James Coker

James Coker is the Director of the Center for Biotechnology Education, which is a part of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University.
As a Professor and Scientist, James studies life in Earth’s extreme environments and harnesses the unique adaptations of the microorganisms living there for use in biotechnology applications. Using biochemical and genomics approaches, he has been able to reset the activity thermostat of several enzymes and discovered a novel genome-wide system of gene regulation. His research also has helped catalog the limits of life and thereby where it is possible for it to exist in the Universe.
As an Academic Administrator, James has worked to improve STEM education by working with the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning as well as UTeach to train the university faculty and secondary education teachers of tomorrow. He has also long been an advocate of democratizing education and a strong advocate for adult and military students as well as career changers and underserved populations.
James earned two Bachelor of Science degrees in Zoology and Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, as well as a Minor in Philosophy, from Oklahoma State University and received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Microbiology from The Pennsylvania State University.
He currently resides in Washington D.C. and is an ardent supporter of Chelsea F.C. When not working, is either planning his next dive trip or playing with his retired racing greyhound.

Kyle Lauersen

Dr. Kyle J. Lauersen is an Associate Professor (effective July 1, 2025) at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. His group is named Sustainable & Synthetic Biotechnology and has been at KAUST since August 2019. Their main research is focussed on engineering algae through the technologies collectively known as synthetic biology to be green cell factories for waste revalorization. Kyle did his Doctorate of Natural Sciences at Bielefeld University in Germany, and his master’s as well as undergrad at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Tenure-Track Faculty in Biomanufacturing Systems Engineering (All Ranks)

The Carl R. Ice College of Engineering seeks applicants for an open rank tenure-track faculty position, with an anticipated start date of August, 2025. The college is interested in candidates who can contribute to the teaching and research mission of the college and university in the area of biomanufacturing systems engineering. The successful candidate may join the faculty in one of the following disciplines: industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, electrical and computing engineering, chemical engineering, computer science, or mechanical and nuclear engineering.

The successful candidate will be highly collaborative and seek opportunities to develop collaborations with industry to build out an innovation ecosystem with translational research with specific emphasis in integrating and optimizing biomanufacturing systems. The successful applicant will demonstrate an ability to contribute to one or more of the following research areas:
-Smart biomanufacturing through automation, robotics, and digital twins for scalable and efficient biomanufacturing systems,
-Data-driven biomanufacturing systems modeling and simulation,
-Real-time decision-making for biomaterials processing,
-Biomanufacturing systems optimization and control to enhance bioprocessing efficiency, resource allocation, and supply chain logistics.
-Real-time quality control and adaptive process improvements leveraging machine learning, IoT-enabled monitoring, and predictive analytics in biomaterials processing.
-The successful candidate will also be passionate about teaching next generation students both within their discipline and also at the intersections between disciplines.

This position is part of the biomanufacturing initiative in which Kansas State University (K-State) is hiring up to twelve new faculty members at all ranks and in multiple disciplines to enhance our research and instruction strengths that support the growing biomanufacturing industry in the region through innovation and workforce development.

These faculty will bring innovative research and learning that complements our established reputation in agriculture, biosciences, biosecurity, engineering, and veterinary medicine. As an example of this strength, K-State is leading an NSF Engines Development Award for “Advancing biosecurity, biodefense, and biomanufacturing technologies” and is a member of the Kansas City Inclusive Biologics and Biomanufacturing Tech Hub recently designated by the EDA.

Research areas of interest include, but are not limited to, biomaterials development, biomanufacturing processes and systems, bioprocessing, artificial intelligence and machine learning for biomanufacturing, synthetic biology in microbes/plants, synthetic microbial communities, and vector-borne diseases.

Additional information about this exciting initiative can be found at: https://www.kstate.edu/biomanufacturing/constellation.

Response to NITRD NCO RFI on the Development of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan

Publication Date: March 2025

EBRC’s response to OSTP’s Request for Information regarding the development of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan to sustain and enhance the US competitive edge within this strategic technology. AI holds a great deal of promise for engineering biology, but it also potentially introduces new risks. Without guardrails and common sense oversight, AI may be appropriated to inform the creation of hazards that could endanger public health and national security. Further, USG must ensure developers and researchers have access to resources required to develop and deploy the technology. Our response recommends policy actions that promote the creation of a competitive and vibrant AI ecosystem that is safe and secure.

Response to RFI on NIST AISI’s Draft Document: Managing Misuse Risk for Dual-Use Foundation (AI) Models

Publication Date: March 2025

EBRC’s response to NIST’s Request for Comment regarding their draft document: “Managing Misuse Risk for Dual-Use Foundation Models.” Protecting technologies against potential misuse is critical for both scientific advancement and public safety. We support the updated document and recommend that NIST’s AI Safety Institute continues this work by collaborating with the scientific community to: 1) Better characterize risks specific to specialized chemical and biological design tools; and, 2) Develop targeted mitigation strategies that protect innovation while preventing misuse.

Lin Su

Dr. Lin Su is a Lecturer in Engineering Biology at the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London. Prior to this role, he served as a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the University of Cambridge, where he was a member of the Reisner Lab in the Department of Chemistry (2021–2025). During this time, he spearheaded research on bio-hybrid systems for sustainable solar energy conversion. Dr. Su earned his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Southeast University in 2021, where he focused on optimizing electron transfer between microorganisms and synthetic materials. As part of his doctoral training, he undertook a joint PhD research program with Prof. Caroline Ajo-Franklin’s group (2016–2020), conducting synthetic biology research split between Berkeley, CA and Houston, TX.

Dr. Su’s research bridges biology and materials science to address pressing environmental and energy challenges. His group specializes in engineering microbial-material interfaces, with two key focuses: developing biohybrid platforms for semi-artificial photosynthesis to harness solar energy, and creating bioelectronic sensors that enable seamless communication between biological and electronic systems. This work has gained recognition for its potential to advance sustainable technologies, offering novel solutions for clean energy production and next-generation biocompatible devices.

Vinoo Selvarajah

I head iGEM’s Technology Program where I develop new technology-related initiatives and resources, while also supporting existing iGEM ones.

I am also interested in what are the key enabling technologies for developing bioeconomies, and how we can ensure that these are distributed and accessible to ensure that our global bioeconomy is inclusive and safe.

Sonja Billerbeck

Sonja Billerbeck studied Biochemistry and Microbiology at the University of Tübingen, Germany, completing her Master’s thesis at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology (Protein Evolution Department, Lab of Andrei Lupas), where she investigated protein folding mechanisms in archaeal chaperonins. Her participation in the iGEM competition sparked her interest in applied research, leading her to pursue a PhD at ETH Zurich, Switzerland (Biosystems Science and Engineering Department, Lab of Sven Panke). There, she developed enabling technologies for cell-free metabolic engineering, completing her doctorate in 2013.

With funding from a Swiss Mobility Grant and a Simons Junior Fellow Award, Sonja conducted postdoctoral research at Columbia University, New York, in the Chemistry Department (Lab of Virginia Cornish). Her work focused on synthetic biology applications in baker’s yeast.

In 2019, Sonja start her independent career as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Molecular Microbiology at the University of Groningen, Netherlands, where she was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2024. In 2025, she joined the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London, UK, as a Senior Lecturer. Her research program leverages microbial synthetic biology to combat fungal pathogens in medicine and agriculture and develops genetic tools for non-conventional microbes to innovate alternative food production systems.

Beyond her research, Sonja is committed to mentoring and community engagement. She has served as Chair of the Microbial Biotechnology section of the Dutch Biotechnology Association (NBV) and the Royal Dutch Association for Microbiology (KNVM). She co-founded SynBioNL, serves on the iGEM Engineering Committee’s steering group, and is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal OUP Synthetic Biology.

Global Center for Biofoundry Applications

EBRC has been named a key partner in the newly launched Global Center for Biofoundry Applications (GCBA), which was awarded funding in October 2024 as part of the NSF Global Centers for Use-Inspired Research program. This global collaboration will drive innovation in the bioeconomy by addressing one of the field’s key challenges: the lack of global standards for biofoundry applications.

The GCBA will go beyond just technical innovation. It aims to create comprehensive frameworks for ethics and governance, promote public engagement, and develop education initiatives—all aimed at fostering a responsible and inclusive biofoundry community worldwide. These efforts will accelerate the practical application of engineering biology to address critical challenges.

This international effort brings together over 30 investigators from five countries and seven leading biofoundries, including:

iBioFAB at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Agile BioFoundry supported by the U.S. Department of Energy

Living Measurement Systems Foundry at NIST

London Biofoundry at Imperial College London

FinBioFAB at VTT Technical Research Centre

Kobe BioFoundry at Kobe University

Korea Biofoundry at the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB)

Additionally, experts from institutions including Arizona State University, the University of Edinburgh, Osaka University, the University of Tokyo, Keio University, Aalto University, and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) will contribute to the GCBA’s success.

The GCBA is one of six new centers funded through the NSF Global Centers program, representing an investment of nearly $82 million by NSF and its international partners, including agencies from Canada, Finland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom. These centers will address critical global challenges, such as air pollution reduction, waste management, food security, the development of sustainable bioplastics, biofuel production, and leveraging seaweed for sustainable fuel and food production. We are proud that EBRC members are involved as leaders and collaborators in several of these transformative centers, helping to advance global solutions through engineering biology.

We look forward to sharing more updates with you as this exciting project progresses! In the meantime, please also check out our other projects building standards across the engineering biology ecosystem.

Engineering Biology Metrics and Technical Standards for the Global Bioeconomy

Enabling Quality, Measurable Synthetic DNA Sequence Screening

Back to top ⇑