Ramon Gonzalez

Dr. Ramon Gonzalez is a Professor and Florida World Class Scholar in the Department of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering at the University of South Florida (USF) where he leads the laboratory for Metabolic Engineering and Biomanufacturing. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology. Before joining USF, Dr. Gonzalez was a Professor in the Departments of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Bioengineering at Rice University, the Founding Director of Rice’s Advanced Biomanufacturing Initiative, and from 2012 to 2015 served as Program Director with the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) of the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Gonzalez’s work has been published in prestigious scientific journals, including Nature, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Chemical Biology, PNAS, and Science. He is the lead inventor in 25 patents and patent applications, co-founded several biotechnology start-ups, and has given more than 100 invited talks. He is also a member of the editorial boards of Science, Biotechnology Journal, and Metabolic Engineering Communications. Dr. Gonzalez has received numerous recognitions, including elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, AIChE Division 15c Plenary Lecture, ASM Distinguished Lecturer, SDA/NBB Glycerine Innovation Research Award, and NSF CAREER Award. He obtained a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Chile, an M.S. in Biochemical Engineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (Chile), and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the Central University of Las Villas (Cuba).

Chuck Smallwood

Chuck Smallwood has broad expertise investigating and engineering cellular biochemical mechanisms in diverse biosystems including bacteria, cyanobacteria, fungi, plants, and microalgae. Most cellular membrane transport mechanisms are multicomponent protein assemblies that are complex in their expression, signaling, and energy transduction. In these contexts, our group utilizes various biochemical and genetic techniques to investigate cellular systems for improved drug (i.e. antibiotic) discovery, production of biomaterials, and biotechnology development.

Alanna Schepartz

Lauren Junker

Dr. Lauren Junker is an innovation scout for Industrial Biotechnology Research at BASF. She has been a leader in the Industrial Biotechnology research group at BASF for the past 7 years where her teams research focused on microbiome research for personal care, microbial control solutions for personal care and animal nutrition and fermentation process optimization.
Interested in technologies and partners to accelerate Bioscience research at BASF in the areas of industrial biotechnology including industrial enzyme and biocatalyst engineering, strain engineering for bio-based chemical production, fermentation process optimization and microbiome research.

Previous roles include serving as a microbiologist and clinical research scientist within Johnson & Johnson’s Consumer Products Division. She earned her Ph.D. in Microbiology from Cornell University and did a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Harvard Medical School where she conducted research on microbial biofilms. At BASF, Dr. Junker and her team of biotechnologists work together with BASF’s Beauty Care Solutions, Care Chemicals to provide efficacious solutions for skin health, focusing on microbiome benefits.

Qing Sun

Dr. Sun joined The Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering in January 2018 as assistant professor. She obtained her Ph. D. in Dr. Wilfred Chen group at University of Delaware and did her postdoc training in Dr. Timothy Lu group at MIT Synthetic Biology Center.
We focus on synthetic biology with advancing designs and applications. Using our expertise in molecular engineering, protein engineering, and microbial consortia engineering, we are developing new techniques to reprogram gut microbiome, protein machinery and biomaterials. Our current application areas include health, environment and energy

Gigi Gronvall

Gigi Gronvall is a Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Gronvall is the author of the book Synthetic Biology: Safety, Security, and Promise, published in fall 2016 (Health Security Press) and Preparing for Bioterrorism: The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Leadership in Biosecurity. (2013) She is a member of the Novel and Exceptional Technology and Research Advisory Committee (NExTRAC) which provides recommendations to the NIH Director and is a public forum for the discussion of the scientific, safety, and ethical issues associated with emerging biotechnologies. Dr. Gronvall is a member of the Threat Reduction Advisory Committee (TRAC), which provides the Secretary of Defense with independent advice and recommendations on reducing the risk to the United States, its military forces, and its allies and partners posed by nuclear, biological, chemical, and conventional threats. She served as the Science Advisor for the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism from April 2009 until February 2010. Dr. Gronvall is an Associate Editor of the journal Health Security, and is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She was a National Research Council Postdoctoral Associate at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Dr. Gronvall received a BS in biology from Indiana University, Bloomington, worked as a protein chemist at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and received a PhD from Johns Hopkins University for work on T-cell receptor/MHC I interactions.

BioInd Manufacturing Innovation Institute EBRC Team Meeting

Thank you for your interest in the EBRC’s Bioindustrial MII Team. Some of the links below may no longer be active as we progress in the proposal process. If you’re interested in joining or discussing our team, please contact bioindmii@ebrc.org.

The EBRC is hosting a second Bioindustrial MII Team Meeting on March 6, 2020 in Arlington, VA. This meeting is scheduled the day following the Government Proposers’ Day and in the same location. Advance registration is required.

This meeting will include:

A presentation and discussion of proposed institute framework developed based on your input.
Breakout Sessions for each of the working group topic areas. The initial work product of each working group will serve as the basis for the breakout discussions, with a goal of further refining the details of an institutional model. Please see our recent email(s) about joining our working groups and teams to develop the institute. More detail can be found in our updated Q&A document.
Plenary discussion of all topics.

This meeting is open to relevant biomanufacturing stakeholders and is subject to capacity limits. Organizations not US-owned and operated inside the United States should contact BioIndMII@ebrc.org prior to registering. Advance registration is required.

Read our Updated Q&A

IMPORTANT DATES

March 5, 2020 – U.S. Government Proposers’ Day for BioIndMII. Registration with the government required here.
March 6, 2020 – EBRC Meeting will run from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM.

WORKSHOP VENUE & HOST HOTEL INFORMATION:

Marriott Crystal Gateway
1700 Richmond Highway, Arlington, VA | 703-920-3230

Negotiated room rate: $269/night plus taxes/fees at LINK or by calling 1-800-228-9290 and requesting the “EBRC Meeting” rate.

Point of Contact

You may contact the EBRC Team at BioIndMII@ebrc.org

Monica McNerney

Monica is a postdoc at Harvard Medical School in Pam Silver’s lab, and she is using synthetic biology to make new types of mammalian cell devices. She completed a Bioengineering PhD at Georgia Tech in Mark Styczynksi’s lab, where she engineered biosensors that could serve as equipment-free, point-of-care diagnostic tools.

Andrew Hunt

Andrew Hunt is a PhD student in the Jewett Lab at Northwestern University. His research centers on the use of Cell-Free Protein Synthesis to accelerate the pace of design and synthesis of new protein parts for synthetic biology. Andrew is a member of the EBRC Student and Postdoc Association Board and works as a liaison to the education working group.

Cholpisit Ice Kiattisewee

Ice is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Washington working under the supervision of James Carothers and Jesse Zalatan. He works on developing a bacterial CRISPR tool for the genetic rewiring of various microbes mainly for application in Metabolic Engineering and Signaling. He is originally from Thailand where he graduated with B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Organic Chemistry before shifting into the Engineering Biology world. Whenever Seattle weather is permissive, Ice enjoys hiking and surfing apart from getting beaten up in Muay Thai training.

Michael Sheets

As a graduate student in the Dunlop Lab at Boston University, Michael uses optogenetic tools to study the development of antibiotic resistance. His current work focuses on the design & characterization of light-inducible recombinases in bacteria. He is broadly interested in using synthetic biology to combat antibiotic resistance, and incorporating the DBTL cycle into K-12 and undergraduate education.

Malice Analysis, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Register Here

Biology is easier than ever to engineer. This reality requires researchers to take proactive steps to consider the security implications of their work. The Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) is holding an interactive workshop to help you identify potentially malicious applications of your work, mitigation options, and what to do if you identify something and don’t know how to proceed. This four-hour, technically-focused workshop will include plenary presentations and discussion and small group analysis of participant projects. Refreshments will be served culminating with lunch as part of the final debrief. Participants that complete all aspects of the workshop will receive a certificate of completion which can be noted on your CV.

This workshop is supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number, 2017‐ST‐108‐FRG002.

[CANCELLED] Malice Analysis, Georgia Institute of Technology

The Engineering Biology Research Consortium’s Malice Analysis workshop at Georgia Tech on April 10 is cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We appreciate your interest. Feel free to reach out to EBRC at helix@ebrc.org if you would like more information on security in engineering biology.

Biology is easier than ever to engineer. This reality requires researchers to take proactive steps to consider the security implications of their work. The Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) is holding an interactive workshop to help you identify potentially malicious applications of your work, mitigation options, and what to do if you identify something and don’t know how to proceed. This four-hour, technically-focused workshop will include plenary presentations and discussion and small group analysis of participant projects. Refreshments will be served culminating with lunch as part of the final debrief. Participants that complete all aspects of the workshop will receive a certificate of completion which can be noted on your CV.

This workshop is supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number, 2017‐ST‐108‐FRG002.

[CANCELLED] Malice Analysis, Clemson University

The Engineering Biology Research Consortium’s Malice Analysis workshop at Clemson University on April 9 is cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We appreciate your interest. Feel free to reach out to EBRC at helix@ebrc.org if you would like more information on security in engineering biology.

Biology is easier than ever to engineer. This reality requires researchers to take proactive steps to consider the security implications of their work. The Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) is holding an interactive workshop to help you identify potentially malicious applications of your work, mitigation options, and what to do if you identify something and don’t know how to proceed. This four-hour, technically-focused workshop will include plenary presentations and discussion and small group analysis of participant projects. Refreshments will be served culminating with lunch as part of the final debrief. Participants that complete all aspects of the workshop will receive a certificate of completion which can be noted on your CV.

This workshop is supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number, 2017‐ST‐108‐FRG002.

Malice Analysis, University of Michigan

Register Here

Biology is easier than ever to engineer. This reality requires researchers to take proactive steps to consider the security implications of their work. The Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) is holding an interactive workshop to help you identify potentially malicious applications of your work, mitigation options, and what to do if you identify something and don’t know how to proceed. This four-hour, technically-focused workshop will include plenary presentations and discussion and small group analysis of participant projects. Refreshments will be served culminating with lunch as part of the final debrief. Participants that complete all aspects of the workshop will receive a certificate of completion which can be noted on your CV.

This workshop is supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number, 2017‐ST‐108‐FRG002.

[CANCELLED] Malice Analysis, North Carolina State University

The Engineering Biology Research Consortium’s Malice Analysis workshop at NCSU on April 8 is cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We appreciate your interest. Feel free to reach out to EBRC at helix@ebrc.org if you would like more information on security in engineering biology.

Biology is easier than ever to engineer. This reality requires researchers to take proactive steps to consider the security implications of their work. The Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) is holding an interactive workshop to help you identify potentially malicious applications of your work, mitigation options, and what to do if you identify something and don’t know how to proceed. This four-hour, technically-focused workshop will include plenary presentations and discussion and small group analysis of participant projects. Refreshments will be served culminating with lunch as part of the final debrief. Participants that complete all aspects of the workshop will receive a certificate of completion which can be noted on your CV.

This workshop is supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number, 2017‐ST‐108‐FRG002.

[CANCELLED] Malice Analysis, Rice University

The Engineering Biology Research Consortium’s Malice Analysis workshop at Rice University on April 1, 2020 has been cancelled to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We appreciate your interest. Feel free to reach out to EBRC at helix@ebrc.org if you would like more information on security in engineering biology.

Biology is easier than ever to engineer. This reality requires researchers to take proactive steps to consider the security implications of their work. The Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) is holding an interactive workshop to help you identify potentially malicious applications of your work, mitigation options, and what to do if you identify something and don’t know how to proceed. This four-hour, technically-focused workshop will include plenary presentations and discussion and small group analysis of participant projects. Refreshments will be served culminating with lunch as part of the final debrief. Participants that complete all aspects of the workshop will receive a certificate of completion which can be noted on your CV.

This workshop is supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number, 2017‐ST‐108‐FRG002.

[VIRTUAL] Writing Workshop: An EBRC Roadmap for Microbiome Engineering

Participation in this workshop is by invitation only.

Registration for this workshop is now closed. Please contact roadmap@ebrc.org for more information.

As a follow-up to EBRC’s 2019 roadmap Engineering Biology, we are developing a technical research roadmap for microbiome engineering, to be published in Summer 2020. Microbiomes have the capacity to substantially influence their environment in novel ways, and therefore engineering and applying these technologies has broad implications for industry, agriculture, medicine, and other biotechnology sectors. Our primary technical themes focus on spatial and temporal microbiome engineering, stably engineering ecological diversity, and engineering cooperative biosynthesis of compounds to facilitate novel biochemistry.

This (now virtual) writing workshop will be a critical opportunity to elaborate on and refine the technical content of the roadmap, and discuss the application and impacts of engineered microbiomes. Workshop activities are expected to include:

Plenary discussion of existing technical themes, goals, and breakthrough capabilities;

Breakout groups to detail technical milestones, and accompanying Bottlenecks and Potential Solutions;

Breakout groups to draft and revise application sector content, with a particular focus on Health & Medicine, Energy, and Industrial Biotechnology; and

Plenary and breakout group review of material.

Agenda