EBRC Postdoc Fellowships
EBRC Postdoctoral Fellowships are one year positions that leverage previous training to work with EBRC programs and to conduct an individual research project. Postdocs are an integral part of the EBRC Team and have the opportunity to learn and make significant contributions during their appointment. In addition to the independent and focus area projects, postdocs 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.
Sebastian Rivera (2024-2025)
Prior to joining EBRC, Sebastian received his PhD in Chemical Biology and a certificate in Science, Technology, and Public Policy from the University of Michigan, where he was also a Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Fellow. During his postdoc with EBRC, Sebastian helped lead projects on nucleic acid synthesis screening and co-authored EBRC’s Strengthening a Safe and Secure Nucleic Acid Synthesis Ecosystem report. His independent project, Risk Mitigation for Biological Design Tools, provides commentary and recommendations on risk mitigation strategies that balance the dual-use nature of AI enabled biological design tools. He is currently a Program Manager for EBRC, with a focus on security and AIxBio related projects.
Currently: Program Manager AIxBio and Security, EBRC
Cynthia Ni (2022-2023)
Cynthia is a fan of microbes and their potential to help humans live sustainably. She completed a PhD in Chemical Engineering at MIT in 2022, in which she genetically engineered E. coli to utilize mixed feed streams for biosynthesis – a project motivated by the desire to convert food waste into useful products. Outside of research, she participated in departmental DEI initiatives and peer counseling, and was dedicated to improving the graduate student experience across the institute. In her free time, she enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, being in nature, and consuming delicious foods and beverages. Cynthia is excited to work in the Policy & International Engagement focus area and continue to explore the use of waste in the bioeconomy.
Currently: Director of Innovation Programs, BEAM Circular
Wilson Sinclair (2022-2023)
Wilson Sinclair was a Postdoctoral Scholar at EBRC from 2022-2023 working in the Security focus area on bioeconomic investment and biosecurity policy. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford University where he used chemical biology methods to study host-pathogen interactions in tuberculosis infection for therapeutic discovery. His independent project focused on academic and federal policies to enable transdisciplinary research and responsible innovation. He is now the Assistant Director for Emerging Biotechnology Policy at the National Institutes of Health in the Office of Science Policy where he leads horizon scanning activities and the development and implementation of biosecurity and bioeconomic policies.
Currently: Assistant Director (Acting) for Emerging Biotechnology, NIH Office of Science Policy
Sifang Chen (2021-2022)
Sifang is interested in applications of engineering biology toward sustainability and has just recently made the transition from the lab to science policy. Prior to joining EBRC, she worked on DNA computing and DNA data storage as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington. Previously, she was an intern and visiting researcher at Microsoft Research, where she built chemical-based wearables and low-cost pollution sensors. Sifang received her Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Washington in 2019 researching DNA-based programmable materials. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to learn about science policy and work with a wide-ranging group of experts and stakeholders. She will be primarily working in the Roadmapping focus area and looking at how biotechnology could contribute to creating equitable climate solutions.
Currently: Senior Managing Science and Innovation Advisor, Carbon180
Albert Hinman (2021-2022)
Albert finished his PhD at Stanford University in the Department of Genetics studying meiotic DNA double-strand break formation in Dr. Anne Villeneuve’s laboratory. In his time at Stanford, he was heavily involved with diversity and inclusion advocacy by being the President of the Stanford Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) Chapter and Coleader of the Stanford Science Policy Group. He is excited to join EBRC and is very interested in understanding how scientific funding, researcher incentives, and the bioeconomy can be developed for greater societal impact within engineering biology. Albert can be found on Slack (@Albert Hinman) and reached via email awh@ebrc.org.
Currently: Professional Staff Member, US House of Representatives
Becky Mackelprang (2018-2019)
Becky Mackelprang is the Director for Security Programs at the Engineering Biology Research Consortium. She leads EBRC’s Security Focus Area, bringing stakeholders across academia, industry, and government together to integrate security awareness into the policy and practice of engineering biology. Becky leads the development of commentary and recommendations on issues such as screening by synthetic DNA providers and the security implications at the intersection of artificial intelligence and engineering biology. She has implemented strategies to incorporate security into researcher education and training. Becky is committed to supporting an engineering biology research and development ecosystem that maximizes societal benefit while using a multi-faceted approach to support safe, secure, and productive innovation. Previously, Becky was an EBRC Science Policy Postdoctoral Scholar, an AAAS Mass Media Fellow, a science communication postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley, and received her Ph.D. in Plant Biology from UC Berkeley.
Currently: Director of Security, EBRC
Eric Lee (2018-2019)
Eric Lee, PhD (he/him), is a Senior Biological Scientist in the U.S. Government Accountability Office. He was a postdoctoral fellow at EBRC from 2019-2020. As a fellow, he led and designed the microbiome engineering roadmap and contributed to the materials science roadmap. Prior to EBRC, he received his Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry from Columbia University and his Ph.D. in Infectious Diseases & Immunity at the University of California, Berkeley. After leaving EBRC, he was a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and now supports science and technology issues for the U.S. Congress on topics such as regenerative medicine, antiviral drug development, and biosecurity, as part of the Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics Team at GAO.
Currently: Senior Biological Scientist, Government Accountability Office