Lenny obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc. (2020) in the department of Biochemistry at the University of Geneva, where he focused on molecular genetics and structural biology. He joined Robbie Loewith’s lab in 2019, for his master thesis, where he focused his work on TORC1 and its regulation by the Ego Complex in S.cerevisiae. Following M. oryzae craze/infection in the lab, Lenny, an eager mycologist, has now started his PhD trying to decipher TOR and other essential signaling nodes in the plant pathogen, using molecular genetics and CryoEM.

Ming obtained his B.Sc. in Biochemical Science and Technology from National Taiwan University (Taiwan) and M.Sc. in Chemical Biology through a joint program between the University of Geneva and EPFL, affiliated with the SNE Chemical Biology. He is currently pursuing his doctoral research at the University of Geneva under the supervision of Prof. Robbie Loewith and co-supervision of Dr. Regine Kahmann (Emeritus Professor, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology). His research focuses on elucidating the structure and regulation of STP complexes in Ustilago maydis, combining genetic engineering with cryo-electron microscopy and tomography to uncover the molecular mechanisms underlying fungal infection and the broader strategies by which eukaryotic pathogens exploit novel protein complexes to invade their hosts.

Yvonne obtained her Master’s degree in Molecular Biology of the Cell from the University of Milan in 2024. With a background in structural and computational biology, she is now pursuing research in fungal genetics and the mechanisms of tension generation in Magnaporthe oryzae. Beyond the lab, she is passionate about science communication and visualization, and president of the PhD student association Phage. 

Yiqiang received his M.S. from Tianjin University, China, in 2018, where he investigated post-translational modifications, focusing on the role of 2-hydroxyisobutyrylation in bacterial antibiotic resistance and the development of a protein evolution platform. He then worked as a research assistant at the Southern University of Science and Technology, studying amino acid sensors in mammals. In 2023, he joined the Robbie Lab as a Ph.D. student, where his research centers on the mechanisms of acute amino acid sensing in yeast.