The organizing committee for Frontiers in Biophysics (FiB) 2025 is comprised of both graduate students and post doctoral fellows studying at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Campus.
Organizing Committee
Sadie Graves
General Organization
Sadie is a second-year MSc student in the lab of Dr. Sabrina Leslie, studying lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) at the single-particle level. She uses fluorescence microscopy and high-throughput image processing to better understand the variation in the amount of drug cargo successfully loaded into each LNP. She completed her BSc in Life Physics with co-op at the University of Waterloo and is originally from Ottawa, Ontario.
Bianca Caminada
General Organization & Keynote Representative
Bianca is a first-year PhD student in the Leslie Lab at the Michael Smith Laboratories studying DNA structure using single-molecule microscopy methods. Her research aims to understand the impact of DNA supercoiling (over- or under-twisting) in higher-order structure formation, which has implications for gene regulation and genetic therapeutics. She is originally from São Paulo, Brazil, and completed her BSc in Physics Honours at Purdue University and her MSc in Physics at the University of British Columbia.
Victor Juma
Communications
Victor is a Postdoctoral and Teaching Fellow at the Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia, under the mentorship of Prof. Anotida Madzvamuse and Prof. Leah Keshet. His research focuses on data-driven mathematical modelling, mathematical analysis and numerical simulations of differential equations with applications to cell motility, pattern formation, cancer management and epidemiology. Previously, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Zaragoza, Spain, under the mentorship of Prof. Jose Manuel Garcia. He worked on a PRIMAGE project, which was funded by the European Commission. He completed his PhD (Mathematics) at the University of Sussex, funded by the European Commission. He is originally from Kenya, where he completed a BSc (Mathematics) and MSc (Applied Mathematics) degree at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. He was a valedictorian at the 49th graduation ceremony of the University of Nairobi and was awarded a gold medal for being the best overall student with the highest marks in the whole University of Nairobi in the 2012/2013 academic year.
Kenneth Pinto
Communications
Kenneth is an MSc student in the Cell and Developmental Biology Program at UBC. He currently studies gene expression patterns in the early embryogenesis of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi. He is originally from Mumbai, India and has completed his BSc in Life Science and Biochemistry and his MSc in Life Science at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, India.
Yiting Wu
Website Design & Branding
Yiting is a MASc student in biomedical engineering at UBC, studying the mechanics of needle puncturing soft solids. Through mathematical modelling and finite element analysis, she uncovers the underlying mechanics of needle puncturing. She completed her BASc in mechanical engineering with co-op at UBC. On the side, she’s also been working on surgical simulators to train medical professionals and trainees around the world on PPH management surgeries (STITCH Surgical Model).
Shikun Nie
Finance
Shikun is a PhD student in the Department of Mathematics at the University of British Columbia, supervised by Dr. Daniel Coombs. His research focuses on single-molecule imaging and biophysics, where he develops novel computational algorithms to analyze super-resolution image data, enabling precise localization of biological structures. Before being admitted to UBC, Shikun earned his BSc (Hons) in Medicinal Chemistry and a Master’s degree in Mathematics from the National University of Singapore. His interdisciplinary background equips him with a unique perspective at the intersection of mathematics, chemistry, and biophysics.
Jingqi Lei
Location Manager
Jingqi is a PhD candidate in the Department of Chemistry at UBC, investigating and developing protein-based biomaterials that could be potentially used for 3D bioprinting. He finished his BSc in combined honours in biochemistry and chemistry at UBC and is originally from Shaanxi, China.