Team Members
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Adrien Burlacot, Principal Investigator
My scientific goal is to understand how photosynthesis acclimates to various environmental fluctuations and the mechanisms that allow it to quickly and efficiently fix CO2. Eventually, be able to engineer it to create new photosynthesis-based carbon capture technologies. What I enjoy most is working with people from different backgrounds, forming a group to work on big goals that no one could achieve on their own. I value people, new ideas, communication, perseverance and safety.
Science is hard and tedious, I thrive to lead with kindness.
Find me on : Google Scholar, Research gate, ORCID, Linkedin, Twitter
aburlacot at carnegiescience dot edu
Salomé Balzinger, Msc student
I am a Master's student in Engineering at École Polytechnique (France) where I am specializing in biology. Before joining École Polytechnique, I earned a double Bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry from Paris-Saclay University (France). I am fascinated by biological systems and by understanding how they function at the molecular level using biochemical approaches.
At the Burlacot Lab, I am working with Aditi S. Raju to investigate how the CO₂-concentrating mechanism (CCM) is energized in Chlamydomonas. Outside the lab, I enjoy running, hiking, experimenting with new recipes, and discovering new ways to travel.
sbaltzinger at carnegiescience dot edu
Timothée Bessard, Msc student
I am a Master's student in Computer Science at Ecole polytechnique in France, specializing in Artificial Intelligence (deep learning and statistical machine learning) with interdisciplinary expertise in molecular biology and neuroscience. My previous research experience spans deep learning, NLP and reinforcement learning projects, as well as wet-lab work involving GFP experiments.
My role at the Burlacot Lab is to perform data analyses on the lab's transcriptomic experiments, with the aim of identifying gene behaviors specific to fluctuating light conditions. I am fascinated by the breakthroughs big data and AI will bring to fundamental research in life science. In my free time, I enjoy playing tennis, swimming, reading and cooking.
tbessard at carnegiescience dot edu
Jiwoon Hwang, Postdoc
I earned my PhD at UC Berkeley in microbial oceanography, where I studied the lipidomes of photosynthetic marine microorganisms sampled from field sites spanning the California coast to the fjords of the Arctic Circle. That work drove my interest in the molecular mechanisms underlying microbial energetic regulation, which brought me to the Burlacot Lab. My research here bridges genotype and phenotype to dissect how photosynthetic energy metabolism is regulated under fluctuating light. I combine large-scale transcriptomic and proteomic profiling with high-throughput phenotypic screens to build a systems-level understanding of these regulatory mechanisms. Outside the lab, I enjoy hiking and playing tennis.
jhwang at carnegiescience dot edu
Aditi S Raju, Postdoc
I am a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Carnegie Institution for Science, where I study how photosynthetic organisms optimize energy conversion and carbon fixation. My research focuses on the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, investigating how photosynthetic electron transport, proton dynamics, and carbon-concentrating mechanisms work together to enable efficient CO₂ fixation. I received my PhD in Biology from Texas A&M University, where I studied how phosphate homeostasis regulates photosynthesis in plants. I am fascinated by how photosynthetic organisms acclimate to changing environments and the mechanisms that allow them to do so. Outside the lab, I enjoy traveling, exploring new cities and spending time with friends and family.
Find me on : Google Scholar, ORCID, Linkedin
araju at carnegiescience dot edu
If you are interested in photosynthesis, microalgae and CO2 fixation, stay tuned for incoming announcements of job positions!
We would love to have you on this adventure !
You are looking for a postdoc, you're interested in microalgal photosynthesis ?
Feel free to reach out with an email describing your background, interests and a proposed project
at aburlacot at carnegiescience dot edu
We are always looking for talented people to develop new ideas !
Alumni
Dimitri Tolleter
2025-2026
Role in the lab: Senior Researcher
Next career step: Associate Professor, University of Grenoble, FRANCE
Liat Adler
2023-2026
Role in the lab: Stanford Energy postdoctoral fellow
Next career step: Glasstone Research Fellow, Oxford University, UK
Evan Saldivar
2022-2026
Role in the lab: Graduate student
Next career step: Postdoctoral fellow, Michigan State University, MI, USA
Julia Gershon
2025-2026
Role in the lab: Msc student
Next career step:
Geraldine Keat
2025-2026
Role in the lab: Research Associate/lab manager
Next career step: Research Associate @CarbonDrop, CA, USA
Leron Perez
2022-2026
Role in the lab: Free electron Graduate student
Next career step: Tech builder
Andrea Ricco Montana
2025
Role in the lab: Research Associate/lab manager
Next career step: Graduate student, Imperial College, London, UK
Imane Mokhtatif
2025
Role in the lab: Msc student
Next career step: Msc Computer Science, Paris, FRANCE
Myria Schroeder
2024-2025
Role in the lab: Msc student
Next career step: Graduate student, Oxford University, England
Carolyne Stoffel
2022-2025
Role in the lab: Research Associate/lab manager
Next career step: Graduate Student at Columbia University, NY, USA
Maya Lopin
2024
Role in the lab: High School intern
Next career step: Undergraduate at Stanford, CA, USA
Samson Gourevitch
2024
Role in the lab: Msc student, Data Scientist
Next career step: Msc Computer Science, Paris, FRANCE
Çağla Aybar
2024
Role in the lab: Bsc student
Next career step: Msc Turku University, Finland
Sai Maddiredi
2022-2024
Role in the lab: Postdoc
Next career step: Postdoctoral fellow, Grossman lab, Carnegie Institution for Science, CA, USA
Isabelle McNabb
2023-2024
Role in the lab: Bsc student
Next career step: Undergraduate at Stanford, CA, USA
Sophia Slora
2023
Role in the lab: Bsc student
Next career step: Undergraduate at Caltech, CA, USA
Hannah Menghis
2022
Role in the lab: High School Intern
Next career step: Undergraduate at Brown Univ., RI, USA
Jacob Irby
2021-2022
Role in the lab: Lab technician
Next career step: Teacher
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