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Camila Kofman, PhD

PhD Candidate in Chemical & Biological Engineering

Camila Kofman, PhD is a Scientist at Neurocrine Biosciences based in San Diego, California.1 She has an extensive background in chemical and biological engineering, with a focus on synthetic biology and ribosome engineering.

Education and Academic Background

Camila completed her Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering at Stanford University from 2013 to 2017.1 Following her undergraduate studies, she pursued a PhD in Chemical & Biological Engineering at Northwestern University, where she was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow in the Jewett Lab.1 Her doctoral research centered on synthetic biology and engineering the ribosome to improve understanding of translation and build better molecular machines.1

Professional Experience

Throughout her academic career, Camila gained valuable industry experience through various internships and research positions:

  • Neurocrine Biosciences: Currently working as a Scientist.1
  • Northwestern University: Served as an Innovation and New Ventures Office (INVO) Intern.1
  • BioElectron Technology Corporation: Worked as a Laboratory Engineer, synthesizing and characterizing novel fluorescent probes for in vivo applications.1
  • Genentech: Completed a Biological Technologies Internship, developing surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assays.1

Research Interests and Achievements

Camila's research interests lie in the field of synthetic biology, particularly in engineering molecular translation systems and ribosome pool engineering.34 She recently published her final first-author publication from her PhD, focusing on the unique ribosomal RNA (rRNA) operons in E. coli and their impact on protein production.2

Awards and Honors

Her academic achievements have been recognized through several awards:

  • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (March 2019)1
  • Stanford Bio-X Seed Grants Award (August 2015) for her poster presentation on targeted delivery of siRNA using knottin-protein conjugates1

Camila Kofman's diverse experience in both academic research and industry positions has equipped her with a strong foundation in chemical and biological engineering, making her a valuable asset in her current role as a Scientist at Neurocrine Biosciences.

Highlights

Mar 26 · linkedin

Excited to share my final first-author publication from my PhD!

We found for the first time that the unique ribosomal RNA (rRNA) operons in the E. coli genome yield functionally distinct ribosomes for protein synthesis. We applied this finding to generate strains carrying homogeneous rRNA pools as opposed to the native, mixed pool. These engineered strains yielded highly active cell-free lysates, boosting the protein synthesis capacity by greater than two-fold when compared to the wildtype strain.

We anticipate that this method of ribosome pool engineering can be widely applied to improve performance of all recombinant protein synthesis systems, helping the bioeconomy to reach its full potential. Many thanks to Jessica A. Willi, PhD, Ashty Karim, & my advisor Michael Jewett for making this project possible!

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Camila Kofman, PhD
Camila Kofman, PhD, photo 1
Camila Kofman, PhD, photo 2
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Experience

Laboratory Engineer at BioElectron Technology Corporation, Mountain View, CA (Aug 2017 - Apr 2018)

Education

PhD Candidate, Chemical & Biological Engineering at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (Sept 2018 - Present), Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University, Stanford, CA (2013

Location

San Diego, California, United States