Writers

Aishani Aatresh is a junior at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, CA. Passionate about the intersection of science and policy and the potential of interdisciplinary work, she writes a medical column as an editor for her school newspaper, has delivered a TEDx talk on allergies, and is the lead director for LancerHacks, a hackathon focused on the diverse applications of computer science. She loves being outdoors (especially playing soccer) and is involved in a plethora of activities at school (including chamber choir, Lancer Productions, and SF Talks). Aishani works at Distributed Bio, primarily developing computational immunoengineering methods, and is excited to wield science, communication, and collaboration to change the world.

Alex began his PhD in the Biological Engineering Department in 2015 and does research in the lab of Chris Voigt. In the Voigt Lab, Alex is using synthetic biology to manipulate bacterial communities, such as the gut microbiota, to improve human health. He received his B.S. in Molecular Biology at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, NY, his hometown. Alex has a minimalist style of communication and a passion for helping clients communicate their science in simple and concise terms. Outside of science, Alex enjoys playing soccer, long days on the golf course, and any other excuse to get outside.

Andy is the Innovations Manager for BrisSynBio. He is responsible for supporting translation of BrisSynBio's world-class reserach and leads the BrisSynBio Innovation Programme.

Anna is a design writer based in London. Her work centres around design, architecture and science and she has been featured in Wired, VICE and Colossal among other platforms. Her articles can be found on: Annavmmarks.com

Bryce manages media production at SynBioBeta. His goal is to assist SynBioBeta’s push into editorial video, podcasts, and beyond. He’s excited to combine his passion for telling stories through videos with an analytical perspective as he continues a data science degree at UC Davis this fall.

Calvin Schmidt is a Ph.D. candidate in the laboratory of Professor Christina Smolke in the Department of Bioengineering at Stanford University. His research interests involve the use of machine learning to automate the design of biological systems.

He believes that new biological technologies will have a huge impact on fields ranging from healthcare to chemical production to agriculture. He’s looking to connect with entrepreneurs and investors in these fields to learn and provide expertise.

Chris Patil is a writer and scientific editor living in San Francisco. In a previous incarnation, he worked as a biogerontology researcher at UC-San Francisco, the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, and MIT. He tweets about aging, biology, and the future as @DoNotGoGently.

Christina Agapakis is a biologist, writer, and artist known for her experiments exploring the future of biotechnology. She is creative director at Ginkgo Bioworks, a synthetic biology company that specializes in prototyping, designing, and licensing bioengineered microbes to a variety of industries.

Christine Stevenson is a freelance science writer and adjunct professor of biology at the Maricopa Community Colleges in the Phoenix metropolitan area. She holds an M.S. in Biology from Arizona State University and has a background in both wet lab research and venture capital consulting. She lives in Tempe, AZ with her dogs, cats, chickens, and goat.

Daphne Ng is a research fellow at Nanyang Technological University. She has a PhD and BSc from the National University of Singapore. Daphne is a trained microbiologist and her work focuses on the biotechnological applications of microorganisms. When she is not at the laboratory investigating yet another microbial superpower, Daphne writes science articles for the wider audience beyond scientific reviewers.

David is a synthetic biologist and science writer interested in the bioeconomy, bio-based industry, and biopharma.

David Lubkowicz is a synthetic Biologist focusing on microbiome engineering for therapeutic purposes. He strongly believes that engineered probiotics will have a big impact as future therapeutics.

David achieved the goal of his search fund in 2017 by investing in and taking his current role as CEO of NovoNutrients, the “food from CO2” company. For the prior dozen years, he was the sole manager of Aquacopia Ventures, which he had co-founded.

Dominic Falcão is the co-founder of Deep Science Ventures, an environment for audacious entrepreneurial scientists and curious technical founding teams to rapidly explore solutions to world’s challenges.

Eleonora is the Programme Associate for RebelBio. In this capacity, she supports the Program Director with investor, mentor and partner relationships and assists the RebelBio portfolio companies with their fundraising efforts.

A trained microbiologist with over 7 years of experience in microbiome research, Dr. Embriette Hyde is passionate about bringing science to the public. She is currently working as Managing Editor at SynBioBeta and mentors K-12 students through Schmahl Science Workshops, fostering passion for science from a young age.

Best described as an entrepreneur, writer and speaker, Emilia is a young Chilean innovator working in the intersection of science and social impact, hoping to make the world a better place through biotechnology. At 22 she founded Kaitek Labs, one of Chile’s most renowned synthetic biology startups, for which she won numerous prizes, raised public and private capital, and attended business programs in Europe, Asia and Silicon Valley. After 4 years of writing about global biotech in various outlets and seeing the lack of Latin representation in the global scope, she also founded Allbiotech: the first Latin American Biotech network for biotech. She seeks to grow the local ecosystem through scicomm and innovation.

Fiona Mischel is a medical, environmental, and humanitarian tech writer. She frequently covers CRISPR research, sustainable agriculture, and biotech for space travel. She is passionate to show how scientific innovations can combat our climate crisis and positively impact communities worldwide. Her work has appeared in Overture Global and she is a consultant for Healthline and Livestrong.

Gemma Milne is a Freelance Journalist & Podcaster covering science, tech, culture and politics. She is also Co-Host of Science: Disrupt – a podcast interviewing the innovators, iconoclasts & entrepreneurs creating change in science. As a deep tech consultant, she works with the World Economic Forum as one of their Global Shapers, is an Expert Advisor for the European Commission, specialising in health, biotech, energy, advanced computing and space, and is an Innovation Jury Member for SXSW.

Gina Hagler is a freelance writer covering BioTech, Health-Tech, and Sci-Tech. Ms. Hagler has written several science-related books, studied science writing at Johns Hopkins University, and blogs about tech for a number of sites. She enjoys writing about modern tech for readers that share this interest. Learn more about her at her website or LinkedIn.

Hope has a B.A. in Biology from Brown University and received her Ph.D. from Andy Dillin’s lab at UC Berkeley in 2019. Hope’s doctoral work focused on mitochondrial dysfunction and stress signaling. She joined the IGI in January 2019 to assist in scientific communications, translating advances in CRISPR-Cas technologies into lay language.

Ian Haydon is a scientist and science communicator based in Seattle. His writing has appeared in Scientific American, RealClearScience, Salon, the International Business Times and more. He holds a master's degree in biological design and was a 2018 AAAS Mass Media Fellow.

Dr. Jacob Beal is a scientist at Raytheon BBN Technologies, as well as a research affiliate of the University of Iowa. He leads research on analyzing and engineering complex aggregates, such as engineered and natural cells, genetic regulatory networks, sensor networks, and robot swarms. His work in the area of synthetic biology includes development of methods for calibrated flow cytometry, precision analysis and design of genetic regulatory networks, engineering of biological regulatory devices, and standards for representation and communication of biological designs.

James Currier, Managing Partner at NFX, is one of Silicon Valley’s foremost experts in growth and network effects. He’s a four-time serial entrepreneur. He is also a pioneer of user-generated models, viral marketing, a/b testing, crowdsourcing, and myriad other growth techniques now followed by nearly all technology companies. He is a synthetic biology investor, having invested in Genome Compiler and was the first investor in Mammoth Biosciences.

Jenna is a postdoctoral researcher in Jean Peccoud's lab at Colorado State University. Jenna got her PhD in plant biotechnology at UC Davis where she studied gene expression in plants. In addition to expertise in molecular biology, Jenna is an avid science communicator. She tweets, blogs, makes videos, and writes science-based news articles. Before coming to CSU, Jenna interned as a AAAS Mass Media Fellow at The Washington Post, and on the BioDirect team within Monsanto’s Ag Productivity Innovations Organization in Woodland, CA.

John Cumbers is the founder of SynBioBeta. John is passionate about education and on the use and adoption of biological technologies. He has received multiple awards and grants from NASA and the National Academy of Sciences for his work in the field. John has been involved in multiple startups such as those producing food for space, microbes to extract lunar and martian resources, and hoverboards! John is an active investor through the DCVC SynBioBeta Fund and his synthetic biology syndicate on AngelList.

John Murray is a synthetic biology investor and consultant based in Princeton, NJ. He is organizer of the meetup group Life Sciences NYC. John is formerly a Senior Hedge Fund Manager at Goldman Sachs and a high-energy physicist at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). He is co-founder of CERN Alumni New York.

Karl Schmieder, M.S./M.F.A., has been providing strategy and communications counsel services to life sciences companies for more than 20 years. A rare combination of scientist and award-winning copywriter, Karl has a long tenure working with both startups and Fortune 10 life sciences companies developing technologies that disrupt markets. He has counseled multiple startups, launched major pharmaceutical brands (Risperdal, Januvia, Lucentis), and created thought leadership programs for executives at GSK, Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, and PAREXEL. He served as Chief Marketing Officer at One Eleven Software and Chief Strategic Officer at Medikly. He is the co-author of What’s Your Bio Strategy? a book on the impact of synthetic biology on all business.

As Editor and Program Manager, Kevin leads SynBioBeta's digital media content and works with customers and partners to build a world-class community of innovators. Before joining SynBioBeta, Kevin managed the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center. His interests include public engagement, science writing, community building, and bikes!

Kostas Vavitsas is a Research Associate at the University of Athens, Greece. He is also community editor for PLOS Synbio, member of the steering committee of EUSynBioS, and communications editor for Omic Engine and EFB-EBBS. Find him on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Liz is the manager of the UK Centre for Mammalian Synthetic Biology based at the University of Edinburgh.

Best described as a curious person passionate about biotechnology and literature. Luis is currently a Biotechnology innovation PhD student in Mexico, having previously achieved a Master degree in Synthetic Biology at Imperial College London, where he became interested in the potential that biotechnology has to solve many of the problems of our generation worldwide. He strongly believes that creative and adequate science communication is necessary when it comes to the implementation of a disruptive technology.

Marc Salit is a co-founder and Director of the NIST-Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology (JIMB, https://jimb.stanford.edu). JIMB is operated by the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory on behalf of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Marc worked in metrology in chemistry, physics, and biology at NIST from 1990-2018, founding JIMB with Arend Sidow and Drew Endy of Stanford University. His work with the consultative committees of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures was formative for his scientific perspective and his commitment to realizing value for global stakeholders in emerging bioscience disciplines.

JIMB is a platform to connect NIST science, technology, and metrology to the creative power of Stanford University's research, Faculty Groups, and Medical School -- embedded in the innovation hub of Silicon Valley. JIMB is building on NIST's relationships with industry to assure focus on biometrology that makes a difference. JIMB is powered by the partnership of .com, .gov, and .edu in developing foundational metrology so bioscience realizes its potential as the technology of the 21st Century.

Marianna plays a critical role in displaying and communicating SynBioBeta’s message to the world. She manages SynBioBeta’s social media channels and newsletter, and works with the editorial, website, research and marketing teams.

Marilene Pavan is the Manager of DAMP Lab, a cloud-based laboratory harnessing synthetic biology and automation to develop novel biological systems using formal representations of protocols and experiments for the synbio cycle.

Matt Klusas is the Managing Director of West Oxford Advisors. Matt previously held executive roles at Life Technologies, Thermo-Fisher Scientific, and OmniSeq with an emphasis on DNA sequencing. He lives in Washington, DC area.

Meenakshi Prabhune, a science writer and journalist, manages the Synthego blog content. In her free time, one can find her traveling to new places or binge-watching Netflix shows on her couch (both are equally probable). Follow Meenakshi on Twitter (@minu_pr) for her latest updates.

Natalie is a researcher-turned-science-writer born and raised in Seattle. She received a Master's with Distinction in disease biology from the University of Leeds, UK. Apart from a specialization in virology, she has a special fascination with antibiotic resistance, allergies, prehistoric life, marine zoology, ecology, evolution, and bugs. She also has a soft spot for mental health and child development. A former interpretive guide at Yellowstone National Park, she is also a Science Communication Fellow at Pacific Science Center, where she uses a giant Plinko board to illustrate how herd immunity works. Raised on Zoobooks and PBS, Natalie hopes to work with the likes of Science, National Geographic, and NOVA, where she could ignite the same sense of wonder that drove her to become a scientist. She finds her spark in translating scientific research for the insatiably curious.

Niko is a Bioengineering PhD student at the California Institute of Technology. He previously completed his Masters in Systems and Synthetic Biology at Imperial College London as a Fulbright Scholar.

Paul did his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at University College London, followed by a Masters in Systems and Synthetic Biology at Imperial College London. He is a DPhil student on the Interdisciplinary Bioscience DTP.
Paul’s work looks at the mechanisms controlling nitrogen regulation in symbiotic bacteria such as Rhizobium leguminosarum. A particular focus is how cells respond to changes in oxygen concentration, a key signal for nitrogen fixation in part because oxygen is toxic to the nitrogenase enzyme. Beyond understanding how these regulatory mechanisms function, the aim of his project is to modify them through Synthetic Biology approaches to build tools that can be used to engineer nitrogen fixation.

Rodalyn works as a clinical researcher, writer, and breaking news journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her interests are broad and varied, from therapies and medical devices advancing diabetes treatment to public policies supporting social justice. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health from California State University, East Bay. She earned her Master of Public Policy from Mills College.

Ron Shigeta PhD, CSO IndieBio. Ron did his academic training at Princeton, Stanford and Harvard Medical School and is a 15 year veteran of Biotech in the Bay Area, working at Affymetrix and as a serial biotech startup entrepreneur. Being an early adopter and scientific advisor to the Do-it-Yourself Bio (DIYBio) movement has influenced the flavor of lean startup models being created at IndieBio.

Ron is a veteran of the biotechnology industry in the San Francisco Bay Area and has built several startups during his industry career as employee, consultant and principal. Ron was a Scientist for Affymetrix, a bioinformatician, biohacker (at BioCurious) and co-founder of Berkeley BioLabs. He can troubleshoot or build anything in the lab, from cells to robotics! Ron received his PhD in Chemistry from Princeton University focusing in biophysics.

Ros delivers the full operational and strategic development of the SYNBIOCHEM - Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre for Fine and Speciality Chemicals, coordinates the management and engagement activities and is responsible for day-to-day operations and developments in the DESIGN, BUILD, TEST, DATA and RRI platforms.

Dr. Stephen Chambers is a scientist-entrepreneur, committed to starting companies by providing opportunities to innovators. As CEO of SynbiCITE, the UK’s Innovation & Knowledge Center for Synthetic Biology, he supported the recent rapid growth of the synthetic biology sector in the UK. He was also instrumental in establishing the London DNA Foundry at Imperial College. As co-founder of Bio-Start, he ran one of the first accelerator programs dedicated to synthetic biologists. In the US he co-founded Abpro, serving as VP of Technology and was a founding scientist at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, one of the most successful US pharma companies in recent history.

Thomas Meany is the co-founder and CEO of Cell-Free Technology, a biotechnology company that enables high speed DNA circuit testing. Prior to this he held an interdisciplinary fellowship in the University of Cambridge Plant Science Department studying applications of technology in synthetic biology. He holds a PhD in physics and prior to working in biotechnology he developed semiconductor circuits in the quantum information group at Toshiba’s Cambridge Research Labs.

Will Canine, Co-founder and CPO of Opentrons, comes from a background in community organizing and political campaign management, but decided to pursue technology as a more effective way to change the world. Obsessed with microbiology since an early age, Will became interested in open-source lab automation as a lever for accelerating scientific research while working at Genspace during his master’s degree at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program in 2014. When not working to make lab robots for everyone, he likes to read books (always physical copies, particularly sci-fi and evolutionary theory) and go for long runs.

Yan Liu, Program Director at Biocaptivate , is a creative storyteller, a strategist, a visionary who excels at complex thinking and out of box problem solving. He brings talented people together, and he helps people know what they don’t know. He is interested in interdisciplinary matters and social-political issues. Yan is working on finding better ways to integrate science into the fabric of society.