Principal Investigator
Spencer Diamond, Ph. D.
E-mail | IGI Bio | CV | Google Scholar
Spencer Diamond has always been a man of the microbes. He received his B.S in Microbial Biology from the University of California, Berkeley in 2009, and received his Ph. D. in Biology w/ emphasis in microbiology from the University of California, San Diego in 2015. He returned to the University of California, Berkeley where he served as a postdoctoral researcher and subsequently project scientist in the laboratory of Prof. Jillian F. Banfield, applying genome resolved metagenomic methods to understand the biogeochemical functions encoded in soil microbial communities. Also, during his time in the Banfield Lab, Spencer worked together with researchers in Jennifer Doudna’s laboratory to co-develop a generalized strategy for targeted genome editing within microbial communities.
Spencer is now a principal investigator at the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) where he leads a group focused on in vitro microbiome cultivation and modeling…he also enjoys a good BBQ.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Pengfan Zhang, Ph. D.
Pengfan is from China and joined the Diamond lab in July 2023. He obtained his PhD degree from the Max Planck Institute in Germany. His research interests fall in the computational analysis of genomes/metagenomes and bioinformatic software development within the scope of microbiomes. His current research projects in the Diamond lab are to uncover the ecological roles of microbes in the bovine rumen with a specific focus on the suppression of methanogenesis and the identification of potential microbial targets for precise microbiome editing and engineering.
Staff
Leylen Miloslavich, M.S.
Lab Manager | E-mail
Leylen is from Argentina and joined the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) in July 2023 as the Diamond Lab Manager. With a Master of Science in Biotechnology from the Universidad Nacional de Rosario and currently an MBA candidate at Boston University, Leylen oversees the business and operational aspects of the lab. Additionally, Leylen brings valuable experience from working in biotech startups. Her approach aims to boost efficiency and foster innovation. Her responsibilities include integrating business management practices with the lab's scientific operations, ensuring the smooth progression of research activities and furthering the Diamond Lab's goals.