Sara Molinari
Assistant Professor
>Sara completed her doctoral and postdoctoral training in Synthetic Biology at Rice University. She then joined the Bioengineering Department at the University of Maryland to start the Living Material Design Lab. Outside work, she loves hiking, walking her two (big) dogs, and exploring new dining spots. Her superpower is clearly not baking. Never ask her to bring a cake! She can make a good Carbonara, though, nodding to her Italian heritage.
Varunaa Sri Hemanth Kumar
Graduate Student
Varunaa completed her undergraduate degree in Bioengineering at the University of Maryland, focusing on Biotechnology & Therapeutics Engineering. Outside work, she enjoys working out, watching movies, and playing with her cat, Velu. If she wasn’t pursuing research, she would have become a professional dancer.
John Labella
Graduate Student
John completed his undergraduate degree at Northeastern University, earning a Bachelor’s in Biology and Philosophy. He is currently part of the MOCB PhD program, and his work focuses on synthetic biology. When not in the lab, he plays games like D&D with friends and walks through the city. A recent hobby of his is writing short stories.
Sarah Beth Browning
Master Student
Sarah completed her undergraduate degrees in Bioengineering and Art History at the University of Maryland. Key areas of focus are molecular biology for Bioengineering as well as the Northern Renaissance for Art History. When not in the lab, she enjoys walking with her dog (a German Shepherd named Wompass) and trying (unsuccessfully) to cultivate a plant nursery.
Shiv Anderson
Undergraduate Student
Shiv is a freshman at the University of Maryland, studying bioengineering on the pre-med track. Outside of the lab, he enjoys lifting, playing guitar, and cars (he’s saving up for an Alfa Romeo Giulia).
Hahnbit Kang
Undergraduate Student
Hahnbit is an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland studying microbiology and data science. She loves to teach and hopes to become a Professor in the future. In her free time, she enjoys making food from scratch. Most recently, she started making kombucha at home, putting use to her microbiology knowledge outside of the classroom!