by engineering Human receptor proteins and am currently working on understanding human transcription factor binding sites. A key challenge is massive sample space of possible DNA and protein sequences. To overcome this, I’m using synthetic biology to generate enormous datasets and training machine learning models to learn how transcription factors function.
JJ Hum
JJ is pursuing a MSc in Genome Science and Technology at UBC. After graduating from the UBC-BCIT Honours Bachelors of Biotechnology program in 2020, JJ worked at BC Centre for Disease Control and Boreal Genomics. In the de Boer lab, JJ is currently working on developing a magnetic cell sorter for high-throughput gene regulation assays. Outside of research, JJ enjoys knitting and playing various musical instruments.
Kenyon Alexander
Kenyon is an MSc student in Genome Science and Technology at UBC. He received his bachelors in Computational Molecular Biology from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he also studied music. For the last few years, Kenyon was a client success manager at a B2B software startup, working with significant brands in the consumer packaged goods industry to improve their retail businesses. Kenyon is delighted to be returning to his biotechnology roots in the de Boer lab, and is particularly interested in synthetic biology and machine learning. In his spare time, Kenyon enjoys singing, playing guitar and fiddle, running, and spending time with friends and family.
Sambina Islam Aninta
Sambina Islam Aninta is currently a PhD Student in Biomedical Engineering in the de Boer lab. She completed her undergraduate in Combined Honours in Computer Science and Biology in UBC. Previously, Sambina worked at BC GSC and Amgen researching on drug development as well as did her thesis at SBME on ML applications in COPD. She is currently interested in studying the application of ML in gene regulation and ultimately contribute to understanding autoimmune disease pathway.
Outside of research, she loves running, exploring new restaurants and traveling to new cities.
Michael Burghardt
Michael is a quixotic PhD student who holds a couple of other degrees in unrelated areas. He’s dabbled in many things: a dog trainer, keyboard monkey, treehouse builder, and sailing skipper. He enjoys canoe rides at sunset, and while at UBC, he hopes to cure aging.
Dustin Ameis
Co-supervised by Drs. Yachie and de Boer, I am working towards engineering viruses that can be controlled with light. Originally from the prairies, I completed my BSc in neurosciences and my MSc in lung development. After, I explored exotic viruses in a BSL3 lab before coming to Vancouver to begin my PhD.
Trevor Shyiak
Trevor is a MSc student in Genome Science and Technology at UBC. He received his Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Biology at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, where he also completed a minor in drama. Trevor is particularly interested in understanding and controlling epigenetic regulation of dysregulated genes in diseased cells, with the goal of identifying therapeutic potential. Outside of the lab, Trevor loves to travel and hopes to backpack across the world. When he is not adventuring, he enjoys spending time in nature, rock climbing, wakesurfing, and being with friends.
Aisha Olanrewaju
Aisha is currently an MASc student in Biomedical Engineering in the De Boer Lab. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering at Bells University, graduating with first-class honors. Prior to joining the lab, she worked at the Medical Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in Lagos, Nigeria. Her research interests lie in using computational and deep learning models to understand how DNA sequence encodes gene regulation. Outside of research, she enjoys reading and writing fiction, food hopping, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Darian Ellis
Darian is co-supervised by Dr. Peter Zandstra and Dr. Carl de Boer and is pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering. He received his BSc from the University of Toronto, where he studied Biological Physics and Neuroscience. His research focuses on developing synthetic biology systems for autonomous control of cell fate by engineering gene circuits that can sense changing cellular states and guide differentiating cells toward desired fates. Outside of research, he enjoys reading fantasy and science fiction, playing video games, rewatching Star Wars, and exploring the nature around Vancouver.
Staff
Alisha Goodbla
Alisha is the de Boer Lab Supervisor. She received her MSc from University College Dublin where she used comparative phylogenetics to explore the evolution of echolocation in bats. Previously Alisha was a lab manager at the University of California-Davis and University College Dublin. She has also worked for UBC as a Research Associate as well as a Sequencing Technologist.
Eric Yan
Eric is a research technician working on a joint project between the de Boer and Shakiba labs as well as United Therapeutics to study how stem cells can be turned into lung cells. His background in precision antisense therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy fostered his interest in translational research and precision medicine, which led him to his current work at UBC. Outside working hours, Eric can often be found practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu, playing guitar, or exploring the city.
Melika Hajimohammadi Tooranposhti
Melika is a Research Technician in Carl de Boer’s lab at the University of British Columbia. She received her BSc in Microbiology & Immunology from UBC. During her undergraduate studies, Melika was involved in multiple research projects spanning microbiology, genetics, and plant physiology, and she completed a Co-op placement at STEMCELL Technologies.
Outside of research, Melika is actively involved in community initiatives and volunteers her time to support outreach efforts. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, exercising, and exploring new restaurants and cafés.
Subhangi Debnath
Subhangi is the Administrative Assistant for de Boer lab. Completed both her undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Marketing and enjoys bringing organization, creativity, and clear communication to her work. She especially enjoys being behind the scenes, helping bring together all the moving pieces and making sure everything comes together smoothly.
Outside of work, Subhangi is always up for discovering a new café, planning her next adventure, or singing her heart out. She is also a firm believer that a freshly brewed cup of black coffee can make almost any busy day a little more manageable!
Undergraduate Students
Kevin Zhai
Kevin is an undergraduate student pursuing a combined major in Computer Science and Statistics, with interests in machine learning, statistics, and bioinformatics. He is working with Rafi on developing sequence-to-expression model training strategies to enhance distal effect learning. Beyond the lab, he enjoys badminton, reading, movies, and travelling.
Lab Pets
Bick
Bick is a spider. In the de Boer lab, Bick is researching how surfactants mediate fluid flow within arthropod exoskeletons. In their free time, Bick enjoys jumping, entomology, exploring the local Vancouver cuisine, and giving people the willies.
Alumni
Spotlight on our Alum —check it out!