Born in the subterranean jungle of Washington, DC on the eve of the Uganda-Tanzania war. At the fragile age of 3, he was relocated to Athens, Greece where he was raised to adulthood on a steady diet of European football, garage-punk music, and feta cheese. Following various stints as radio dj and DIY punker, Elias settled in West Philadelphia, PA, where he currently leads a monastic life centered around experimental philosophy and the septin gospel.

Iliana Kesisova

Postdoc

Born in the mountainous Caucasus region of Armenia from Greek descendants who originally lived along the shores of the Black Sea. At the age of six I was relocated to northern Greece were I grew up in a blend of intertwining languages and flavors. Spent my teenage years on a tight schedule studying science, literature and classical piano. Following my scientific curiosity I took off to Alexandoupolis to study Molecular Biology and Genetics and obtain a PhD degree. After a great life and scientific wonder in central Europe I crossed the Atlantic to conquer the world of Septins.

Born and raised in Athens the historic capital of Greece. Being immersed in the spirit of athleticism as a young child, I was trained in figure ice scatting and handball. After graduating high school, I moved to the city of Alexandroupolis to study Molecular Biology and Genetics where I also obtained my PhD degree. Research became my passion and got me to Luxembourg where I spent almost two years. I am currently in Philadelphia starting to unravel the mystery of septins.

Ayana Suber

PhD Graduate Student

Yani was originally born in Lancaster, PA, a fast-paced farm county, where he learned to distinguish between cow manure and horse dung at an early age. In need of less fresh air, he grew up in Wilmington, DE and worked tirelessly to answer the question "Delawhere?" After moving to Amherst, MA and obtaining a master's in cell biology he did a brief stint as a technician in New York, NY also known as the city that never sleeps. Now, prepared for even less sleep, he's returned to his homeland (well sort of) to shed some light on the secret world of septins.

Lou was born in the bustling metropolis that is Kingston, Pennsylvania, at the age of zero before landing in the Pocono Mountains. He was raised on the mean streets of Wooddale Country Acres, where he developed a keen eye for poison ivy and honed his survival skills through a blend of playing capture-the-flag and racing his bicycle against the natives. He now enjoys portraying an image of class while dining at chain restaurants and sipping mid-level wines. When he’s not pursuing his career as Brad Pitt’s stand-in, Lou can be found hiking with his wife or tinkering on projects around their house at the base of the Appalachian Mountains in the glorious Lehigh Valley.

Megan Radler

PhD Graduate Student

Reared in the woods of northwestern New Jersey, Megan spent her childhood hunting down tiny squirming creatures, with whom she was intensely fascinated. Driven by an obsession with everything small, she was floored to learn all tiny animals were made up of even littler subunits called cells, filled with even more minute molecules. Her passion for small stuff led her to Rutgers, where she studied Genetics and worked in a lab for the first time. This is was the moment the stars aligned, she realized that all she had to do to legitimize her obsession with tiny stuff was to become a Biologist and study cells. When she isn’t in lab enjoying scientific pursuits, you can find her puttering around her garden, hiking in the nearest forest, or enjoying a good book with a cat on her lap.

Upon his birth in Pittsburgh, Ben's first act in this world caused the Pittsburgh Pirates to lose their playoff series; he did not allow them to have a winning season until reaching the legal drinking age 20 years later. Growing up in the rain-soaked hills of western PA, Ben quickly found a passion for exploring how the world around him worked. After wandering through 20 national parks, he found his true calling in the mysteries of molecular biology at the University of Pittsburgh. After completing several science side-quests as a lab technician, he now continues his main quest to understand how the small world makes the big one work here in this new land of Philadelphia, where he intends to level up his scientific understanding by probing the wide world of septins.

Joshua Okletey

Lab Technician

Born in the aesthetically pleasing, gold-rich city of Accra, Josh spent his years exploring various cultures of the world. The desire for exploration brought this multilingual "genius" to the small city of Rockille, MD, where he ditched his interest in technology for a more interesting field in the Sciences, Cell and Molecular Biology. He pursued this new-found interest in biology at Mount St. Mary's University, where he took on the daring task of researching into the world of microRNAs, with promising outcomes. He now resides in the majestic city of Philadelphia, using his passion to explore the new world of Septins.

Born and raised on the mean streets of suburban Lower Bucks County, PA, Brenna developed from an early age a curiosity for the world around her. It was this curiosity that allowed for her love of the sciences, particularly cell biology. Having spent her teen years operating kiddie rides at Sesame Place Amusement Park, Brenna departed from the land of muppets and entered the land of research. Through frequent treks to the urban jungle that is Philadelphia, Brenna found her home among the dragons of Drexel University. She is currently delving deep into the realm of septins as she contemplates her future journeys into the wider sciencing world. When not in the lab, Brenna can be found shushing people at her part-time librarian job, riding roller coasters across the country, or hanging out with a good book and her fat betta fish, Kilgore Trout.