UNDIR – Graduate Professional Programme

UNIDIR – Non-resident Fellows

UNIDIR – Visiting Researcher Programme

Sandia National Laboratories International Internship Program

Belfer Fellowship in Science and International Affairs – International Security Program

Horizon Fellowship

Suggest an Opportunity (BISON)

BIoSecurity Opportunities Nexus (BISON) is a resource that compiles all student and postdoc-relevant biosecurity opportunities (graduate and postdoc academic programs, scholarships, fellowships, internships, etc.). BISON includes both international and domestic (US) opportunities.

EBRC 2024 Annual Meeting

Registration is now closed. If you are still interested in attending, please email us at helix@ebrc.org.

We are pleased to announce that our 2024 Annual Meeting will be held May 16-17, 2024 at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, GA! We have a series of exciting events held in coordination with this year’s Annual Meeting, we encourage everyone to check them out!

Schedule of Events (please see each event page to register):

Space Health Roadmap In-Person Writing Workshop #3: May 14-15, 2024

US-UK Engineering Biology Reception: evening of May 15, 2024

EBRC Annual Meeting: May 16-17, 2024

Each year, we look forward to the Annual Meeting as an opportunity to come together to share science, build community, and collaborate to advance engineering biology to address national and global needs. Attendance at the Annual Meeting is open to all EBRC members, their lab members, employees of institutional members, and all SPA members. We also warmly welcome all those at Georgia Tech with an interest in engineering biology to join us.

The EBRC Annual Meeting provides an opportunity for the engineering biology community to come together to engage on matters important to advancing engineering biology. In addition to inspiring research talks and poster presentations, EBRC’s meeting holds time to consider the larger engineering biology research ecosystem in which we all exist and work together to move the field forward. We invite you to join us to present and discuss your latest research, build relationships with your colleagues in academia, industry, and government, and advance the member-driven work of EBRC.

A draft agenda is available here! Note that we anticipate running until 5:00 PM on Friday, May 17.

Registration:
Please register here by April 15, 2024. To confirm your spot and offset some of the meal costs, there will be a nominal fee ($150 for faculty & industry and $75 for students & postdocs). If this fee is prohibitive for you or your lab members, please email helix@ebrc.org.

Abstract submissions for posters are now being accepted. Abstract submission is separate from registration. Submissions from all attendees are welcome! We encourage you to submit your latest, ongoing work as a mechanism to engage in community dialogue.

Abstracts for posters are due on April 26, 2024

IMPORTANT DATES:
March 25: Last day to submit talk abstracts
April 10: Notification of talk selection
April 15: Registration closes* APRIL 17: EXTENDED REGISTRATION DEADLINE*
April 17: Deadline for hotel and travel arrangements by EBRC
April 26: Last day to submit poster abstracts

registration may still be possible after this date but will incur additional costs

Annual Meeting Venue:
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA

Meeting Hotel:
EBRC has reserved a block of hotel rooms at the Georgian Terrace at 659 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 at $173.00 per night (includes breakfast and WiFi). Please indicate on the registration page if you will need hotel accommodations. We will reserve the room in our block. If your travel is not covered by EBRC, you can provide payment at check in. Parking is available at a discounted rate of $25 per day. Please contact helix@ebrc.org with any questions rather than contacting the hotel directly.

Transportation:
Transportation options to get to the hotel can be viewed here. The Georgian Terrace is conveniently located along public transportation lines, you can view maps and schedules here.

Travel Support:
We anticipate covering airfare and hotel expenses for:

Individuals selected as speakers from academia, including students and postdocs;

EBRC Academic Council members selected as Session Chairs; and

Student and Postdoc Association Board members who present a poster or are selected as speakers.

Individuals who will receive travel support will be contacted by email to complete their flight bookings. The meeting will conclude at 5:00PM on Friday, May 17 and we encourage those receiving travel support to find an evening flight if at all possible. We will only cover Friday night hotel expenses with prior approval. Please contact helix@ebrc.org if you anticipate needing Friday night accommodations. Please also note that travel support does not include the confirmation/meal fee ($150 for faculty and $75 for students and postdocs). Email helix@ebrc.org if this fee is prohibitive. Please see EBRC’s full travel policy here.

We encourage you to make your travel plans early, as we will cap the level of airfare support provided by EBRC. Airfare must be booked by April 17 to be eligible for EBRC support.*

Health and Safety:
We are committed to hosting a safe event. We will be closely watching CDC recommendations in addition to all relevant local and state guidelines leading up to the Meeting and make any changes necessary for health and safety.

Dress Code:
The EBRC Annual Meeting does not have a dress code. EBRC values diversity and individual expression — we encourage participants to come as they are and wish to present themselves to the world.

Request for Information on Developing a Roadmap for the TIP Directorate at the National Science Foundation

Publication Date: July 2023

EBRC’s response to the request by the NSF for comments on the development of a roadmap to guide investment decisions of the newly formed TIP Directorate. We recommend prioritizing engineering biology research through infrastructure development, data programs, and equitable workforce initiatives to strengthen biotechnology translation and U.S. economic competitiveness. We also highlight the several crosscutting areas for investments where engineering biology overlaps with other TIP areas of interest, such as AI, materials science, climate change, and advanced robotics.

We’re Hiring! – EBRC 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.

Applications are being accepted for those with interest in the bioeconomy 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.

You can find more information here!

EBRC 2023 Council Retreat

The EBRC 2023 Council Meeting will take place at MITRE, in McLean, VA (Washington, DC) on October 26-27, 2023.

Travel Support and Meeting Hotel:
We anticipate covering airfare and hotel expenses for EBRC Academic Council Members. To book your flights, please contact us at travel@ebrc.org. Please review EBRC’s revised travel policy.

Hotel information will be provided soon.

Health and Safety:
We are committed to hosting a safe event. We will be closely watching CDC recommendations in addition to all relevant local and state guidelines leading up to the Meeting and make any changes necessary for health and safety. Proof of vaccination will be required for attendance. A rapid antigen testing strategy may also be deployed depending on conditions. Meals will be provided outside.

Biological Carbon Capture and Conversion

Publication Date: July 2023

Engineering biology applications could contribute to significant emission cuts and move us toward achieving climate goals by replacing fossil fuels and fossil fuel-derived products with biobased products, transforming agriculture and industries with the introduction of low-emission and eco-friend processes and products, and building climate resilience for urban and rural communities.

Microbiome Research Strategy

Publication Date: July 2023

Recent advances in data science and engineering biology have accelerated the capabilities of microbiome engineering research. To harness these new capabilities and boost innovation, EBRC highlights technical methods, computational tools, testbed infrastructure, and data sharing requirements are in need of federal investment. These efforts should be coordinated across the Federal Government to capitalize on momentum and bolster productivity throughout the field.

Biocontainment Policy in a Robust Bioeconomy

Publication Date: July 2023

Deployed engineering biology products have the potential to reshape our environment, agriculture, human health, and more. Such impactful applications necessitate operation outside of traditional biocontainment vessels and thus require renewed biocontainment policies. Herein, EBRC highlights emerging biocontainment research, areas for investment, and horizon scanning activities to promote safe and responsible biotechnology innovation.

Request for Information on Future Topics for Workforce Development in Emerging Technology Career Pathways

Publication Date: June 2023

Response submitted by EBRC Director of Roadmapping and Education, Dr. Emily Aurand, to the request by NSF seeking novel approaches that lead to the recruitment of diverse and creative individuals into emerging technologies. This response provides strategic recommendations to increase the rate and composition of students enrolled in both traditional and non-traditional academic pathways to STEM and high-paying technology careers.

Engineering Biology Metrics and Technical Standards for the Global Bioeconomy

UPDATE 5/7/2024 – The full report is out now! Click here to read the report.

EBRC, with partners at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Imperial College London, and the National University of Singapore (NUS), and supported by Schmidt Futures, have published a report focused on determining the engineering biology metrics and technical standards needed to accelerate the global bioeconomy. The report summarizes the key findings that emerged from global stakeholder discussions, pulling together common themes and identified needs that arose across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Within six key areas — data standards, metrology and metrics to quantify biological processes, scale-up and scale-out, lexicon and terminology, metrics and standardization for sustainability assessments, and standards to enable use of biomass feedstocks — opportunities are identified for focused activities to develop technical standards and metrics that will enable enhanced performance across the bioeconomy: improving reproducibility, supporting continued scale-up, and accelerating commercialization and industrial growth. A series of non-technical areas are also identified and explored, including: training and education on standards and metrics, engagement with the public and improvement of public perception and trust, regulatory clarity, and biosafety and biosecurity. As well as focusing on areas of common understanding, the report elaborates on some areas where distinct differences exist and global consensus might not be reached, highlighting these as potential focus areas for regional or national efforts going forward.

More information about the project and activities are available here.

Task Force Leadership:
India Hook-Barnard – EBRC
Elizabeth Strychalski – NIST
Paul Freemont – Imperial College London
Matthew Chang – National University of Singapore
Andrea Hodgson – Schmidt Futures

Bold Goals for US Biotech and Biomanufacturing

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy just released a new report, Bold Goals for U.S. Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing: Harnessing Research and Development to Further Societal Goals. Focusing on bold goals to advance the American bioeconomy, the report is a product of directions given in Section III of the Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy. The report was informed by, and directly references, the recent policy papers published by EBRC, which can be viewed here.

View the full report here!

An Assessment of Short-Term Milestones in EBRC’s 2019 Roadmap, Engineering Biology

Publication Date: March 2023

The 2019 EBRC roadmap, Engineering Biology: A Research Roadmap for the Next-Generation Bioeconomy, extensively cataloged the potential for progress in the field, setting out numerous goals, possible breakthroughs, and ambitious milestones for the following 20 years. As we approached and passed the first milestone timepoint at 2-years post publication, EBRC sought to review progress in the field, compared against the advancements anticipated by the roadmap. This resulting Assessment reports on technical achievements and advancements and to barriers to progress, enabling the community to reflect on its achievements and identify areas for additional investment and infrastructure to ensure continued advancement.

Ava Karanjia

Ava Karanjia is a current PhD student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow in Chemical Engineering at the University of Washington, where her research focuses on building transcriptional programs in bacteria. Ava is working on expanding CRISPRa technologies to improve methods of transcriptional signal conversion and transduction. She is also pursuing data science and astrobiology graduate certificates. Ava has undergraduate degrees in chemical engineering and microbiology from Arizona State University, where she worked on quorum sensing regulatory systems and other transcriptional activators. She has also worked at NASA Ames Research Center, where she screened and engineered non-traditional yeast candidates for in-situ microbial space technologies. Ava is a big proponent of science communication and has been actively involved in DEI outreach efforts at the University of Washington and EBRC.

Seung Hwan “Allen” Lee

Seung Hwan “Allen” Lee received Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Rice University and is currently a postdoctoral scholar at Ramon Gonzalez’s lab at the University of South Florida. Allen has a strong passion in leveraging the capabilities of engineering biology to convert waste molecules into value-added products in a sustainable way. He has a special interest in engineering one-carbon (C1) metabolism for efficient utilization of C1 feedstock in biomanufacturing. In his free time, he loves to listen to classical music and play squash.

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