We're excited to welcome Jianna, who is joining the lab as our newest Master's student. Fresh off completing her BS in Computer Engineering, Jianna will be bringing her skills to the computational side of our research. Her focus will be on advancing the lab's machine learning and AI work, specifically helping push forward our imaging analysis tools. It's an exciting direction, and having someone with her background driving it forward opens up a lot of new possibilities for how we extract...

Congratulations to Dr. Samuel Oliveira on receiving the JSNN Nanoengineering Department Service Award! This recognition reflects his dedication to serving the department, mentoring students, and advancing research at JSNN. We are grateful for his leadership and support, and we are proud to celebrate this well-deserved achievement. Congratulations, Dr. Oliveira!

On Saturday, May 9, 2026, the Oliveira Lab stepped away from the bench for a team 5K walk. The day was fun-filled with of walking, running, a cookout, and music, making it a proper team bonding experience. It was exactly the kind of break everyone needed after a busy semester. Looking forward to the next one! 🎉

Following his selection to the prestigious SynBioBeta Next-Gen Bioleaders Program, Dr. Sam Oliveira recently attended the SynBioBeta 2026, joining researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders from across the synthetic biology community. The event provided an exciting opportunity to engage in discussions on emerging technologies, biotechnology innovation, bioengineering, and the future of programmable biological systems. It was also a valuable platform for connecting with...

The Oliveira Lab participated in the iCOMMAND & ICONS Defense Innovation Workshop 2026 held from April 30 – May 1, 2026, at the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering (JSNN) and UNC Greensboro. The workshop brought together researchers and innovators working across AI, computational biology, engineering, and biomedical sciences. During the poster session, lab members showcased a connected stream of interdisciplinary research combining computational modeling, artificial intelligence,...

The Oliveira Lab participated in the 122nd Annual Meeting of the North Carolina Academy of Science (NCAS), held April 24–25, 2026, at Elon University under the theme “Science Innovation: Making Interdisciplinary Connections.” It was an exciting opportunity for lab members to share their work with the broader scientific community. On day 1, Harnish Shah presented a poster titled “A microfluidic biofilm-on-a-chip platform for evaluating antibiotic efficacy against bacterial biofilms,” and...

Congratulations to Bukola Akindipe for placing 4th in the Poster Presentation Category at the 2026 NCAT Honors College Research Conference, held April 17, 2026, where he presented his poster titled "Partaker: A Novel Deep Learning Framework for Studying Single-Cell Bacterial Dynamics" among 43 poster presenters. This is a great milestone for Bukola and our lab, and we're proud to have him representing us. Onwards to the next one! 🎉

The Oliveira Lab is proud to share that Tolulope Oyeniran and Bukola Akindipe presented their research at the 24th Annual Central North Carolina ACS (CNC-ACS) Poster Vendor Night , hosted at the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering (JSNN) in Greensboro, NC on April 8, 2026. Tolulope presented "Microfluidic-based Programmatic Control of Fluid Routing for Biological Network Systems," introducing a centralized multivalve microfluidic chip paired with a custom solenoid GUI that lets...

The Oliveira Lab hosted the 2nd Python for Bioengineers Workshop last Saturday, bringing together students and researchers for an immersive, hands-on experience that bridged biological insight with computational tools. The workshop opened with introductory sessions focused on how Python can be applied to analyze and interpret real-world biological data, led by members of the Oliveira Lab and our guest speaker, Dr. Tianqi Song . The hands-on session enabled participants to actively engage...

The Oliveira Lab is excited to host the Python for Bioengineers Workshop 2.0 as part of Oliveira Outreach, an initiative dedicated to promoting science and education in biotechnology. This one-day, hybrid workshop introduces participants to applying Python to biological data and systems. Through hands-on sessions, attendees will learn how to analyze, interpret, and work with data while building confidence in computational approaches. No prior programming experience is required. While the...

Dr. Oliveira recently delivered a talk as part of the Synthetic Biology Young Speaker Series (SynBYSS) , a global seminar series that highlights emerging leaders and early-career researchers in synthetic biology. SynBYSS is a weekly virtual seminar that brings together the international scientific community to share cutting-edge research and foster collaboration among rising scientists in the field. In this talk, Dr. Oliveira contributed to ongoing discussions in synthetic biology, showcasing...

We are excited to share that Dr. Sam Oliveira has been selected as a Next-Gen BioLeader at SynBioBeta 2026 . SynBioBeta is one of the largest global summits in synthetic biology, bringing together researchers, founders, industry leaders, and investors from around the world. The meeting plays a key role in shaping the future of biotechnology across healthcare, sustainability, and the broader bioeconomy. The Next-Gen BioLeaders program recognizes a select group of emerging scientists...

We would like to share that Friday, March 13, 2026, marked the final day of Dr. Thuanny Rios in our lab. Following the successful completion of her J-1 visa program, Dr. Rios will be returning to Brazil. She will remain in Greensboro until Monday morning, departing later that afternoon. Over the past ten months, since joining us in May 2025, Dr. Rios has been an exceptional member of our team. Her contributions have had a lasting impact on the growth and success of the lab. She played a key...

The Oliveira Lab has implemented a high-throughput syringe pump platform that enables multiple microfluidic biofilm experiments to run in parallel under controlled flow conditions. This setup allows simultaneous testing of different microbial species, environmental conditions, and treatment strategies within microfluidic chips. Biofilms are highly structured microbial communities in which cells organize into complex spatial architectures supported by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS)....

There exists an experimentally motivated co-culture framework validated in situ by Timothy J. Hanly, Morgan Urello, and Michael A. Henson in their study published in Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology on “ Dynamic flux balance modeling of S. cerevisiae and E. coli co-cultures for efficient consumption of glucose/xylose mixtures ,” which integrates dynamic flux balance analysis (dFBA) with bioreactor modeling to describe substrate utilization in S. cerevisiae and E. coli co-cultures....

This week, the Oliveira Lab traded lab coats for bowling shoes for a night full of strikes, spares, and laughter. New and senior members came together, creating a space where different generations of students connected beyond research and experiments. From friendly competition to coaching first-time bowlers, the evening reflected the supportive and collaborative spirit that defines our lab culture. Moments like these remind us that strong science is built on strong teams — and sometimes, on a...

We kicked off the year with our first group hike at Pilot Mountain State Park and it was the perfect way to welcome our new students to the Oliveira Lab community. The trail was about 6 miles , with great views, fresh air, and lots of time to talk outside the lab. It was a fun, energizing start to the semester and a great reminder that teamwork isn’t just built at the bench. Welcome to the lab, we’re excited for everything ahead!

Last weekend, the Oliveira Lab experienced the magic (and mild chaos) of the first snowfall in Greensboro! While the snow politely suggested that we stay indoors, it also gave us the perfect excuse to slow down, stay warm, and admire the world turning into a real-life snow globe right outside our windows. Some of our lab members braved the cold to build snowmen and make memories with friends and family. Others chose the elite survival strategy, staying inside, wrapped in blankets, holding a...