Team
The members of the BiotechClub board are current or former doctoral candidates from the University of Helsinki. They all share a common interest for the scientific environment in and outside of their institute and the curiosity to learn more by actively pursuing their goals and interests.
Co-Chairs
Snehadri Sinha
Since 2020
Snehadri is doing his PhD in the field of oral sciences. His project is on the osteosarcoma microenvironment with a focus on extracellular vesicles and developing 3D models of osteosarcoma for drug testing. He holds a MSc degree in Molecular Biosciences and has a background in biochemistry. He is enthusiastic about the networking opportunities that BiotechClub facilitates between business and academia.
Maksim Karasev
Since 2022
Maksim is a doctoral researcher at the Doctoral Programme in Biomedicine where he engineers advanced optogenetic tools controlled by near-infrared light. The high transparency of mammalian tissue in this spectral range makes these tools particularly valuable for in vivo applications. He holds a MSc degree in Biotechnology and has several years of professional work experience in the industry, where he developed potential therapeutics based on recombinant antibodies, antibody fragments, and cytokines. In spare time, he studies machine learning and data science.
Maksim joined the Biotech Club to support its mission to bridge the gap between academia and industry. He enjoys networking with like-minded peers and biotech industry professionals.
Berta Bosch
Since 2022
​Berta Bosch is a doctoral researcher in Human Microbiome (HUMI) group at the Faculty of Medicine. Her work is based on “New formulations of microbiome-based therapies”. She graduated from her master’s in Pharmacy at the University of Barcelona, Spain. The main aims of her PhD work are to develop protocols for anaerobic preparation of fecal material, to study its microbiological stability, and the formulation of intestinal bacteria pure strains, which would facilitate their use as orally next-generation probiotics. When she is not working in her project, you will find her spending time with friends, practicing yoga, traveling, or reading. She believes that stablishing a good solid network in between students and enterprises will facilitate the communication and enhance the future opportunities of those who want to become part of that field.
Rashmi Shrestha
Since 2022
Rashmi Shrestha is doing her PhD at University of Helsinki in the field of environmental microbiology and microbial ecology. Her research is focused on studying impacts of plant diversity on microbial community and activity related to carbon sequestration in agricultural soil. She completed her Master’s degree in microbiology from University of Helsinki. She joined Biotech Club because she is interested to know about opportunities outside academia and wants to help in creating links between research and industry. She enjoys yoga, hiking and spending time with her friends and family.
Mohammad Ghanem
Since 2022
Mohammad is a PhD researcher in the Integrative Life Sciences Doctoral Program at the University of Helsinki. In his PhD project, Mohammad is studying the structural basis of protein aggregation formed by mutant Huntingtin proteins, the leading cause of Huntington's Disease. Mohammad is a pharmacist at heart, he also has a second bachelor’s degree in Law. He studied his first master’s degree in Laboratory Diagnosis in his home country before moving to Italy where he completed his second master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology from the University of Milan. Mohammad is a goal-oriented and highly motivated young researcher, who aspires to make his knowledge and expertise beneficial in the field of developing new therapeutics. In his free time, he enjoys watching football, going to the gym, and watching documentaries.
Nerea Valdebenito Alamar
Since 2022
Nerea is a doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki since 2021 in the Doctoral Programme in Plant Sciences. Her research focuses on how calcium signals are transduced in response to environmental stresses in the plant model species Arabidopsis thaliana. She holds a B.Sc. in Biotechnology from Universitat de València. Her enthusiasm for plant biotechnology took her to Helsinki to complete the M.Sc. in Agricultural Sciences.
As a biotechnologist she believes in the transfer of knowledge from academia to industry. Joining the Biotech Club she hopes to establish new links with biotech companies and to have a more active role in the transfer of knowledge from university research to non-academic institutions.
Olesya Shpironok
Since 2023
Olesya, a doctoral researcher in the Doctoral Programme in Drug Research, is currently focused on investigating the molecular mechanisms of action of Cerebral Dopamine Neurotrophic factor (CDNF). CDNF successfully passed phase I-II clinical trials for Parkinson's disease treatment, but its exact mechanism of action remains uncertain.
With an MSc degree in Biotechnology and extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Olesya has worked with pharmacopeial compendia to establish appropriate methods for drug testing.
Driven by her passion for bridging the gap between academia and industry, Olesya joined the Biotech Club. She finds great satisfaction in connecting with fellow enthusiasts who share her interests and interacting with professionals in the biotech sector.
Noemí Gutiérrez Valdés
Since 2023
Noemí is a PhD researcher in Plant Sciences at the University of Helsinki. Her research focuses on plant-made anti-HIV molecules, lysosomal disease enzymes, and COVID-19 diagnostic reagents. She conducted her research at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland for the PharmaFactory project (a Horizon 2020 project). She has collaborated with European SMEs, research institutes, and universities from Spain, Italy, France, and the UK. Her education includes a B.Sc. Biotechnology from ITESM in Mexico and a M.Sc. Plant Biotechnology from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Noemí strongly believes in the synergy between academia and industry and actively promotes bridging the gap between the two. In her free time, she enjoys running, cooking, and mentoring young women in STEM fields.
Ashwini Kedari
Since 2023
Ashwini is a doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki where she works on the structural architecture of virus-host interactions by using cryo-EM and X-ray crystallography. Her work also involves antibody engineering which can be used as scaffolds for structural characterization. She obtained her MSc. Protein Science and Biotechnology from the University of Oulu. Ashwini joined the Biotech Club with the vision of applying laboratory benchwork to real-life necessities. She spends her free time by doing gardening, travelling, creating art and DIY projects.
Silvana Bodington Celma
Since 2025
Silvana is a doctoral researcher in the Developmental Neurogenetics group at the University of Helsinki, where she is part of the Brain and Mind doctoral programme. Her research explores the gene regulatory cascades that shape neuronal identities during neurodevelopment, with a particular focus on brainstem neurons and their diverse subtypes. She earned her master’s degree in Genetics and Molecular Biosciences from the University of Helsinki and completed her bachelor’s in Biochemistry at the University of Barcelona. Passionate about connecting academia with industry, she is also deeply interested in science communication and dissemination. Outside of her research, she enjoys spending time with friends, organizing social activities, practicing karate, and staying active at the gym.
Swethaa Natraj Gayathri
Since 2025
Swethaa is a researcher at the Folkhälsan Research Center in Biomedicum. Her PhD in the Biomedicine programme focuses on human skeletal muscle research. She is interested in applying multi-omics techniques to explore the molecular effects of pathogenic variants in the titin (TTN) gene. As a motivated and enthusiastic researcher in human clinical genetics, she aims to specialize in bioinformatics and wet lab techniques to tackle her research questions. She believes that curiosity is the spark, but knowledge is the fire. Through the Biotech Club, she aims to gain deeper insights into the biotech industry, collaborate with innovative professionals, and bridge the gap between research and real-world impact.
Founders
Anna Gran
Current position: Business development manager at Novo Nordisk
Vytas Raulinaitis
Current position: doctoral student, University of Helsinki
Zhao Zeng
Current position: Supercell, Computer Games
ALUMNI
Dollwin Matharu
Karim Uddin
Zhijia Wang
Elina Multamäki
Ying-Chieh Wu
Johanna Anttila
Jurgita Paukstyte
Darshan Kumar
Liliia Andriichuk
Larisa Viazmina
Mridul Johari
Elina Pietilä
Erika Gucciardo
Riikka Karjalainen
Gergana Gateva
Maria Sanz Navarro
Mona Christensen
Anastasiya Chernenko
Denis Dermadi Bebek
Heini Hakala
Sawan Kumar Jha
Hongxin Chen
Shentong Fang
Minttu Kansikas
Emmi Joensuu
Vytas Raulinaitis
Prasanna Sakha
Svetlana Semenov
Sandra Söderholm
Mari Teesalu
Isabel Weinheimer
Zhao Zeng