Aaron Bohn

I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology from Brigham Young University, during which time my research centered around using engineering approaches to understand and solve diverse biological problems, including the role of chromatin architecture in eukaryotic gene regulation, as well as extending the preservation time of pre-transplantation donor organs. I later developed an interest in the possibility of using such engineering approaches to tackle broader problems like food insecurity, which led me to join the Jonikas Lab as a graduate student in 2025. Here, I plan to use a synthetic biology approach to identify the suite of essential Chlamy pyrenoid components necessary to engineer a CO2 concentrating mechanism into higher plants, using the pyrenoid-less green alga Auxenochlorella protothecoides as a model host system.

Outside of the lab I enjoy learning languages, reading, lifting…or sometimes combining all three with a good French audiobook at the gym!