About this lecture:

Professor Paul Freemont, a pioneering figure, will illuminate the world of cell-free synthetic biology—showcasing its potential in prototyping biotech designs and reconstituting intricate biological systems, even synthetic cells.

Associate Professor Emma Frow, an authority in the societal implications of emerging biotechnologies, will provide valuable perspectives on building a biofoundry as well as challenges and opportunities for Public Biofoundries.

Unfortunately Professor Huimin Zhao, has cancelled his trip to Denmark due to unforeseen matters. We are extremely pleased to welcome Bernhard O. Palsson as a speaker with short notice. Bernhard will go into depth with Advanced Data Analytics in Biofoundries. 

This event invites you to explore the evolution of synthetic biology, as these experts unravel the threads of innovation and insight.

Read more about the excellent speakers:

Professor Paul Freemont (Imperial College London)

Professor Paul Freemont is the co-founder of the Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation and co-founder and co-director of the National UK Innovation and Knowledge Centre for Synthetic Biology (SynbiCITE; since 2013). He is also director of the London BioFoundry (since 2016) and Head of the Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology in the Department of Infectious Diseases at Imperial College. He was previously the Head of the Division of Molecular Biosciences and Centre for Structural Biology having joined Imperial from Cancer Research UK London Research Institute (now known as the Crick Research Institute) where he was a Principle Investigator and Head of Group. His research interests are focused on developing synthetic biology foundational tools, automation and biofoundries and cell-free systems for specific applications including biosensing, metabolic engineering and synthetic cells. He is author of over 300 scientific publications and is an elected member of European Molecular Biology Organisation and Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, Royal Society of Chemistry and Royal Society of Medicine and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Art. He was a co-author of the British Government’s UK Synthetic Biology Roadmap and was a recent member of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group (AHTEG) on synthetic biology for the United Nations Convention for Biological Diversity (UN-CBD). He is currently a council member of the US Engineering Biology Research Consortium and member of the UK governments Office for Science and Technology Engineering Biology sub-group. He is also currently leading a US-funded Task Force on Engineering Biology Metrics and Technical Standards for Global Bioeconomy.

Professor Bernhard O. Palsson, (University of California San Diego)

Bernhard Palsson is the Y.C. Fung Endowed Professor in Bioengineering, Professor of Pediatrics, and the Principal Investigator of the Systems Biology Research Group in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Palsson has co-authored more than 600 peer-reviewed research articles and has authored four textbooks, with more in preparation.

He is a founding member of the NNF Center for Biosustainability and has served as its Director from its inception in 2011.  The CFB is now a international research center with over 300 FTEs.

His research includes the development of computational biology methods (flux-balance analysis, and modal analysis), genome-scale models (M models, ME models), data analytic methods (iModulons, pangenomics, alleleome, structural proteomics) and the formulation of specific sysbio models of the red blood cell, E. coli, CHO cells, and many human pathogens.

He has sat on the editorial board of several leading peer-reviewed microbiology, bioengineering, and biotechnology journals. He previously held a faculty position at the University of Michigan for 11 years where he was named the G.G. Brown Associate Professor at Michigan in 1989.He is inventor on over 40 U.S. patents, the co-founder of several biotechnology companies, and holds several major biotechnology awards. He received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1984. Dr. Palsson is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and is a Fellow of the AIChE,  AIMBE, AAAS, and the AAM. Dr. Palsson has been a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher since 2014.

Associate Professor Emma Frow (School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University)

Emma Frow joined Arizona State University in 2015 and holds a joint appointment with the School for the Future of Innovation in Society (SFIS) and the School of Biological & Health Systems Engineering (SBHSE). Her research focuses on the governance of emerging biotechnologies, with a specific focus on governance of/by the STEM research community. She studies governance from multiple perspectives, including for example conducting ethnographic research that traces decision-making practices at the micro-scale (governance through technology design), and designing experimental engagements with scientists and engineers (interdisciplinary collaboration as a form of governance). Emma’s interdisciplinary training involves graduate degrees in both natural and social sciences: after completing a PhD in biochemistry, Emma worked briefly in scientific publishing and then earned a master’s degree in science & technology studies from the University of Edinburgh. She completed postdoctoral research at the ESRC Genomics Policy & Research Forum at the University of Edinburgh and at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and was an assistant professor in science, technology and innovation studies at the University of Edinburgh before moving to ASU.