The synthetic biology’s international following is stronger than ever, and continues to grow as the field takes hold in all corners of the world. At the upcoming SynBioBeta London conference, the international synbio landscape will be laid out in our World Showcase lightning talks. This session will feature speakers from seven different countries providing short and sweet updates on recent developments and future trajectories at their organizations. Packed with diverse insight, group of rapid-fire speakers will give attendees a broad yet concise look at the worldwide synbio scene.The lightning talks will be moderated by Andy Boyce, Innovations Manager at BrisSynBio. BrisSynBio operates out of the University of Bristol as one of the six synthetic biology research centers in the UK. As Innovations Manager, Andy works to commercialize the many synthetic biology developments that are turned out at his world-leading institution. Andy has played a significant role in making the UK one of the most pioneering and goal-oriented nations with regard to developing and commercializing the field of synbio. In addition to his role at BrisSynBio, he has worked on the UK Synthetic Biology Roadmap, the ERASynBio Strategic Vision, and the UK Strategic Plan for Synthetic Biology 2016.Birgit Wiltschi is head of the Synthetic Biology Group at the Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology in Graz, Austria. ACIB is a key leader of biotechnology and synthetic biology research, as well as a hub for commercialization of this research, within Austria. Birgit is the winner of the 2011 Ideas in Biotechnology and Medicine Competition for her project developing a synthetic version of human epidermal growth factor that inhibits the growth of tumor cells. Her current research similarly pursues the design and synthesis of proteins incorporating non-canonical amino acids for pharmaceutical and other applications.Michel Manach is the Director of Business Development at France-based Toulouse White Biotechnology, a research center and consortium dedicated to housing and accelerating the development of industrial biotechnology. The center is designed to serve as a research/industry interface, providing R&D resources and generating partnerships for startups whose platforms are founded in sustainable, biobased production of fuels, polymers, and chemical synthons. Prior to joining TWB, Michel served in business and management positions at Pharmacia Biotech, Applied Biosystems, Biacore, and Biosepra. He was trained as a biochemical engineer at the National Institute of Applied Sciences in Lyon, France.Nethaji Gallage is a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at University of Copenhagen. Her research at UCPH uncovered a critical enzyme in the vanillin biosynthesis pathway, on the basis of which she was awarded a patent for vanillin bioproduction. Nethaji’s work continues to focus on the discovery and engineering of high-demand plant-based compounds that are candidates for industrial bioproduction, especially valuable compounds for which consumer demand cannot be supplied by plant extraction alone such as vanillin and capsaicinoids.Isabel Rocha is the Chief Scientific Officer at SilicoLife, a Portugal-based startup developing computational and modelling solutions for industrial biotechnology. SilicoLife’s mission is to accelerate the commercialization of bioproduction platforms through the use of tools that employ rational design based in bioinformatics. To this end, Isabel and her team at SilicoLife have developed an open-source modular software interface, known as OptFlux. Isabel is also an assistant professor at the Portugal Program and the University of Minho, from where she holds her PhD in Biotechnology. In addition to her role at SilicoLife, she is the co-founder of Biotempo, a startup focused on bioprocess development for the food industry.Ping Yang is Chief Executive Officer at Synbio Technologies, an international synthetic biology company with sites located in Suzhou, China and New Jersey. Synbio Tech provides a broad range of DNA and protein service, including synthesis, sequencing, editing, and library design. Ping served as a senior researcher at the University of Vanderbilt, during which time more than 50 papers were published and accolades awarded for his work. A veteran of the international synthetic biology sphere, Ping previously held roles as the vice president and general manager of GENEWIZ INC., China as well as the director of gene department at GenScript Corporation.Meagan Lizarazo is the Vice President of the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Foundation. Operated out of MIT, the annual iGEM competition invites student teams to showcase innovations in synthetic biology through self-managed projects. The iGEM Foundation also maintains the Registry of Standard Biological Parts (also known as BioBricks), which represents the largest open-source collection of standard DNA parts in the world. Before joining iGEM, Meagan was a research technician at the Joslin Diabetes Center. She holds a BA in Biological Sciences from Wellesley College.