EBRC In Translation
EBRC In Translation is a podcast working to bring you conversations with leaders in the world of Engineering Biology. The show is the official podcast of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium Student and Postdoc Association and is hosted by a rotating cast of graduate students and postdocs. To find out more about the EBRC SPA, visit our website at https://ebrc.org/programs/student-postdoc-association/.
Episodes
In this episode of EBRC In Translation, we interview Caitlin Frazer, Executive Director of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB), about her policy-focused career path and the commission’s creation to help Congress address slipping U.S. biotech leadership. Frazer describes the commission’s review process, including extensive stakeholder engagement, literature analysis, and bipartisan delibera...
In this episode of EBRC In Translation, hosts Heidi Klumpe and Talia Jacobson interview Sam Schaffter, lead scientist for RNA synthetic biology at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), about genetically encoded RNA circuits for real-time sensing of gene expression and their potential in diagnostics, therapeutics, and biotechnology. Sam describes his path from bioengineering and biochemistry at Purdue through DN...
In this episode of EBRC In Translation, Talia Jacobson and Will Grubbe interview Jim Collins of MIT, a pioneer of synthetic biology. He reflects on his path from human biomechanics and early gene circuit design to AI-driven antibiotic discovery.
Collins discusses how deep learning is enabling new antibiotics despite market challenges, what makes research translation succeed, and the growing role of computation in biology. He also re...
In this episode of EBRC In Translation, we are joined with Danielle Tullman-Ercek, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at Northwestern University and co-director of its Center for Synthetic Biology. Danielle discusses her journey from aspiring architect to leading bioengineer, the foundation and goals of her lab, the interdisciplinary approach at Northwestern's Center for Synthetic Biology, and the inception of her c...
In this episode of EBRC in Translation, we speak with Jenn Brophy, an assistant professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University. Jenn discusses her journey into plant synthetic biology, including how she transitioned from microbial synthetic biology and her motivation to increase female representation in academia. The conversation explores the current research directions of the Brophy lab, the technical and regulatory challenges...
In this episode, we chat with Niko McCarty—a scientist turned writer who is the founding editor of Asimov Press and head of creative at Asimov. Niko takes us through his unexpected journey from biochemistry research to science journalism. He shares insights on transitioning from the lab to the press, crafting deep-dive narratives, and even pioneering projects like a book encoded in DNA. Whether you’re a scientist lookin...
In this episode, we’re joined by Prof. Jef Boeke, a pioneer in synthetic genomics. Jef shares his journey from uncovering retrotransposons in yeast to leading the ambitious Sc2.0 project, an international collaboration to design and build the world’s first fully synthetic Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome. Along the way, we delve into the groundbreaking science, the collaborative spirit of synthetic biology, and what it t...
In this episode, we speak with Daniel Goodwin and Paul Reginato, the co-founders of Homeworld Collective, a non-profit working to support the social, intellectual, and funding infrastructure needed for climate biotech. Dan and Paul discuss the challenges in climate biotech, action-oriented optimism, their fast-grants program for climate research, how writing is a superpower, and so much more.
Later this year, Homeworld Colle...
In this episode, we speak with Janice Chen, co-founder and CTO of Mammoth Biosciences. From her PhD work in Jennifer Doudna's lab to co-founding a biotech startup, Dr. Chen discusses her journey of translating scientific discoveries into real-world applications. Learn about the development of CRISPR-based diagnostics, including a rapid COVID-19 test, and gain insights into the evolving landscape of gene editing therapeutics. Dr. Ch...
In this episode, we talk to Sebastian Cocioba, a self-taught, independent researcher who designs flowers and develops tools that lower the entry barrier for others to do biology research. We talk with Sebastian about his unique path to Engineering Biology, his experience with DIY biology, the importance of open science, the role of citizen scientists in engineering biology, and much more!
During the episode, Sebastian mentions that ...
In this episode, we interview Dr. Prachee Avasthi, Co-founder and CSO of Arcadia Science and previous Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Dartmouth. We talk with Prachee about her many layers of experiments, from mining new biological tools to building new organizational structures for open science. We also talk with her about non-canonical career paths, science publishing models, and much more!
For more informat...
In this episode, we interview Drew Endy, a professor in the Department of Biological Engineering at Stanford University. We talk to Drew about making the engineering of living systems routine, how biology is the perfect technology to interface with joules, bits, and atoms, the concept of synbiophobia-phobia, teaching biological literacy via the “Labrary”, the new discipline of Awestronomy, and so much more.
In th...
In this episode, we interview Geoffrey Otim, founder and CEO of SynBio Africa and founder of iGEM Makarere, the first iGEM team in East Africa. We discuss the unique health, agricultural, climate, biosecurity, and energy challenges being tackled by the emerging engineering biology community in Africa. We also talk about his policy advocacy, African Union-led initiatives, and the cultural, political, and funding headwinds faced by A...
In this episode, we interview Dr. John Inglis and Dr. Richard Sever, the executive director and assistant director respectively of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. John and Richard also co-founded both bioRxiv and medRxiv, the primary preprint servers for biological and medical research. We discuss what makes the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press unique, how they founded bioRxiv and medRxiv, how preprinting allows us to d...
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Sean Simpson, strategic advisor and former CSO of LanzaTech. We talk with Sean about using biology to convert greenhouse gases into ethanol, how to scale up and sell a novel biological process, and the economic and policy requirements of engineering biology for global challenges.
For more information about EBRC:
Visit our website at ebrc.org. If you are interested in getting involved with the EBRC S...
In this episode, we interview Dr. Tony Kulesa, a Principal at the VC firm Pillar. We talk to Tony about his work to open source the biotech company creation process, overrated and underrated investment theses, reading and writing to all the different scales of biology and more!
To learn more about founder-led biotech, check out some of Tony's writing on the topic here.
For more information about EBRC:
In this episode, we speak with Melissa Takahashi, an Assistant Professor at California State University Northridge in the Department of Biology. We talk with Melissa about her research on the biological principles behind RNA gene regulation in bacteria, being a professor at a primarily undergraduate institution, helping students realize they can be scientists, and more!
For more information about EBRC:
Visit our website at ebrc.org. ...
In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Mustafa Khammash, Professor of Control Theory and Systems Biology in the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering at ETH-Zurich. We talk with Mustafa about integrating control theory into synthetic biology, designing computer/biology interfaces, starting a wet lab as a tenured computational professor, the need for new theoretical frameworks for biological design, and more!
Notes:
During t...
In this episode we’re joined by Eldora Ellison, PhD, director at law firm Sterne Kessler and lead patent strategist for the CVC group in the MIT-Berkeley CRISPR patent litigation. We discuss the long and winding road of filing and defending patents, what it’s like to go from PhD scientist to law firm partner, how biotechnology advances are challenging the world of patents, and more!
Links related to the episode:
Caree...
In this episode, we interview Vineeta Agarwala, MD, PhD, a general partner at Andreesen Horowitz (a16z) where she leads investments in the group’s bio + health fund. We talk to Vineeta about investing in synthetic biology startup companies, a day in the life of a VC, following the good people, and more!
Disclosures:
The views expressed here are those of the individual AH Capital Management, L.L.C. (“a16z”) personnel...
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