Mike is a new member on this year’s iGEM team. In his spare time, he can be found tinkering on the computer creating small video games and other miscellaneous coding projects. He is particularly interested in how video games can be used as a medium to tell stories and has published many articles on the topic. Mike’s versatile and immediately friendly persona have made him a group favourite since the beginning of the team’s formation. Though he’s involved in a number of scholarly and respectable pursuits, Mike’s prepubescent sense of humour frequently causes team members to forget that he's a full-fledged adult with a previous bachelor’s degree under his belt. Mike is unsure of what he’ll be doing ten years from now but he’s is fascinated at how science can inform the arts and plans to work in a field that allows him to exercise his combined passion in interactive storytelling and scientific inquiry.

Mike was roped into iGEM because it seemed liked a rare opportunity to blend his interests in biology and technology. The interdisciplinary nature of iGEM has allowed him to develop not only his scientific expertise, but also his ability to communicate and work in a team. iGEM was particularly attractive to Mike because it radiated an aura of exclusivity and immense difficulty, which only made him want to do it more. It didn’t just open new doors for Mike, it blasted through walls and shattered windows, exposing a wealth of opportunities within the biotechnology sector. Mike considers himself wildly privileged to be a part of the iGEM team and is immensely proud of what the group has been able to accomplish.