Science Policy Postdocs

The Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) is seeking postdoctoral scholars interested in science policy. Postdocs will leverage their previous training to work with EBRC programs and to conduct an individual research project.

EBRC is a non-profit, public-private partnership dedicated to bringing together an inclusive community committed to advancing engineering biology to address national and global needs. We showcase cutting-edge research in engineering biology, identify pressing challenges and opportunities in research and application, and articulate compelling research roadmaps and programs to address these challenges and opportunities.

Applications are being accepted for those with interest in engineering biology and related technical and policy influences and impacts, and those interested in any of our four focus areas: Technical Research Roadmapping, Security, Education & Workforce Development, and Policy & International Engagement. Applicants with particular knowledge, experience, and/or expertise in one of the five Application and Impact Sectors (i.e., Environment Biotechnology & Climate, Food & Agriculture, Energy, Health & Medicine, Industrial Biotechnology) and/or the four Technical Themes (i.e., Data Science, Engineering DNA, Host Engineering, Biomolecular Engineering) described in EBRC’s Engineering Biology: A Research Roadmap for the Next-Generation Bioeconomy (2019), are encouraged. Roughly 75% of the postdoc’s time will be dedicated to EBRC projects related to bioeconomy and/or in the focus areas (more detail below).

EBRC Focus Areas:

Technical Research Roadmapping: Working with EBRC’s Roadmapping Director, postdocs in this focus area will develop and curate technical content EBRC’s research roadmaps. A national-scale effort, postdocs will engage with the EBRC membership and other subject matter experts by facilitating interactions with the working group, executing workshops and working meetings, and performing independent literature research to ensure the best expertise is brought to bear in material development. Postdocs will gain experience in effective engagement and project management with the research community and focus on advancing research programs and opportunities across engineering biology.

Security & Engineering Biology: The postdoc will develop and deliver papers, briefings, and course materials on security and engineering biology. EBRC approaches this topic bidirectionally asking both how advances in engineering biology affect the security landscape and how changes in security policy can influence engineering biology research and development practices. The postdoc will engage with stakeholders ranging from undergraduates to senior government policy makers, so a strong ability to tailor communications to a specific audience is necessary for success. The postdoc will have the opportunity to interact with the national security and policy communities on issues relevant to engineering biology.

Education & Engagement: The postdoc will work closely with the Education working group and through independent research to understand and advance the engineering biology education landscape and workforce pipeline in the US, with a focus on increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion, and in coordination with the efforts of other organizations. Currently, EBRC is focused on developing projects, programs, and resources for students and educators to strengthen engineering biology curricula, interest, and engagement. The postdoc will also engage in a landscaping effort to understand the needs and challenges for the engineering biology workforce pipeline towards the potential development of a roadmap for engineering biology education and integration with the EBRC technical roadmaps for engineering biology.

Policy & International Engagement: The postdoc will work with the Policy & International Engagement working group on a wide range of topics not covered in the other three working groups. Efforts typically focus on US developments in the bioeconomy and how EBRC can effectively inform governmental decision making. This focus area is generally the focal point for preparing responses to formal RFIs. Internationally, EBRC is focused on understanding and engaging with the global bioeconomy, engineering biology strategies in different countries, and multinational governance like the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Postdocs will be an integral part of the EBRC Team and will have the opportunity to learn and make significant contributions during their appointment. In addition to the independent and focus area projects outlined above, postdocs will participate in EBRC core activities (annual meetings and retreats); contribute to EBRC cross-cutting efforts regarding bioeconomy advancement, responsible innovation, and diversity, equity, and inclusion; have opportunities for relevant training in science policy; and meet government officials and policymakers through EBRC events and, when possible, periodic trips to Washington, DC.

The EBRC Science Policy Postdoc is intended as a full time, one year appointment located in the San Francisco Bay Area. All EBRC postdocs will spend roughly 25% of their time working with Doug Friedman (EBRC President) on an agreed-upon individual science policy research project. Postdocs will develop their project based on a topic of interest and consistent with EBRC’s overall mission and strategic goals. Strong projects will leverage the postdoc’s technical background, their policy area of interest, and EBRC’s network and relationships in the engineering biology research community and throughout the US government.

Those interested are encouraged to send their CV and a Cover Letter as a single PDF to EBRC’s Executive Director India Hook-Barnard (ihb@ebrc.org) and copy postdoc@ebrc.org. In your cover letter, please indicate the focus area(s) of interest as well as initial ideas for your independent project.

Diversity statement: EBRC is interested in candidates who will contribute to diversity and equal opportunity in higher education and the engineering biology field through their work.

We offer competitive salaries commensurate with experience, as well as a comprehensive benefits package which includes medical, dental, vision insurance, 401(k)-retirement plan with a 6% match, short- and long-term disability, basic and supplemental life insurance, PTO, and a generous holiday calendar.

EBRC is an equal opportunity employer to all and makes hiring and employment decisions without regard to age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Bioindustrial Manufacturing And Design Ecosystem

We are excited to announce that we have been selected to establish the Department of Defense’s Bioindustrial Manufacturing Innovation Institute. You can find some initial information below and we encourage you to subscribe for updates.

Follow @thebiomade Tweet #BioMADEfuture

Press Release

U.S. Department of Defense awards $87.5 million to EBRC-led BioMADE establishing the Bioindustrial Manufacturing Innovation Institute

EMERYVILLE, Calif. – The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded a Cooperative Agreement to establish the Bioindustrial Manufacturing And Design Ecosystem, or BioMADE. Established by the Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC), BioMADE joins eight DoD-sponsored Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MII) as part of the Manufacturing USA network and becomes the 16th institute creating an end-to-end ecosystems for domestic manufacturing to secure America’s future through manufacturing innovation, education, and collaboration. The 7-year award includes $87.5M in federal funds and is being matched by more than $180M from non-federal sources.

“The Department of Defense is committed to promoting U.S. biotechnology innovation and securing America’s bioindustrial base. Through today’s award, we are pleased to work with new partners to accelerate the Department’s biotechnology modernization and the development of this field which is so critical to our Nation’s future security and prosperity,” said Michael Kratsios, Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

For over a century, America has used biology to manufacture products like fuels and solvents. In recent decades, products such as lactic acid have led to the development of renewable plastics not dependent on crude oil. Today, a vast array of renewable products produced by the latest advances in engineering biology are entering nearly every sector of the economy.

“Bridging the gap between lab-scale research and at-scale manufacturing, BioMADE builds an on-ramp to accelerate commercialization of biotechnology inventions originating from American R&D in universities, start-ups, and National Labs. I am grateful to the proposal team of more than 30 companies, 33 universities, 24 community colleges, and 6 nonprofits across 31 states that worked with us to develop a winning proposal” says Douglas Friedman, Executive Director of EBRC and CEO of BioMADE.

Modern biotechnology benefits from a rapid convergence of technologies which historically have not worked in concert. Specifically, biomanufacturing materials at scale with biology requires complex coordination of automation, computational sciences, process engineering, and materials sciences in an environment that promotes safe and equitable deployment of technologies. BioMADE will marshal insights from manufacturers and innovators advancing bioindustrial manufacturing technologies while simultaneously enhancing the structure of this young but robust innovation ecosystem.

Minnesota-based Cargill was an active participant in BioMADE’s development and looks forward to bringing its longstanding biomanufacturing capabilities to the institute. “We are excited that the Department of Defense has selected BioMADE to establish the Bioindustrial Manufacturing Innovation Institute.” says Florian Schattenmann, CTO of Cargill. “We are excited to work with BioMADE and the rest of the industry to identify and innovate on shared challenges in scaleup and downstream processing to further strengthen the US economy in the production of bioindustrial products.”

BioMADE is poised to be headquartered on the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota, a top ten U.S. public research university and a leader in chemical engineering, materials science, genomics, computational biology, and high-performance computing.

“We are honored to host BioMADE and believe that this institute will advance a new and significant biomanufacturing innovation ecosystem,” said University President Joan T.A. Gabel. “Our region–the Bold North–is home to 16 Fortune 500 companies and a highly sought-after educated workforce. We anticipate many future industrial biomanufacturing firms being created here, taking advantage of proximity to the agricultural raw materials needed for their production, the depth of talent we offer, and the business infrastructure that already serves related firms like Cargill, General Mills, CHS, and Land O’Lakes.”

Slated to join the University’s soon-to-be-constructed Microbial Cell Production Facility (MCPF), BioMADE’s internal efforts will focus on scale-up and downstream processing of laboratory R&D to commercial production. Working seamlessly with satellite offices in Berkeley, CA and Cambridge, MA, and with partners across the country, BioMADE will focus on catalyzing the creation of a secure domestic supply chain of bioindustrial products.

Zach Serber, CSO and co-founder of Zymergen – a Bay Area science and materials innovation company – says, “Zymergen is thrilled to work with BioMADE to identify industry needs and advance technologies and programs that will help the entire bio economy by bringing innovative, high performance and sustainable products to market faster. The BioMADE team fills an important role in this emerging category; providing proof-of-concept manufacturing capacity and helping develop key capabilities in the manufacturing workforce, both of which are critical to strengthening U.S. competitiveness. We are proud to be a part of this initiative and look forward to working with other partner organizations.”

In addition to its focus on technical innovation, education and workforce development are central to BioMADE’s mission to train and ready a robust domestic workforce for manufacturing jobs across the industry. Collaborating with a national network of biotechnology focussed training institutions and organizations, BioMADE will reach across the educational spectrum and across the country to expand biotechnology training to include biomanufacturing.

A commitment to incorporating ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) will be part of the fabric of BioMADE. All technical, educational, workforce, and community projects will include effort dedicated to relevant ELSI topics. Members will have access to experts in bioethics, biosecurity, biosafety, and other ELSI topics while dedicated ELSI advisors will work alongside BioMADE’s technical and workforce leadership.

“We at EBRC could not have led this team without the critical insights and involvement of our partner institutions, and their commitment to the vision of a thriving public-private solution to advance domestic biomanufacturing,” said Friedman. “Turning to the future, we look forward to an inclusive and comprehensive ecosystem of institutions across the country, unified with the goal of advancing US biomanufacturing capabilities, creating products that are as high performing as they are environmentally sustainable.”

Open Postdoc Positions (2020)

EBRC and UC Berkeley are seeking postdoctoral scholars interested in science policy. Postdocs will leverage their previous training to work with EBRC programs and to conduct an individual research project in one of EBRC’s focus areas. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis with positions open in the last summer / early fall 2020.

#ShutDownSTEM

Dear Colleagues,

We at EBRC have been heartened by the sharing of research and community growth we’ve seen through our virtual seminar series this spring. As such, we are continuing the series through the summer. We invite you to join us! You can see the lineup and register for seminars on our website. When you register, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to join the event. The email also allows you to add seminars to your calendar. The lineup is not yet complete, so do check back regularly.

We would also like you to know that EBRC has decided to postpone tomorrow’s seminar on Enzyme Engineering in recognition of the #ShutDownSTEM movement. We thank tomorrow’s scheduled speakers for their gracious support of this decision and have rescheduled their seminar for Wednesday, June 17 at 1pm Pacific / 4pm Eastern. All current registrants will be automatically transferred; no need to re-register.

#ShutDownSTEM is a grassroots movement creating the time and space for us all to pause from business as usual to consider what actionable steps we can take toward “eradicat[ing] racism and creat[ing] a just, equitable and inclusive STEM field.” The organizers of ShutDownSTEM suggest that during this day, Black academics and STEM professionals take the time they need to heal and prioritize their own needs. The organizers encourage the rest of us to educate ourselves and develop plans for action.

We encourage you to take time tomorrow to think about what you can do individually and in your labs, departments, and organizations to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM. Here are some resources and information from ShutDownSTEM. AAAS has also put together some resources that you might find helpful.

As affirmed last week, EBRC “pledge[s] to leverage our collective will and use our voice to promote required change. We will redouble our efforts to build a united and diverse community that understands the past and identifies continued inequities and injustice in our community; and loudly, persistently, and consistently call out racism in our community.” (Read our full statement here.)

We look forward to actively building that united and diverse community with you, and hope to see you next week when our seminar series resumes in full force with our postponed seminar on Wednesday June 17 in addition to Tuesday June 16’s regularly scheduled seminar.

Sincerely,
Becky Mackelprang

Member Communications Update

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past months, EBRC has been considering ways to improve communication with the membership and find ways to have meaningful engagements in the absence of in person interactions. Along with this, we’ve been considering ways to make it easier to engage in conversations with colleagues in EBRC, especially within our four focus areas.

The BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)

Trello: We will discontinue using Trello w/ the membership. Those of you on current boards will be removed in the coming days. Please note that some previously sent calendar invites may contain links that may be inactive.

Slack: All EBRC members are invited to join our Slack workspace. Colleagues from industry and government can join Slack at this link using your institutional email address. Individual members are automatically invited. If the email address you primarily use is not listed or you have any other issues, please contact helix@ebrc.org.

Key elements of the EBRC Slack workspace:

The EBRC Slack is open to EBRC Individual Members (not students / postdocs) and employees from EBRC Member Companies & Government agencies. EBRC Student & Postdoc Association leadership (SPA Board) are the only lab members on Slack.
EBRC Council & Working Group members are strongly encouraged to join. Discussion and links around working topics will be included in relevant channels.
Interact with colleagues across the engineering biology ecosystem between events.
For further details see our EBRC Slack one-pager.

Google: We will continue to use G Suite (Drive, Docs, Sheets) as we have been.

Email Newsletter: We’re starting a regular monthly newsletter.

More Detail:

Trello: We currently use Trello extensively with the EBRC staff, but it’s seen mixed use with the working groups and committees. The EBRC Slack workspace is intended to replace Trello’s functionality as a platform for discussion, some working group announcements, and links to pertinent documents.

G Suite: EBRC pays for G Suite services (at ebrc.org) and we use it extensively. We plan to keep using it with the working groups and committees and moving some of the positive aspects of Trello to it. For example, dynamic meeting agendas can be captured in a Google Doc vs. Trello card. These documents will be linked in Slack. See next.

Slack: Engagement across the membership, and with the EBRC staff, is important. We would like to try to enable more dialog across the membership on relevant topics. We tried to use Trello cards for this, but it hasn’t worked as robustly as we’d like. With an increasing number of labs / companies using Slack, we will use this platform for discussions in each of the four program areas, and could use it for discussion with (for example) the EBRC Council.

Email Newsletter: We will be putting out a monthly newsletter, starting mid-June. The newsletter will provide useful updates and announcements from EBRC and will supplement information provided through other ways. We realize that some companies won’t be able to use various technology solutions (e.g., Slack or Google), and this will always be accessible.

We look forward to continued engagement and dialogue with you.

Best,
Doug

Statement from EBRC

The EBRC community expresses our sadness, outrage, and pain in the wake of the murders of George Floyd. We stand with those around the country calling for justice and the urgent need to address the deep-seated systemic and institutional racism in our society. Long-standing and persistent anti-Black racism, including in the scientific and engineering community, must be addressed – now.

Diversity, inclusion, and anti-discrimination have been core values of the EBRC since our creation. But we, as an organization, extended community, and society, have not done enough to address the lasting and persistent stains of racism. We hear our Black members, colleagues, friends, and families that experience systemic racism, discrimination, and injustice directly.

We often ask why do we have so few Black colleagues in STEM? We need to be asking what can we do to ensure we have more Black colleagues in STEM? We don’t have to stand by while long-term institutional racism persists in our community. And we won’t.

We call for concerted action to promote justice, equality, and inclusion. We pledge to leverage our collective will and use our voice to promote required change. We will redouble our efforts to build a united and diverse community that understands the past and identifies continued inequities and injustice in our community; and loudly, persistently, and consistently call out racism in our community.

EBRC believes that we can advance engineering biology, and society, through coordination and collaboration. That must include our Black colleagues and doing what we can to ensure their numbers grow and they have the space to thrive.

Council Member Form

Eric Lee

Eric recently received his PhD in Infectious Diseases and Immunity at the University of California, Berkeley. In graduate school, he studied isoprenoid metabolism in the bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Outside of the lab, he was an active member of the Science Policy Group at Berkeley and was involved with science advocacy at the local, state, and federal levels, most notably by working with Assemblymember Bill Quirk to propose California Assembly Bill 1178, which aimed to increase labeling standards for over-the-counter probiotic supplements. In his spare time, he enjoys windsurfing at the Berkeley marina. He will primarily be working with the EBRC Roadmapping Working Group.

Becky Mackelprang

Becky received her Ph.D. in Plant Biology in 2017 from UC Berkeley where she studied plant responses to bacterial and fungal pathogens. Interested in supporting science away from the bench, she completed a science communication postdoc with Dr. Peggy Lemaux and was an AAAS Mass Media Fellow at Ensia where she wrote about agriculture and biotechnology. She joined EBRC in 2019 as a postdoc supporting the Security Focus Area and has transitioned to a new role as EBRC’s Associate Director for Security Programs.

WEF Blog on Biofoundries

Check out the World Economic Forum blog post by Natalie Curach, Paul Freement, Sang Yup Lee, and Doug Friedman: How scientists are turning living cells into the tiny factories of the future.

Anne Meyer

The Meyer lab performs research targeted at re-engineering bacteria to synthesize bio-inspired materials with improved properties. This approach has the potential to replace traditional chemical approaches that require extreme environmental conditions, expensive equipment, and the generation of hazardous waste. As a first step we have targeted bacterial production of patterned artificial nacre, a biomineralized material lining seashells that combines high mechanical strength with high fracture toughness. Combination of our biological materials-producing systems with our newly developed 3D bacterial printers will allow the rapid and straight-forward production of spatially structured biomaterials.

[VIRTUAL] EBRC 2020 Annual Meeting

While we are disappointed that we have been forced to cancel our annual meeting in Houston, we would like to take advantage of the blocked time on your calendar by conducting a number of activities, including our Working Group meetings, in a virtual format. These meetings will be held consecutively to facilitate participation by any members that care to join. We encourage any and all of you to listen in to those working groups that may be of interest to you. This is a great opportunity to get involved with what we’re doing. Below is full list of EBRC activities including:

Working Group Meetings

Student and Postdoc Association SBIR Workshop

Virtual Seminar Series

Review of an EBRC ethics statement

Virtual Poster Session

Here are the schedule and registration links for the Working Group meetings and SPA workshop:

Thursday, April 2nd

Security: 9:00-11:00 PDT

Education: 11:00-13:00

Interactive/live poster session: 13:30-15:00

Friday, April 3rd

Policy & International Engagement: 9:00-11:00

SBIR workshop: 9:00-10:30

Roadmapping: 11:00-13:00

Please use the links to register for the meeting or meetings you intend to attend. A calendar invite containing an agenda and ZOOM information for each event will follow shortly.

SPA Workshop/Panel:
How to Apply for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Grant

Are you a graduate student or postdoc interested in entrepreneurship or looking to commercialize your research? Join the SPA for a panel on the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, a federal program that provides funding for startups and small businesses to engage in innovative research and development with commercialization potential. Our panel features Dr. Erik Pierstorff (SBIR/STTR Program Director at the National Science Foundation), Dr. Rachel Jordan (Research Scientist at Lynntech, Inc.), and Dr. Michael Heffernan (Principal at Fannin Innovation Studio).

Weekly Seminar Series:
In order to supplement the departmental seminars that have been cancelled in recent days, the EBRC will be holding a Weekly Seminar Series. We will be reaching out to the speakers we had scheduled for the annual meeting to begin building the program. But please feel free to connect me with colleagues interested in speaking to us, EBRC members or not. The times will be Tuesdays at 11:00 AM (PDT) one week, and Wednesdays at 1:00 PM (PDT) the following week, alternating for the duration of the program. This alternating schedule will allow the majority of members to attend at least every other week, despite class schedules. A schedule of dates and speakers will be published on ebrc.org prior to the virtual meetings.

EBRC Ethic Statement:
The EBRC Security Working Group has been developing an Ethics statement for the Consortium. The statement as well as background and framing information will be distributed on Friday March 20, 2020. We request that the other Working Groups dedicate some portion of their time to reviewing and commenting on this statement. The Security Working Group will address comments and work with Working Group Chairs and interested parties to produce a “final” version to be socialized with the whole of the membership prior to publication on the website. We look forward to your input and comments.

Virtual Poster Session:
In lieu of a poster session at the Annual Meeting, we are organizing a virtual “poster hall” that will be available from March 31 through April 3. Presenters will be asked to send a poster PDF or 4-5 PowerPoint slides to helix@ebrc.org by 11:59 PM PDT on March 29. Alternative media formats (e.g., a 5-min Zoom presentation or Prezi presentation) are welcome as supplements. On March 31, links to view posters on Google Drive will be provided to those who register for the poster session. By managing permission settings for viewing the posters, we aim to limit dissemination beyond those associated with our meeting. However, we recognize that some may not feel comfortable with unpublished work being available online, even to a restricted group. If that is the case, presenters should focus their posters on previously published data.

On Thursday April 2 after the working group meetings, we will host a live poster session using Zoom. Presenters will be divided into small groups (3-4 people) and assigned to a Zoom discussion room. Attendees will be able to enter rooms to speak with poster presenters.

General instructions about the ZOOM platform will be distributed shortly. Specifics on the working group sessions will be sent out by the chairs of those groups prior to the meeting. We look forward to your participation in moving forward the goals of our field.

EBRC Seeking Science Policy Postdocs

UC Berkeley and the Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) are seeking postdoctoral scholars interested in science policy. Learn more and apply today.

Global Biofoundry Alliance Launches

A group of over 15 biofoundries from around the world came together in in Kobe, Japan to launch the Global Biofoundry Alliance. Read more about it in Nature Communications.

SynBioBeta 2019: The Global Synthetic Biology Summit

SynBioBeta is where tech meets bio and bio meets tech. Meet the innovators and companies, find new opportunities, partner up and discover the potential of the biological industrial revolution. Join attendees on October 1-3, 2019 in San Francisco to see how synthetic biology is disrupting consumer products, food, agriculture, medicine, chemicals, materials, and more.

Mike O’Keefe

Dr. O’Keefe supports the Department of Defense in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Chemical and Biological Defense, advising senior decision makers on science and technology, with an emphasis on synthetic biology and advanced biotechnologies. In prior positions, he supported the Department of Homeland Security and served a career as a military officer, culminating in directing the Defense Department’s Chemical and Biological Defense Science and Technology portfolio

Jussi Jantti

Mike Fero

Michael Fero is a Co-Founder and CEO of TeselaGen Biotechnology Inc., a San Francisco based software company that has built Synthetic Evolution® – the AI driven operating system for synthetic biology. Michael received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of California and contributed to the verification of the Standard Model at CERN and SLAC via the world’s most precise measurement of the Weinberg angle governing the coupling between the electromagnetic and weak interactions. Dr. Fero’s interest in biology led to a collaboration with Pat Brown and David Botstein at Stanford to build the world’s first human genome microarrays and do early research on expression level characterization of cancer cells. Dr. Fero then turned to systems biology where, in collaboration with Lucy Shapiro and Harley McAdams, he developed an automated high content diffraction limited microscopic screen of triply fluorescently tagged bacteria to better understand the bacterial cell cycle. Afterwards, Dr. Fero and two Stanford Shapiro/McAdams Lab colleagues started TeselaGen Biotechnology as a way to accelerate synthetic biology and the bio-based economy. Seeing a big deficiency in biologists’ ability to create what they imagine, TeselaGen focuses on making the mind to molecule process easier and faster with an AI driven, cloud-based enterprise platform for synthetic biology.

Carrie Cizauskas

Carrie Cizauskas holds a veterinary degree (DVM) from Cornell and a PhD in disease ecology from the University of California Berkeley. Carrie started doing research as an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, completing a senior honors thesis on the immunology of malaria and earning the College of Letters and Science Dean’s Prize. Their veterinary work focused on wildlife and population medicine, leading to NIH EEID-supported graduate research in the Wayne Getz lab in the Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management at Berkeley on the ecological immunology and physiology of environmentally-transmitted coinfections in wildlife. Carrie did a Grand Challenges-supported postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton with Andy Dobson and Andrea Graham, researching interactions between the gut microbiome and macroparasites in wild non-human primates, and examining issues of infectious disease eradication and conservation. Carrie then made the leap from academia to industry, and now works as the Manager of Publishing and Academic Relations at Zymergen. As such, they work across the company to determine how to analyze data from interdisciplinary projects and publish on research involving microbiology, molecular biology, chemistry, data science, machine learning, and automation.