Scientific: Synthetic Biology and Metabolic Engineering, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Mathematical Biology and Biophysics, Philosophy of Biology
Yannos Retalis
Biology Student
Summary
I am highly motivated to start a career in Synthetic Biology research. After learning the basics of Biochemistry and Cell and Molecular Biology, I was excited to delve into the field of SynBio. First through studying of my own, and later by joining the iGEM team of our University, I developed an interest that has brought me searching for the next logical step of this journey: to work in a SynBio laboratory. I firmly believe that rigorous research of existing life forms, alongside rational biological engineering from first principles, will establish Synthetic Biology as one of the driving forces of the near future. Becoming a part of this endeavor and playing an active role as a young researcher, is a lifelong goal that I am more than ready to pursue.
Overview
2
2
years of professional experience
4
4
years of post-secondary education
2
2
Languages
Work History
Wet Lab Member of IGEM Thessaly
University Of Thessaly
Larissa
01.2022 - 12.2022
- Member of the Wet Lab of the iGEM Thessaly student research group.
- Conducted plasmid design, DNA assembly, part characterization and plant agroinfiltration experiments, and also tried to build a bioinformatics pipeline to create novel plant riboswitches, to establish a Proof of Concept for our eutrophication-tackling SynBio project.
- Participated at the iGEM Synthetic Biology competition in Paris
- Won Gold Medal and the Special Prizes of "Best Environmental Project", "Top 10 Overgrad Teams", as well as multiple nominations.
Advisor of IGEM Thessaly
University Of Thessaly
Larissa
01.2023 - 11.2023
- Organized and trained the new team at the beginning of the year.
- Coordinated the project and mentored until November.
- Won several distinctions, including a Gold medal and prize nominations.
Internship Student
National Research Foundation
Athens
07.2023 - 08.2023
- Analyzed lincRNA and other genomic data from public databases, with emphasis on various cancer types (cBioPortal, GENIE, BioMart).
- Practiced using the R programming language and APIs.
- Sorted and organized files, spreadsheets, and wrote reports.
Military Service
Hellenic Army
Volos
11.2023 - Current
- Chosen to complete my mandatory military service in the Marines group of the Greek Special Forces.
- Resolved problems, improved operations and provided exceptional service.
- Proven ability to learn quickly and adapt to new situations.
- To be completed within July of 2024.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Biochemistry And Biotechnology
University of Thessaly
Larissa, Greece 09.2019 - Current
Erasmus Transcript of Records - Biotechnology
University of Pavia
Pavia, Italy 02.2023 - 06.2023
Skills
Wet Lab: Methods of Synthetic Biology (genetic circuit design, plasmid design, DNA assembly, part characterization) Basic principles of Plant Biotechnology Plant phenotyping (rice), RNA isolation from plant tissues and qPCR
Dry Lab: Tools for statistical analysis of Big Data (R, Python, Bash, Conda, Google Cloud, Nextflow, HPC), bioinformatic tools for rational design of RNA aptamers and riboswitches (ViennaRNA package), transcriptomic data analysis (Excel, R)
Project Management
Report Writing
Research and analysis
Current Situation
- Serving in the military.
- Helping establish a new High School iGEM team in the Institut Le Rosey, Switzerland.
- Self-studying biological systems modeling, differential equations and bioinformatics algorithms in my free time.
Interests
Hobbies: Hiking, gymnastics, bikepacking, photography, urban planning, essays, literature, history, politics, religion and philosophy
Timeline
Military Service
Hellenic Army
11.2023 - Current
Internship Student
National Research Foundation
07.2023 - 08.2023
Erasmus Transcript of Records - Biotechnology
University of Pavia
02.2023 - 06.2023
Advisor of IGEM Thessaly
University Of Thessaly
01.2023 - 11.2023
Wet Lab Member of IGEM Thessaly
University Of Thessaly
01.2022 - 12.2022
Bachelor of Science - Biochemistry And Biotechnology
University of Thessaly
09.2019 - Current