Hello! I’m Sophia, a PhD student in the MCB department here at Berkeley. I am originally from Jenkintown, PA. I did my undergrad at Temple University in north Philly where I worked in the Wengryniuk Lab developing novel oxidation reactions using nitrogen-ligated hypervalent iodine reagents. As I began grad school, my interests shifted away from the synthetic chemistry that we as scientists can do and towards understanding the incredible biochemistry that living organisms have been doing for billions of years. I am incredibly excited to be part of the Nayak Lab where I will be studying the process of methane production in methanogenic archaea. By utilizing an interdisciplinary approach of both genetic and biochemical tools, I will be examining the final enzyme of methanogenesis, Methyl-coenzyme M Reductase (MCR), as well as trying to understand the genes and proteins that interact with and regulate it. Besides being a scientist, I am also an artist and an avid lover of the arts in general. If I’m not in the lab, you will likely find me making handmade jewelry or exploring one of the many thrift and/or craft stores in Berkeley.