OUR TEAM
About the PI
Camilo Perez
In 2012, Camilo earned his Ph.D. in Structural Biology of Membrane Proteins from the Max Planck Institute for Biophysics in Frankfurt, Germany. His work was recognized with the Otto Hahn Medal from the Max Planck Society and a summa cum laude doctoral distinction from Goethe University Frankfurt. In 2013, he was awarded an EMBO Long-Term Fellowship and an ETH Postdoctoral Fellowship, joining the laboratory of Prof. Kaspar Locher at ETH Zürich. In 2017, Camilo received an SNSF Professorship to establish his independent research group at the Biozentrum, University of Basel, where he served as a non-tenure-track Assistant Professor. In 2020, he was recognized as an EMBO Young Investigator. In 2024, Camilo joined the University of Georgia as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, with adjunct appointments at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center (CCRC) and the Department of Microbiology.
Current Team
Dr. Amrutha Chidananda
Postdoctoral researcher
Amrutha joined our lab in Biozentrum of the University of Basel in 2023 as Postdoctoral researcher. In 2024, Amrutha moved with our team to the University of Georgia to continue with her academic career.
Janiah Rakestraw
Ph.D. candidate
Janiah joined our lab during her rotation in the Integrated Life Sciences (ILS) graduate program. In 2025, Janiah became a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Georgia.
Eric Céster Díaz
Ph.D. candidate
Eric joined our lab in 2022 and obtained a Master's degree in Molecular Biology at the University of Basel in 2023. In 2024, Eric became a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Georgia.
Nil Cortiella
Ph.D. candidate
Nil joined our lab in 2022 and obtained a Master's degree in Molecular Biology at the University of Basel in 2023. In 2024, Nil became a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Georgia.
Hanif Zaman
Undergraduate student
Hanif joined the BCMB4960R course in our lab at UGA in August 2024.
Noah Saylor
Undergraduate student
Noah joined the BCMB4960R course in our lab at UGA in August 2024.
Megan Berry
Undergraduate student
Megan joined the BCMB4960R course in our lab at UGA in August 2025.
Isaac Kiefer
Undergraduate student
Isaac joined the BCMB4960R course in our lab at UGA in August 2024.
Alumni
PREVIOUS POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS
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Dr. Stephan Rempel. Senior scientist at FoRx Therapeutics, Switzerland.
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Dr. Firas Fadel. Associate researcher, Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel, Switzerland.
PREVIOUS UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
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Mrunalini Ghangrekar (Undergraduate course BCMB4960/70R)
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Rogelio Flores (Undergraduate course BCMB4960/70R)
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Sophia Mamani (Undergraduate course BCMB4960R)
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Jadine Kuo (BZ-Summer Internship Fellow)
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Ana Marija Primc (BZ-Summer Internship Fellow)
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Mauro Gascón (BZ-Summer Internship Fellow)
PREVIOUS DOCTORAL STUDENTS
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Dr. Bing Zhang. Postdoctoral fellow at EPFL, Switzerland.
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Dr. Elisabeth Lambert. Scientist at Solvias, Switzerland.
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Dr. Natalie Bärland. Analytical Forensic Technology Consultant at Deloitte, Switzerland.
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Dr. Arantza Balsebre. Cardiovascular Research Institute, Switzerland.
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Dr. Gonzalo Cebrero. Senior Cryo-EM Support Scientist, University of Glasgow, Scotland.
PREVIOUS LAB MANAGERS AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANTS
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Xiaochun Li Blatter. Technical Associate at University of Basel