mim_c Trainee Program
The mim_c Trainee Program was established to build community and intellectual support amongst trainees working in the microbiome field in the Puget Sound region. Each month, participants in the program meet to share research presentations and discuss each others' projects in a rigorous, but constructive environment of peers and guest faculty. In addition to the monthly meeting, the mim_c Trainee Program offers a competitive award program each year that provides one-time $10,000 awards to defray research or salary costs associated with a trainee’s project.
Overview
Keep reading below to learn more about our program and previously awarded trainees.
Learn more:
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The mim_c Trainee Program welcomes trainees from any graduate or postdoctoral fellowship program. Examples of relevant research areas include, but are not limited to:
-Interactions between microorganisms, or between commensal microorganisms and a host
-Influence of the microbiome on health
-Methodological developments pertaining to microbiome research
-Development of microbiome focused therapeutics
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Our next mim_c Trainee Program meeting will be held February 24th, 12-1p on the UW main campus. We will hear research presentations from Celine and Jennifer. Please contact Kyle Asfahl for more information and to RSVP.
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Applications for the mim_c Trainee Program Awards are accepted each Fall. Applications are reviewed by a committee consisting of faculty at UW and affiliated institutions. Award results are announced in January of the following year. Subscribe to our mailing list below to receive award cycle updates in the Fall quarter.
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The mim_c Trainee Program has a Slack workspace for all things #traineeprogram. All regional trainees working in the microbiome space are welcome to join our Slack to read general announcements, seek and share expertise, and support each other’s work. Join us! Contact Kyle Asfahl to receive an invite.
2025 mim_c Trainee Program Awardees
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Celine Atkinson
UW Oral Health Sciences Program, Jeffrey McLean Lab
Project: “Exploring bacterial crosstalk in periodontal pathogens using MicroSPLiT”
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Jennifer Liem
UW Pharmaceutics Program, Yvonne Lin Lab
Project: “Pharmacomicrobiomics: Investigating the Role of Microbial Metabolites on the Regulation of CYP3A4”
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Jianing Xu
Postdoctoral Fellow, UW Comparative Medicine, Danny Miller Lab
Project: “Evaluating Nanopore Long-Read Sequencing as a Tool for Microbiome Profiling in Rodent Health Management”
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Camilo Gómez-Garzón
Postdoctoral Fellow, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Nina Salama Lab
Project: “Bacterial Interactions in Gastric Cancer: Fusobacterium animalis meets Helicobacter pylori”
2024 mim_c Trainee Program Awardees
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Lindsey Williams
UW Pharmaceutics PhD Program, Shijie Cao Lab
Project: “Delivering microbial metabolites to the distal gut in microbiota-mimicking nanocarriers as therapeutics for multiple sclerosis”
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Norma Garfias Avila
UW Nutritional Sciences PhD Program, Marian Neuhouser Lab
Project: “How much do red and processed meats affect our gut?”
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Drake Bouzek
Postdoctoral Fellow, UW Pediatrics and Seattle Children’s Hospital, Luke Hoffman Lab
Project: “Evaluating the Impact of Elexacaftor-Tezacaftor-Ivacaftor Therapy on Oropharyngeal Microbiome Dynamics and Clinical Implications for Monitoring Pulmonary Infections in Children with Cystic Fibrosis”
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Shirley Mathur
UW Statistics PhD Program, Amy Willis Lab
Project: “Modeling Relationships between Microbial Species Abundances and Covariates”
