Advancing the Bioeconomy Industry Ecosystem – an EBRC networking event at SynBioBeta 2026
On the eve of SynBioBeta, come continue to celebrate the Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC)’s 10 Year Anniversary of advancing engineering biology to address national and global needs with an evening of conversation, drinks, and light bites.
The event will feature Advancing the Bioeconomy’s Industry Ecosystem, bringing together leaders from the biotechnology industry to explore the challenges and opportunities in derisking the future of engineering biology innovation. It will also highlight how organizations, like EBRC, can serve as a convening platform, giving collective voice to the community’s needs and priorities.
Speakers include:
- John Dileo, Senior Principal Biotechnologist (MITRE)
- Rebecca Nugent, Venture Partner (Breakout Ventures)
- James Diggans, Vice President, Policy and Biosecurity (Twist Bioscience)
- Alina Meltaus, Chief of Staff (NSCEB)
- India Hook-Barnard, CEO (EBRC)
- More speakers TBA!
Panelists will share perspectives on what it takes to scale biotechnology solutions to address real-world challenges, and what they see as the most pressing priorities and exciting opportunities for the engineering biology community in the years to come.
Date and Time
May 4, 2026 from 5:00-8:00pm PT
Location
The Farmers Union
151 W. Santa Clara St
San Jose, CA 95113
Because space is limited, please register to help us plan. Hope to see you there!
Andrew Arthur
Andrew Arthur brings nearly 30 years of strategic and commercial leadership in the mining industry to his role as CFO and Chief Commercial Development Officer at Endolith. He spent over 20 years at BHP, including a decade as a Vice President across copper strategy, resource engineering, and technical excellence. That tenure included leading strategy and business development for BHP’s copper portfolio from Santiago, Chile, and oversight of legacy asset optimization globally.
Before joining Endolith, Andrew ran his own advisory practice focused on copper legacy assets, working with operators to maximize recovery value and minimize closure risk — precisely the problem set Endolith’s biological intelligence platform is built to solve.
He brings deep expertise in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic planning, and commercial development, and is a qualified accountant. At Endolith, he leads the financial and commercial functions as the company scales deployment with Tier 1 mining partners.
Liz Dennett
Liz Dennett is the founder and CEO of Endolith, a biological intelligence company improving critical mineral recovery in real mining environments. Endolith deploys adaptive microbial systems that integrate with existing heap leach infrastructure to increase copper recovery, with field-validated results from major mining operators including BHP.
Before founding Endolith, Liz was a Solutions Architect at Amazon Web Services, where she worked on scaling digital infrastructure and developed a clear view of the physical mineral constraints underlying the digital economy. That intersection — between the demand for critical materials and the limits of conventional extraction — became the foundation for Endolith’s approach.
Liz holds a PhD and brings together systems thinking, field deployment experience, and a deep conviction that biology, deployed intelligently, can close the gap between what mines produce and what they’re capable of.
Timmi Turley
Timmi Turley is currently a Principal Analyst at EBRC. Her 20+ years of professional experience spans higher education and research organizations. Her background includes leadership roles in higher education strategy, collaborative research initiatives, directing event and program management, and leading donor engagement programs. Most recently, she was a Special Projects Manager at BioMADE. She has a B.S. in Communication and a M.Ed in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Arizona State University.
Internship at Cambridge Biosecurity Hub
Posted: 04/01/2026
About the Company/Organization:
Cambridge Biosecurity Hub
Type: Nonprofit/NGO
Size:
https://www.cambiohub.org/
The Cambridge Biosecurity Hub (CBH) is a team of researchers investigating the risks associated with rapidly developing biotechnologies. They work on concrete research projects that aim to make progress on either technical or policy issues within biosecurity.
Internship Project/Opportunity
Location: Cambridge, UK
Anticipated internship dates: Starting July 6, 2026 for 10 weeks
Target intern experience level: Graduate Students
https://www.aixbiosecurity.com/fellowship
The AIxBiosecurity Fellowship is a 10-week, full-time research programme dedicated to tackling biosecurity risks amplified by recent advances in frontier AI capabilities. We want to support early-career researchers investigate ways to reduce extreme risks from engineered and natural biological threats amid rapidly advancing biotechnology and emerging AI capabilities. Our fellowship is designed to meet this reality.
What we provide
Research Support – Each fellow receives personalised research support from two key sources at ERA: dedicated research managers who provide hands-on guidance throughout the fellowship, and expert mentors from top AI and biosecurity organisations, carefully matched to specific research projects. We also run several research skills workshops and sessions.
This combination ensures that fellows receive both the tactical support to execute their projects and the strategic mentorship to develop their long-term research careers in AIxBiosecurity.
Networking & Learning
We invest in each fellow’s long-term success in the AIxBiosecurity field(s). Throughout the programme, fellows will an opportunity to develop both technical expertise and the professional networks necessary for pursuing impactful careers in this space. We hope to facilitate introductions across the AIxBiosecurity ecosystem: from research institutions and policy organisations to startups and government agencies. For fellows pursuing exceptionally high-impact opportunities, we may also provide additional transition funding to remove financial barriers for impactful careers.
Community
Fellows are immersed in a living-learning research environment in Cambridge. Each fellow receives a dedicated workspace in our office and is housed together with their cohort, enabling both focused research time and more organic collaborations.
We also host regular social events and community activities throughout the fellowship to connect fellows with each other, the wider Cambridge research community, and participants from our concurrent ERA:AI Summer fellowship (www.erafellowship.org).
Full Operational Support
We provide full operational support to our fellows. Concretely, each fellow will receive the equivalent of a £34,125 salary (pro rata), along with housing in Cambridge, and meals during working hours. Please note that all such meals will be vegan / vegetarian. Alongside this, we also provide full visa assistance, and cover travel expenses for international participants.
Our operations team handles all the day-to-day logistics and administrative needs, and fellows have access to tech equipment and research resources, thus allowing you to focus entirely on your research.
Who can apply?
The AIxBio fellowship is a talent-first programme. We hope to support a wide variety of fellows, who are committed to advancing the scientific and policy breakthroughs required for mitigating biosecurity risks amplified by the recent advances in AI capabilities. There are no formal eligibility restrictions beyond being 18 or older, and we also offer full visa support.
Potential fellows may have experience in policy, biology or life sciences, public health, or machine learning.
Our fellows will come from a range of backgrounds (professionally and globally) and are typically at a wide variety of career stages. We think that the AIxBio Fellowship is especially (though not exclusively!) valuable for:
- PhD students looking to align their research with AIxBiosecurity,
- Professionals from adjacent fields (technical or policy) seeking to transition into AIxBiosecurity,
- Early-career researchers looking to deepen their expertise in AI safety and/or biosecurity research, and
- Individuals with unique perspectives that can improve our understanding of the AIxBiosecurity interface.
Application Process
Applications for the Summer AIxBio 2026 fellowship are now open.
If you have any questions, we recommend reading through our FAQs, and then emailing us at biosecurity@erafellowship.org.
Contact: Email
Internship at SoundBio Lab
Posted: 04/01/2026
About the Company/Organization:
SoundBio Lab
Type: Other
Size:
http://sound.bio/
SoundBio Lab advances equity in life sciences by providing resources & education to the greater Seattle area. Through learning by doing we enable community-driven contributions to science, foster interdisciplinary exploration, and encourage career development.
Internship Project/Opportunity
Location: In person at SoundBio Lab: 1100 NE 47th St UNIT 103, Seattle, WA 98105
Anticipated internship dates: July 1st – August 19th, 2026; Mondays & Wednesdays 2:00- 4:00 PM
Target intern experience level: Undergraduate Students
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdj_N1nT2CdvY0snKtAvwUb39ulKQzdaQfrtILd2foaXztwBA/viewform
National Youth Laboratory Summer Internship
High school and undergraduate students are invited to join the Stemtac Foundation and SoundBio Lab for a hands-on summer internship. Interns will design and build a low-cost plate reader while learning about synthetic biology, circuit design, and microcontroller programming—all alongside experienced scientists and STEM professionals.
Stemtac is hosting a virtual info session to answer questions and walk you through the application process:
Virtual Session Details:
- When: Saturday, April 11th, 2026
- Time: 11:00 AM
- Where: Zoom (Link will be provided after registration)
- Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/u/1/d/e/1FAIpQLSdj_N1nT2CdvY0snKtAvwUb39ulKQzdaQfrtILd2foaXztwBA/viewform?usp=send_form
Internship Program Details:
- Application dates: April 1st – April 30th
- Internship dates: July 1st – August 19th; Mondays & Wednesdays 2:00- 4:00 PM
- Location: In person at SoundBio Lab: 1100 NE 47th St UNIT 103, Seattle, WA 98105
- Stipend: Students will receive a $500 stipend upon successful completion of the internship.