Billal Bourkia

PhD candidate in molecular biology

Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands

About

As a current PhD candidate in molecular biology at the University of Groningen and a holder of a Master's degree in biotechnology, with a focus on synthetic biology, I am deeply interested in molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics. My adaptability and practical mindset enable me to tackle the challenges I encounter effectively. During my undergraduate studies and professional experiences, I developed skills in analysis, biotechnology, and biomolecular sciences. Additionally, I had the opportunity to learn how to use PyMOL, VMD, Origin, LigandScout, Geneious, and various other software. Moreover, I learned how to use Python and R. Please feel free to contact me, even if it is "just" to talk about science!

Experience

  • PHD Candidate at University of Groningen
    Oct 2024 - Present · 1 yr 10 mos

    RNA structural ensemble dynamics - IncaRNAto lab - RNA chemical structure probing - In vitro transcription and RNA purification (targeted and non-targeted) - In vitro RNA refolding - Cancer cell culture - Bio-computational analysis - Coding

  • Visiting scholar at New England Biolabs
    Feb 2023 - Jan 2024 · 1 yr

    Yigit lab, Molecular Genetic and Genomic division (6 months of internship leading to 6 months as a standard employee) - DNA amplification, bacterial transformation, sequencing, and DNA purification - Rational template design for RNA synthesis, in-vitro transcription, RNA purification, and product analysis - Expression of protein of interest, both in-vitro and in-vivo, and purification by affinity chromatography - Enzymatic assay and candidate characterization (RNA modifying enzymes) - Establishment and improvement of high-throughput screening strategies - Data analysis and weekly discussion of the results - Synthetic presentation of my research to the company - Computational analysis (Python, PyMol, Prism, etc.) - Writing report - Bibliographic studies

  • Research lab intern at IBMC
    Nov 2022 - Dec 2022 · 2 mos

    Team Ryckelynck (6 weeks) - Bibliographic studies to establish a protocol to produce E. coli S30 extract for in-vitro transcription and translation - Bacterial RNA purification (ribosomal and transfer RNAs) - Extract preparation and protocol optimization - Real-time extract assessment by measuring GFP and mCherry fluorescence intensity during their synthesis

  • R&D technician at University of Strasbourg
    Jul 2022 - Aug 2022 · 2 mos

    - Bibliographic research and protocole preparation - Organizing and managing a project - Purifying plasmidic DNA and checking the construct by PCR - Analyzing sequencing results and determining the consensus sequence - Bacterial transformation and selection - Producing, purifying and quantifying protein of interest - Problem-solving (protein production and solubility) - Enzymatic assay (pNPA/pNP) - Analyzing and reporting results

  • Internship in a Research lab at IGBMC
    Mar 2022 - Apr 2022 · 2 mos

    Team Giangrande (7 weeks) - Immunolabelling - Crossbreeding of fruit flies - Recovering genomic DNA - PCR - Analyzing and reporting results - Bibliographic research