Vayu Hill-Maini (he/him/his)

Assistant Professor of Bioengineering

Vayu fell in love with cooking at a young age in his multicultural home in Stockholm, Sweden. He first moved to the U.S to work in restaurants, but the flavors, textures, and sensations of the kitchen eventually led him to scientific research. He received his B.A in Chemistry and Biology at Carleton College in 2015. He completed his PhD in Biochemistry from Harvard University in 2020, where he worked in the lab of Emily Balskus to characterize strains and enzymes from human gut microbiota responsible for the metabolism of drugs and dietary compounds. As a Miller Fellow at UC Berkeley, Vayu discovered and engineered filamentous fungi for sustainable foods in the lab of Jay Keasling. In addition, Vayu has trained at diverse gastronomic institutions, including Basque Culinary Center, Fundación Alicia, The Cultured Pickled Shop, and Michelin-star restaurants Alchemist, Blue Hill at Stone Barns. He is excited about building synthetic biology tools for fungi to unlock new discoveries within mycology, address sustainability challenges, and enable gastronomic creativity. His favorite fungi are Neurospora intermedia and chantarelles (both orange!).

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Franklin Lurie (he/him/his)

M.S. Candidate, Bioengineering

Franklin is a graduate student pursuing co-terminal B.S. & M.S. degrees in Climate Resilience Engineering and Bioengineering, respectively. When his family moved to Switzerland for an expat assignment at the beginning of his high school years, Franklin worked as a farmhand at a local dairy farm and cheese factory, gaining firsthand experience in both agriculture and fermentation. Witnessing glaciers disappear on his favorite hiking routes drove him to design his own major (B.S.) in Climate Resilience Engineering at Stanford University. As a M.S. student in Bioengineering, he is excited to work on developing new synthetic biology tools for fungi towards scalable nutritional protein and industrial biomanufacturing ends. His favorite fungi are Penicillium roqueforti, Fusarium domesticum, and Mucor lanceolatus (they help make cheese so tasty!).

Peter Allen (he/him/his)

Ph.D Student, Biology

Peter began his research career as a technician in the Manguso Lab at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, MA, where he developed novel cell engineering therapies to treat cancer. At Stanford, Peter was inspired by the transformative potential of synthetic biology to tackle major challenges posed by the climate crisis. Drawn to fungi for their fascinating blend of basic biology and practical applications, he joined the Hill-Maini Lab. Peter is passionate about developing synthetic biology tools to unlock the untapped functional diversity of the fungal kingdom, with a focus on enabling fine-tuned control over hyphal structure using optogenetic tools. Outside the lab, Peter enjoys reading classic novels, embarking on long backpacking adventures, and perfecting his cooking skills. His favorite mushroom is Podoserpula pusio, the Pagoda Fungus, admired for the stunning multi-tiered fruiting bodies that inspire its name

Anna-Katharina Preidl (she/her/hers)

M.S. Candidate, Chemical Engineering

Anna-Katharina (AK) is currently pursuing a coterminal BS/MS program in Materials Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering. Alongside her studies, she has built a parallel career in the food industry, earning a diploma in French Patisserie from Le Cordon Bleu, training in traditional Austrian pastry kitchens, and more recently, cooking at the acclaimed restaurant Noma. She has found the convergence of science, engineering, and food in fermentation, after working with Koji in novel food contexts. In the Hill-Maini lab, AK is excited to explore how fungal bioengineering can drive innovation at the intersection of gastronomy and sustainability. A budding mycologist, she loves foraging for mushrooms or cultivating them in her fermentation closet, but admits her favorite fungi have to be the wild yeast in her 14-year-old sourdough starter.

POSTDOCS/ RESEARCH STAFF

Shahar Schwartz (he/him/his)

Life Science Research Professional

Shahar earned his B.S. in Microbial Biology from Berkeley in 2024, during which time he researched novel gene editing technologies and transcriptional regulation via promoter screens in plants as a technician in the Savage lab. He is interested in exploring the intersection between high throughput genetics and synthetic biology in a wide variety of organisms, and is extremely excited to innovate in both those fields within novel fungal systems as a part of the Hill-Maini lab. Outside of the lab, he also enjoys quizbowl, board games, writing stories, and, of course, cooking and eating delicious food. His current favorite fungi are Trichoderma reesei and Enoki mushrooms.

Jaqueline Gerhardt (she/her/hers)

Postdoctoral Fellow

Jaqueline was born and raised in the beautiful landscapes of Mato Grosso, Brazil. She received her PhD in Molecular and Morphofunctional Biology from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and has extensive experience in the genetic engineering of fungi to produce recombinant enzymes. Her PhD research investigated the impact of post-translational modifications and protein quality control on the activity and secretion of enzymes in Aspergillus nidulans. During this time, she also collaborated with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) to engineer Aspergillus strains for human protein production. More recently, as a Metabolic Engineering Researcher at UpDairy, she developed microorganisms as cell factories for dairy production. In the Hill-Maini Lab, she is excited to build genetic tools to characterize the mechanistic and molecular interactions between Trichoderma atroviride and bacteria within the plant microbiome. Outside the lab, she is passionate about nature, traveling, fishing, and fungi.

We are building our dream-team. We are always searching for talented people that want to grow with us.