EBRC In Translation
28 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★★ - 6 ratingsEBRC In Translation is a podcast working to bring you conversations with leaders in the world of Engineering Biology. The show is the official podcast of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium Student and Postdoc Association and is hosted by a rotating cast of graduate students and postdocs. To find out more about the EBRC SPA, visit our website at https://ebrc.org/programs/student-postdoc-association/.
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Episodes
26. Synthetic Biology and Awestronomy w/ Drew Endy
February 01, 2024 14:00 - 1 hour - 50.3 MBIn this episode, we interview Drew Endy, a professor in the Department of Biological Engineering at Stanford University. We talk to Drew about making the engineering of living systems routine, how biology is the perfect technology to interface with joules, bits, and atoms, the concept of synbiophobia-phobia, teaching biological literacy via the “Labrary”, the new discipline of Awestronomy, and so much more. In this episode, Drew mentions several interesting reads: The Genesis of a Curriculu...
25. Engineering Biology in Africa w/ Geoffrey Otim
January 08, 2024 06:00 - 54 minutes - 37.6 MBIn this episode, we interview Geoffrey Otim, founder and CEO of SynBio Africa and founder of iGEM Makarere, the first iGEM team in East Africa. We discuss the unique health, agricultural, climate, biosecurity, and energy challenges being tackled by the emerging engineering biology community in Africa. We also talk about his policy advocacy, African Union-led initiatives, and the cultural, political, and funding headwinds faced by African scientists. For more information about EBRC, visit ou...
24. Preprinting Biological Research w/ John Inglis and Richard Sever
November 13, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 54 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. John Inglis and Dr. Richard Sever, the executive director and assistant director respectively of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. John and Richard also co-founded both bioRxiv and medRxiv, the primary preprint servers for biological and medical research. We discuss what makes the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press unique, how they founded bioRxiv and medRxiv, how preprinting allows us to do experiments on the publication system itself, and much more...
23. Making Carbon-Negative Chemicals and Fuels at Scale w/ Sean Simpson
September 18, 2023 13:00 - 51 minutes - 35.5 MBIn this episode, we speak with Dr. Sean Simpson, strategic advisor and former CSO of LanzaTech. We talk with Sean about using biology to convert greenhouse gases into ethanol, how to scale up and sell a novel biological process, and the economic and policy requirements of engineering biology for global challenges. For more information about EBRC, visit our website at ebrc.org. If you are interested in getting involved with the EBRC Student and Postdoc Association, fill out a membership appl...
23. Making carbon-negative chemicals and biofuels at scale w/ Sean Simpson
September 18, 2023 13:00 - 51 minutes - 35.5 MBIn this episode, we speak with Dr. Sean Simpson, strategic advisor and former CSO of LanzaTech. We talk with Sean about using biology to convert greenhouse gases into ethanol, how to scale up and sell a novel biological process, and the economic and policy requirements of engineering biology for global challenges. For more information about EBRC, visit our website at ebrc.org. If you are interested in getting involved with the EBRC Student and Postdoc Association, fill out a membership appl...
22. Funding Founder-Led Biotech w/ Tony Kulesa
June 30, 2023 00:00 - 37 minutes - 25.8 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. Tony Kulesa, a Principal at the VC firm Pillar. We talk to Tony about his work to open source the biotech company creation process, overrated and underrated investment theses, reading and writing to all the different scales of biology and more! To learn more about founder-led biotech, check out some of Tony's writing on the topic here. For more information about EBRC, visit our website at ebrc.org. If you are interested in getting involved with the EBRC St...
21. Supporting Students and Regulating RNAs w/ Melissa Takahashi
May 15, 2023 14:00 - 35 minutes - 24.2 MBIn this episode, we speak with Melissa Takahashi, an Assistant Professor at California State University Northridge in the Department of Biology. We talk with Melissa about her research on the biological principles behind RNA gene regulation in bacteria, being a professor at a primarily undergraduate institution, helping students realize they can be scientists, and more! For more information about EBRC, visit our website at ebrc.org. If you are interested in getting involved with the EBRC St...
20. Control Systems for Gene Expression and Work-Life Balance w/ Mustafa Khammash
April 01, 2023 13:00 - 58 minutes - 39.9 MBIn this episode, we are joined by Dr. Mustafa Khammash, Professor of Control Theory and Systems Biology in the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering at ETH-Zurich. We talk with Mustafa about integrating control theory into synthetic biology, designing computer/biology interfaces, starting a wet lab as a tenured computational professor, the need for new theoretical frameworks for biological design, and more! Notes: During the episode, Dr. Khammash references two different papers ...
19. From PhD to Partner: Biotechnology and Patent Law w/ Eldora Ellison
February 15, 2023 14:00 - 35 minutes - 24.4 MBIn this episode we’re joined by Eldora Ellison, PhD, director at law firm Sterne Kessler and lead patent strategist for the CVC group in the MIT-Berkeley CRISPR patent litigation. We discuss the long and winding road of filing and defending patents, what it’s like to go from PhD scientist to law firm partner, how biotechnology advances are challenging the world of patents, and more! Links related to the episode: Careers at Sterne Kessler U.S. Biotechnology Patent Law by Jorge Goldstein Fo...
18. Betting on Biology via Venture Capital w/ Vineeta Agarwala
December 15, 2022 14:00 - 43 minutes - 30 MBIn this episode, we interview Vineeta Agarwala, MD, PhD, a general partner at Andreesen Horowitz (a16z) where she leads investments in the group’s bio + health fund. We talk to Vineeta about investing in synthetic biology startup companies, a day in the life of a VC, following the good people, and more! Disclosures: The views expressed here are those of the individual AH Capital Management, L.L.C. (“a16z”) personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. Certain informatio...
17. Building the James Webb Telescope for Microbes w/ Henry Lee
November 01, 2022 13:00 - 43 minutes - 30.2 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. Henry Lee, CEO of Cultivarium, a focused research organization that aims to expand access to novel microorganisms. We discuss the world’s fastest-growing bacterium, the challenges of domesticating non-model microbes, new organizational models for science, robotic dogs, and more! If you are interested in Cultivarium, you can learn more and get involved at https://www.cultivarium.org/. For more information about EBRC, visit our website at ebrc.org. If you ar...
16. Bioindustrial Manufacturing and How to Become an Expert w/ Doug Friedman
October 01, 2022 14:00 - 52 minutes - 36.1 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. Doug Friedman, CEO of the BioIndustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem (BioMADE) and President of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC). We talk about how to build and grow community-driven organizations, what it takes to be an expert in DC, visions for the future of the bioeconomy, and more! For more information about EBRC, visit our website at ebrc.org. If you are interested in getting involved with the EBRC Student and Postdoc Associatio...
15. Controlling Cells and Fixing Networks w/ Hana El-Samad
July 15, 2022 13:00 - 41 minutes - 28.6 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. Hana El-Samad, a Professor at UCSF, editor-in-chief of GEN biotechnology, and a founding PI at Altos labs, whose research focuses on controlling mammalian cell behavior with genetic circuits. We talk with Dr. El-Samad about her work on controlling mammalian cell behavior, her role at and transition to Altos labs, committing to equity in STEM, the mission of GEN biotechnology, and more! Notes and links: Fund Black Scientists Director Lander, the time is now ...
14. Editing Manuscripts About Editing Life w/ Ross Cloney
June 15, 2022 13:00 - 40 minutes - 27.9 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. Ross Cloney, a Senior Editor at Nature Communications, focusing on the areas of synthetic biology, genome engineering, and therapeutic biotechnology. We talk with Ross about: how a manuscript becomes a publication; what it’s like to be an editor; how to make scientific publishing more diverse, equitable, and inclusive; what the future of scientific journals looks like; and more! For more information about EBRC, visit our website at ebrc.org. If you are inte...
13. Automating Biology w/ Doug Densmore
May 16, 2022 04:00 - 49 minutes - 34 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. Doug Densmore, a professor at Boston University and co-founder of Lattice Automation, Asimov. and Biosens8. We talk to Doug about developing laboratory workflows as a service for engineering biology, finding your own management style, and treating automation and algorithms as first-class scientific citizens. Links and notes for the episode: Lynn Doucette-Stamm Runs the BU COVID testing facility Programming Biology Stem Pathways Asimov Lattice biosens8 Inter...
12. Carbon Dioxide Fixation and Carb Consumption w/ Tobias Erb
April 15, 2022 13:00 - 48 minutes - 33.7 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. Tobias Erb, a member of the Max Planck Society and Director of the Max Planck Institute for terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg, Germany. We talk to Tobias about building synthetic carbon dioxide fixation pathways, similarities and differences between science in the US and Europe, and the superiority of German bread and beer. For more information about EBRC, visit our website at ebrc.org. If you are interested in getting involved with the EBRC Student and P...
11. Protein Design and the Communal Brain w/ David Baker
March 16, 2022 00:00 - 27 minutes - 18.8 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. David Baker, a professor at the University of Washington and the director of the Institute for Protein Design. We talk to David about the practical and philosophical sides of protein design, the impact of machine learning on protein structure prediction and design, and how video games can be used for science. For more information about EBRC, visit our website at ebrc.org. If you are interested in getting involved with the EBRC Student and Postdoc Associatio...
10. DNA Synthesis with a Twist w/ Emily Leproust
January 16, 2022 15:00 - 35 minutes - 24.4 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. Emily Leproust, CEO and co-founder of Twist Bioscience, a leading and rapidly growing synthetic biology and genomics company that is well-known for its disruptive DNA synthesis platform. We talk to Dr. Leproust about the future of DNA synthesis, making cloning obsolete, and eating challenges for breakfast. This episode was recorded in September 2021. During the interview, Emily mentions the publication of an article "last week" that happened in September of...
9. Building Cells and SynBio in Space w/ Kate Adamala
November 08, 2021 15:00 - 40 minutes - 27.7 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. Kate Adamala, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota and a leader in Build-a-Cell, an international community of scientists and policymakers working on building synthetic cells. We talk to Dr. Adamala about building cells from the ground up, life beyond planet Earth, and the definition of life. For more information about EBRC, visit our website at ebrc.org. If you are interested in getting involved with the EBRC Student and Postdoc Associatio...
8. “Strand”ed in a pandemic — designing smart mRNA w/ Jake Becraft
October 18, 2021 13:00 - 47 minutes - 32.7 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. Jake Becraft, co-founder of Strand Therapeutics. We talk to Dr. Becraft about running an RNA therapeutics company during the pandemic, the future of synthetic biology and RNA, and advice on converting your graduate school research into a start-up. For more information about EBRC, visit our website at ebrc.org. If you are interested in getting involved with the EBRC Student and Postdoc Association, fill out a membership application for graduate students and ...
7. Regulatory Science and Sausage Making w/ Larisa Rudenko
September 10, 2021 13:00 - 38 minutes - 26.8 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. Larisa Rudenko, a research affiliate at the Program on Emerging Technologies at MIT and a co-founder of BioPolicy Solutions LLC. We talk to Dr. Rudenko about her career developing regulatory guidance for genetically engineered organisms for the FDA, public perception of genetically engineered products, and tips for engineering biology trainees interested in science policy careers. For more information about EBRC, visit our website at ebrc.org. If you are in...
6. Engineering Biology in the Classroom w/ Natalie Kuldell
August 09, 2021 13:00 - 34 minutes - 23.9 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. Natalie Kuldell, Instructor in the MIT Department of Biological Engineering and the Founder and Executive Director of the BioBuilder Educational Foundation. We talk to Dr. Kuldell about her path to becoming an engineering biology educator, the value of adding engineering to life sciences curricula, and the democratization of teaching tools. For more information about EBRC, visit our website at ebrc.org. If you are interested in getting involved with the EBR...
5. Scientific Artistry and Selfmade Cheese with Christina Agapakis
June 11, 2021 13:00 - 44 minutes - 30.7 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. Christina Agapakis, the Creative Director at Ginkgo Bioworks. We talk to Dr. Agapakis about her career working at the intersection of art and science and about the importance of creativity in synthetic biology. Along the way, we talk about resurrecting the scent of extinct flowers, starting the magazine Grow by Gingko, and only a little bit of Jurassic Park.
5. Scientific Artistry and Selfmade Cheese w/ Christina Agapakis
June 11, 2021 13:00 - 44 minutes - 30.7 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. Christina Agapakis, the Creative Director at Ginkgo Bioworks. We talk to Dr. Agapakis about her career working at the intersection of art and science and about the importance of creativity in synthetic biology. Along the way, we talk about resurrecting the scent of extinct flowers, starting the magazine Grow by Gingko, and only a little bit of Jurassic Park. For more information about EBRC, visit our website at ebrc.org. If you are interested in getting inv...
4. Bioethics and Flesh-Eating Worms w/ Laurie Zoloth
May 03, 2021 13:00 - 53 minutes - 36.5 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. Laurie Zoloth, the Margaret E. Burton Professor at the University of Chicago Divinity School and EBRC Council Member. We ask Dr. Zoloth how moral philosophy can address ethical dilemmas in an uncertain world. Along the way, we delve into issues like gene drives and germline editing, and we speak about the importance of integrity, fidelity, and solidarity for scientists. For more information about EBRC, visit our website at ebrc.org. If you are interested in...
3. Metabolic Engineering and Hypothetical Bus Accidents w/ Kris Prather
April 07, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 43.1 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. Kristala Prather, the Arthur D. Little Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT. We talk to Dr. Prather about her career spanning both industry and academia and segue into her lab’s current efforts and challenges at the intersection of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. Along the way, we talk about leadership, mentorship, inclusivity, and why mass transport might not be as important as everybody says it is. For more information about EBRC, visit o...
2. Studying Evolution and Engineering Bug Guts w/ Jeffrey Barrick
March 01, 2021 14:00 - 47 minutes - 32.7 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. Jeffrey Barrick, an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. We talk to Dr. Barrick about the famous long-term evolution experiment in the Lenski lab, evolutionary failure in synthetic biology, tools for engineering the bee gut microbiome, and more. Along the way, we talk about cricket farming, how a bad memory can be good for open science, and some career advice for young scientists. For more information about EBRC, visit our website at eb...
1. Drug Discovery and Corporate Coup D'états w/ Sri Kosuri
February 04, 2021 04:00 - 47 minutes - 32.5 MBIn this episode, we interview Dr. Sri Kosuri, an Associate Professor at UCLA and the founder and CEO of Octant Bio. We talk to Dr. Kosuri about his career trajectory, starting in the earliest days of synthetic biology up to the present, where his team is using next-generation DNA synthesis and sequencing technologies to accelerate the discovery of new drugs for the treatment of complex diseases. Along the way we talk about wikis before Wikipedia, engineering vegetables that are arbitrary sha...