Milenka Vera — HTGAA Spring 2026
About me
Hi, I’m Milenka. I am a biotechnologist from Ecuador, currently working as a Researcher in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Minnesota.
I am deeply passionate about research, especially when experiments don’t go as expected, those moments drive my curiosity and push me to ask better questions and find meaningful answers. I enjoy approaching biology with an engineering mindset, designing and building solutions rather than just studying them.
My main interest lies in synthetic biology and its potential to create impactful innovations. In the long term, I aim to develop novel, applied solutions in agriculture, food, or health, and translate scientific knowledge into real-world products that make a difference.
Contact info
Homework
- Week 1 HW: Principles and Practices
- Week 2 HW: DNA Read, Write, & Edit
- Week 3 HW: Lab Automation
- Week 4 HW: Protein Design Part I
- Week 5 HW: Protein Design part II
- Week 6 HW: Genetic Circuits Design part I
- Week 9 HW: Cell-Free Systems