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.

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.

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.

Rixin Zhang

Tackle resource competition problems in synthetic biology, aiming to restore gene circuits’ modularity and build robust gene circuits.

sadikshya rijal

Sadikshya Rijal is pursuing her PhD in biological design from Arizona State University. She is affiliated with Dr. Xiaojun Tian’s lab, which focuses on resource allocation of gene circuits and phase separation in bacterial systems.

Abigail Stringer

Joanna Tannous

Joanna Tannous is an associate staff scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee, USA, where she works within the Synthetic Biology group of the Biosciences Division and the Biological and Environmental Systems Science Directorate. Her research focuses on leveraging synthetic biology approaches to develop advanced genome editing tools for non-model fungal species, enabling the study of molecular mechanisms underlying fungal pathogenicity, metabolism, and interactions with hosts and microbial communities. Joanna is also dedicated to uncovering and characterizing novel fungal metabolites using genetic engineering and multi-omics techniques, with an emphasis on their roles in fungal-host interactions and microbiome dynamics.
She holds dual Ph.D.s, one in Pathology, Toxicology, Genetics, and Nutrition from the National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse (INPT), France, and another in Chemistry from St. Joseph University, Lebanon. Prior to joining ORNL, Joanna completed postdoctoral research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Horticulture and Seed Research Institute (IRHS) at the University of Angers, France. She is an active member of the Genetic Society of America (GSA) and the American Society for Microbiology (ASM).

Yalin Li

I am an Assistant Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rutgers University. My research integrates experimental and computational approaches to enhance the sustainability of water and energy systems and advance bioeconomy. Utilizing quantitative sustainable design, I develop open-source platforms for techno-economic analysis, life cycle assessment, and multi-criteria decision analysis to navigate tradeoffs, guide technology research, development, and deployment, and support informed decision and policymaking. I also develop thermochemical and catalytic technologies for valorizing organic wastes into renewable fuels, chemicals, and nutrients, while exploring their applications in environmental engineering for the destruction of emerging contaminants. My goal is to bridge experimental innovations with systemic sustainability insights to advance resource recovery and circular economy principles.

Nicholas Sandoval

Nicholas Sandoval is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Tulane University. Prior to joining the faculty, Dr. Sandoval was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware in the Papoutsakis research group with support from an NIH National Research Service Award. He earned his Ph.D. in 2011 at the University of Colorado Boulder in Ryan Gill’s research group with support from an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Additionally, Dr. Sandoval was a lecturer in the Colorado Mesa University/University of Colorado Mechanical Engineering Partnership Program in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Robert Speight

Dr Robert Speight is Director of the Advanced Engineering Biology (AEB) Future Science Platform (FSP) at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency. CSIRO works with industry, government and the research community to turn science into solutions to address Australia’s greatest challenges through innovative science and technology.
An experienced leader in engineering biology, Robert is recognized in Australia and internationally for his contribution towards the development of industrial biotechnology and synthetic biology industries. As Director of the AEB FSP, Robert is passionate about fostering a collaborative science and technology ecosystem to unlock opportunities for the environment, society, and the economy. The AEB FSP is delivering new innovative tools to fast track the development of biotechnological solutions and new industries in Australia.
Robert joined CSIRO in 2022 and has extensive networks across industry, government, and the Australian engineering biology ecosystem. He has held a number of leadership roles in industry and academia, most recently as Head of the School of Biology and Environmental Science at Queensland University of Technology where he was also Professor of Microbial Biotechnology. Robert received his PhD from the University of Cambridge and BSc from Imperial College London and undertook postdoctoral training at the University of Edinburgh before co-founding Ingenza Ltd.

Bojing Jiang

Bojing Jiang is a Ph.D. candidate in Biomedical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, with a focus on developing protein-based materials for biomedical and environmental applications. Her research integrates synthetic biology, materials science, and tissue engineering to create innovative biomaterials for regenerative medicine, drug delivery, and micro-nanofabrication. Bojing’s work emphasizes sustainability and biocompatibility, leveraging fully protein-based materials to design eco-friendly alternatives with enhanced functionality.

She has contributed to groundbreaking projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including materials for neuron regeneration, vascular repair, and wound healing. Bojing has published in high-impact journals such as Science Advances and Advanced Functional Materials, with her research recognized for its role in advancing green and scalable nanofabrication techniques using protein-based resists.

In addition to her technical expertise, Bojing excels in protein design, gene editing, fermentation, and biomaterials characterization, with a commitment to developing solutions that bridge scientific innovation and real-world impact. She is passionate about contributing to the next generation of healthcare technologies while advancing sustainability in the field of biomedical engineering.

Sara Molinari

Dr. Sara Molinari graduated from the Systems, Synthetic and Physical Biology Ph.D. program at Rice University with a thesis on programming differentiation in bacteria. This work enabled the creation of a novel pattern formation by physically separating genetically distinct cells. As a postdoctoral researcher, she created the first de novo macroscopic living material that grows from engineered bacteria. This work presents the only genetically encoded synthetic matrix that hierarchically assembles cells over four orders of magnitude and allows the genetic control of ELM mechanical and catalytic properties. In her laboratory in the Department of Bioengineering at The University of Maryland College Park, she investigates the design rules for engineering de novo ELMs from different bacteria to enable a wide array of applications. Sara is a full member of the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society, a 2022 Distinguished Young Scholar (UWDYSS), a 2022 BME Future Faculty, and a rising star at the SynBYSS seminar series.

Wheaton Schroeder

Wheaton Schroeder is a new Assistant Professor at Washington State University in the Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering (started in August 2024). His research lab specializes in computational metabolic modeling (often referred to as genome-scale modeling) with various applications. Emerging applications in his research includes studying neurometabolic coupling (through the Astrocyte-Neuron Lactate Shuttle) including its role in seizures and designing an inducible cyanobacteria bioproduction platform leveraging the heterogeneity in photobioreactors for division of labor. Previous to his current position, Wheaton was most recently a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University advised by Costas D. Maranas (for three years). In this position, his research, still in systems biology, was funded by the Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI). In CBI, his research focused on fundamental understanding of the target organism for consolidated bioprocessing, Clostridium thermocellum, and improved phenotype of process feedstock, Populus tricocarpa. In this role, he worked closely with synthetic biologists for hypothesis testing and model validation. Wheaton earned his Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, advised by Rajib Saha. In his doctoral studies, Wheaton applied mathematical modeling to designing and modeling genetic circuits, creating a lifecycle model for the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, studying fungal melanogenesis, and studying nitrogen-stressed maize root metabolism, among other application. Given this diversity of application, his thesis was entitled “Creation and Application of Various Tools for the Reconstruction, Curation, and Analysis of Genome-Scale Models of Metabolism”, defended in June of 2021. Wheaton earned a Bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering and Mathematics at Iowa State University in May of 2015.

Leopold Green

Leo Green is an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Purdue University. His research program converges DNA nanotechnology, microbiome engineering, and computational models to design bacterial theanostics.

James Saenz

Research Summary
My lab’s research merges my unique background in geochemistry and microbiology and my interest in synthetic biology and bioengineering to unravel and harness the role of lipids in organizing bioactivity. My lab has recently pioneered two fronts:

1. Minimal Microbial Models for Membrane Biology: We’ve established minimal bacterial systems, notably pathogenic mycoplasma and the Minimal Cell (JCVI-Syn3), as modifiable membrane platforms amenable to synthetic genomics. This approach allows us to dissect and manipulate cell membranes, offering unique insights into lipid-mediated cellular functions and interactions. We have developed approaches to tune and minimize mycoplasma and Syn3 lipidomes, demonstrating that two lipids are sufficient (but far from optimal) for life. Using these minimal bacterial organisms, we can reintroduce genomic and chemical complexity to elucidate the crucial components of a functional cell membrane, with the ultimate goal of designing bespoke synthetic cell membranes. Expanding from studies of individual lipids, we aim to understand and engineer the lipidome’s complexity and its impact on cellular behavior in the context of environments from mammalian hosts to oceans and soils.

2. Novel Membrane Sense and Response Mechanisms based on RNA-Lipid Interactions: A groundbreaking direction in our research is exploring how lipids can selectively interact with, and modulate RNAs. Beyond exploring lipid functions, this work paves the way for developing RNA-lipid interactions to create synthetic membrane sensors and riboregulatory mechanisms. The potential to design lipid-sensitive RNAs opens new avenues for synthetic biology applications, including novel forms of lipid regulation and membrane homeostasis.

Sana Zakaria

Sana Zakaria is a Research Leader, and a Global RAND Scholar working emerging technologies and their intersection. Her work focusses on assessing the societal and biosecurity implications of technological advancement, and unpacking the factors affecting technology demand and supply, assessing oversight mechanisms for technology, and building resilience and preparedness in society.
She is currently leading on evaluating the PATH-SAFE programme, a pilot programme on interconnectivity of the UK-wide genomic
biosurveillance ecosystem. She is working with UK MoD on bioattribution workflows and capacity building. Her other key project involves assessing oversight mechanisms in embryology, brain computer interfaces, engineering biology and organoids. She is also leading on a project developing a global risk index to manage dual use risks from AI powered biological tools. She currently sits on an expert scientific group to the BWC to provide expert advice on science and technology mechanism, compliance and verification and international cooperation and assistance.

George Church

Harvard PhD 1984. Professor at Harvard & MIT 1986, co-author of 716 papers, 164 patent publications & book “Regenesis”; developed methods used for the first genome sequence (1994) & 10M-fold cost reduction (fluor-NGS & nanopores), molecular barcoding/ multiplexing, DNA assembly from chips, genome editing/writing/recoding; co-initiated BRAIN Initiative (2011) & Genome Projects (GP-Read-1984, GP-Write-2016, PGP-2005:first open-access personal/precision medicine data & cells); machine learning for protein engineering, tissue reprogramming, organoids, gene therapy, aging reversal, xeno-transplantation, in situ 3D DNA/RNA/protein imaging.

P. C. Dave P. Dingal

My research focuses on the interplay between extrinsic and intrinsic signals that affect cell behavior by building cutting-edge molecular tools to measure and perturb such signals. Most molecular tools are being developed and function well in vitro. Current technologies are unable to measure signaling in its native context in vivo, mainly due to lack of signal amplification, slow kinetics, and incompatibility of reagents. I aim to develop and translate some of these tools in vivo to help solve issues of biomedical relevance.

My graduate training combined biophysical and systems-biology approaches for the mechano-chemical control of adult human stem cells.With my engineering background, my postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University focused on developing synthetic biological tools to measure signals that induce cell fate. I developed a versatile receptor-based tool called CRISPR ChaCha, which senses the immediate microenvironment and activate novel genomic expression programs via CRISPR-Cas9. At Harvard University, I created molecular tools that control the secretion and sensing of signals as they arise in the developing zebrafish embryo.

As an Assistant Professor at UT Dallas, my research laboratory is developing cutting-edge tools to measure and characterize signaling mechanisms in vivo. We are developing innovative uses of biological molecules in vivo, including CRISPR/Cas systems, synthetic proteases, and fluorescent probes to gain deeper insights into endogenous signal release and response in early embryos and in the brain.

Chris Vaiana

Erin Garza

Dr. Garza received her master’s and PhD in microbiology from Northern Illinois University. Her graduate work involved genetically engineering biofuel pathways, like homoethanol and butanol, into Escherichia coli. Dr. Garza completed a postdoc at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) where she is currently a staff scientist in the synthetic biology department. Her research involves genetically engineering bacteria and diatoms to produce compounds of interest, elucidating plastic degradation pathways in marine organisms, domesticating and characterizing genetic parts for DNA cloning libraries, and developing and optimizing cloning techniques for non-model organisms.

Dr. Garza has worked on numerous research projects, but her main interest involves studying the microbiome of deep-sea plastics in an attempt to locate and engineer new plastic degrading organisms and to determine the effects of plastic pollution on the ocean and its ecology. She is currently working towards attaining an assistant professor position at JCVI.

Back to top ⇑