Current Research and Scholarly Interests
We work to strengthen the foundations and expand the frontiers of synthetic biology. Our foundational work includes (i) advancing reliable reuse of bio-measurements and -materials via standards that enable coordination of labor, and (ii) developing and integrating measurement and modeling tools for representing and analyzing living matter at whole-cell scales. Our work beyond the frontiers of current practice includes (iii) bootstrapping biotechnology tools in unconventional organisms (e.g., mealworms, wood fungus, skin microbes), and (iv) exploring the limits of whole-genome recoding and building cells from scratch. We also support strategy and policy work related to bio-safety, security, economy, equity, justice, and leadership.
