Ezri Abraham

Science

Academia & Biotech

Academic
Biotech

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Education

California Institute of Technology
Starting September 2025
Doctor of Philosophy in Biology
Pasadena, CA
  • Kaihang Wang's Lab (wanglab.caltech.edu) — Applying Sidewinder (a novel DNA construction method) to develop smarter biological artificial intelligence.
  • Fall Rotation: Prof. Kaihang Wang's Lab, focusing on developing and applying tools for synthetic gene assembly.
  • Winter Rotation: Prof. Frances Arnold's Lab, focusing on engineering enzymes to perform new-to-nature chemistry for biopharmaceutical applications.
Northeastern University
May 2025
Bachelor of Science in Biology, Minor in Art
Boston, MA
GPA 4.0/4.0  ·  Summa Cum Laude  ·  Honors in Biology (top 3% of graduating Biology students)
John Martinson Honors Program  ·  TriBeta Biological Honors Society
Thesis: "Engineering a Nanoplastic-Binding Probiotic"

Publications

Rapid in vitro synthesis of DNA templates via Sidewinder for polyadenylated Hantavirus mRNA vaccine candidates
May 2026
Abraham, E., Andrade, J., Davis, A., Gawda, T., Glanville, J., Graves, D., Huang, J., Hur, J., Kim, S., Paul, J.-S., Robinson, N.E., Sanfiorenzo, C., Wang, S., Zhang, R.J., Zhang, W., Zhao, T., Zhou, J., Wang, K. — bioRxiv  ·  doi:10.64898/2026.05.22.727328
One-pot parallel Sidewinder construction from oligo pools
May 2026
Robinson, N.E., Paul, J.-S., Zhang, W., Zhang, H., Wang, S., Zhao, T., Abraham, E., Simpson, B., Wang, K. — bioRxiv  ·  doi:10.64898/2026.05.01.722326

Research Experience

The Joshi Lab — Northeastern University
Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024–2025
Synthetic Biology Undergraduate Researcher
Boston, MA
  • Engineered a probiotic to remove plastics from the gut and developed assays for bacterial plastic adsorption with $4,000+ in independent research funding
  • Collaborated with the Stubbins Lab to develop a method for generating trackable, biologically-relevant nanoplastics
  • Built a Python program to calculate real-time analyte concentration for a fluorescence-based biosensor (publication forthcoming)
  • Contributed to genetic circuit construction using a CRISPR/Cas9 derivative and created environment-responsive hydrogels
Independent Computational Biomining Research
April–May 2024
Remote
  • Built and trained a random forest classifier in Python to identify fluorescent proteins by sequence-derived features — 99.8% accuracy without sequence homology
  • Discussed public release with Dr. Talley Lambert, Associate Director of Harvard's Cell Biology Microscopy Facility
BioCell Innovations
January–June 2024
Research and Development Intern
Singapore
  • Invented and tested a novel CAR binder system targeting mutation-induced antigen escape
  • Developed a Python AI application to generate and screen 150+ scFv's; tested cytotoxicity and expression for top constructs
  • Refined an existing antibody humanization platform, resolving a key expression issue and creating a new top candidate for in vivo testing
  • Pioneered CRISPR at BioCell — designed sgRNAs and developed initial experiments
JURA Bio, Inc.
January–June 2023
Research Intern
Boston, MA
  • Developed SOPs and designed constructs for a yeast surface display system to screen AI-generated libraries
  • Generated and analyzed JURA's engineered MHC-CAR systems using flow cytometry
  • Authored and distributed 65+ comprehensive whitepapers from biotech conferences to company investors
RCN-ECS — Wogan Lab, Oklahoma State
2021–2022
Virtual Lab Meeting Training Program
Remote
  • Attended weekly lab meetings discussing contemporary publications, grant proposals, and professional development in evolutionary biology

Honors & Awards

PEAK Summit Award
2024
Northeastern's highest undergraduate research award, funding my senior honors thesis on engineering E. coli Nissle 1917 for nanoplastic bioadsorption.
PEAK Ascent Award
2023
$1,500 to fund research in the Joshi Lab on engineering E. coli Nissle 1917 for PET microplastic degradation.
PEAK Base Camp Award
2022
$750 to fund research assistance on engineering a generalizable feedback regulation platform for protein secretion in E. coli Nissle 1917.
BioDesign Challenge — Best Display Award
June 2025
Finalist and award recipient among 60+ global teams at MoMA, New York. Team "SquidKid" created an educational toy bioreactor exploring bioluminescent symbiosis.
Honor's Scholarship — John Martinson Honors Program
2021
$116,000 over four years for undergraduate study at Northeastern University.
Dean's List
All semesters

International Research & Study

Novel Antibiotic Discovery
2024
Godoy-Carter Lab — Northeastern University
Chile (Patagonia & Atacama Desert)
Under Dr. Veronica Godoy-Carter, isolated extremophile bacteria and examined antibiotic production, biofilm formation, and pigment expression alongside landscape photography.
SGInnovate Summation Program
2024
Singapore
Selected by Singapore's state-backed VC fund to receive full funding for project-based work at a deep tech startup.
Climate Science, Engineering & Policy
2022
Sustainability and Data Science Lab — Northeastern University
Tanzania
Under Dr. Auroop Ganguly, collaborated with Tanzanian researchers on climate solutions. Received $1,500 as a Northeastern Global Photography Fellow to document the experience.

Leadership

Northeastern University Hillel
Boston, MA
Executive Board Member Jan 2022–Dec 2023
Interviewed executive director candidates, wrote Hillel's new constitution, planned campus-wide events, and met with University leadership following October 7th to address campus division.
Nefesh Founder & President Sept 2021–Dec 2023
Founded Northeastern Hillel's Progressive Jewish community; appointed and oversaw a board of 6; trained 9 student leaders to ensure organizational continuity.
Northeastern University College of Science
Jan–Dec 2023
Undergraduate Teaching Fellow — Organic Chemistry II
Boston, MA
Led review sessions for 130+ attendees, graded assignments with faculty, held weekly office hours.
URJ Six Points Sci-Tech Academy
Byfield, MA
Unit Head Summer 2023 — planned programming for 220+ participants; supervised 13 staff members.
STEM Instructor / Faculty Summers 2020–2022, 2025 — taught marine science and chemistry; oversaw experiments, dissections, and research projects.

Skills & Techniques

Molecular Biology
PCR, Primer & Construct Design, Gel Electrophoresis, SDS-PAGE, In Vitro Transcription, Restriction Digestion, Gibson Assembly, Site-directed Mutagenesis
Cell Biology
Mammalian Cell Culture (Adherent, Suspension, Primary), Lentiviral Production & Transduction, Viability Assays, Bacterial Transformation, PBMC Isolation, Cell Kill Assays
Instruments
Flow Cytometry, Cell Imaging, Spectrophotometry, Chemidoc Imaging, Countess
Software
Python, PyMOL, Benchling, SnapGene, NCBI BLAST, FlowJo, Adobe CC (Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, InDesign), R, MEGA
Fabrication
Arduino, Laser Cutting, 3D Printing, Woodworking (Machine & Hand Tools), Soldering

Speaking Engagements

  • Northeastern Global Co-op Panel, November 2024
  • Northeastern Undergraduate Research Panel, October 2024
  • Northeastern Honors Program Student Guest Speaker, October 2024
  • Northeastern Synthetic Biology Seminar Series, September 2024
  • USC Marshall School of Business International Commerce Panel, April 2024
  • Northeastern Global Leadership Conference, March 2024
  • Joshi Lab Meeting, October 2023