2026 Synthetic Biology: Engineering, Evolution and Design (SEED) Technical Program*
*Schedule subject to change as program is finalized. Check back for updates!
| Start Time | End Time | |
| June 15, 2026 | All Central Daylight Time (MST) | |
| Day 1 | ||
| 8:00 AM | 12:00 PM | Registration + Badge Pick Up |
| 9:00 AM | 9:15 AM | Welcome Remarks by Chairs: Harris Wang, Columbia University & Peyton Greenside, BigHat Biosciences |
| 9:15 AM | 10:00 AM | KEYNOTE: Hiroaki Suga, University of Tokyo, Co-founder of Peptidream |
| 10:00 AM | 10:30 AM | Morning Coffee Break |
| 10:30 AM | 11:55 AM | Session 1: Cell-free Systems, Synthetic Genomes & Synthetic Cells |
| 10:30 AM | 10:35 AM | Session Introduction by Session Chairs: Angad Mehta, UIUC |
| 10:35 AM | 11:00 AM | Invited Speaker: Allen Henderson, Sutro Biopharma |
| 11:00 AM | 11:25 AM | Invited Speaker: DNA Replication Coupled to Cell-Free Gene Expression for Accelerated In Vitro Evolution, Zhanar Abil, University of Florida |
| 11:25 AM | 11:40 AM | Selected Abstract: A Self-Replicating Artificial Genome and Darwinian Evolution of a Replication Protein In Vitro Using the Bacterial Genome Replication Reconstitution System, Yuta Yamagishi, Rikkyo University |
| 11:40 AM | 11:55 AM | Selected Abstract: Selective Haploidization Enables Scalable Consolidation of Synthetic Yeast Chromosomes, Alba Ballerini, NYU Langone Health |
| 11:55 AM | 12:10 PM | Selected Abstract: Developing the Use of Fully Synthetic DNA for Therapeutic Production In Cell-Free Expression Systems, Katherine Rhea, U.S. Army DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center |
| 12:10 PM | 1:10 PM | Lunch With A Legend |
| 1:10 PM | 2:35 PM | Session 2: Nucleic Acid, Protein, Enzyme Design and Engineering |
| 1:10 PM | 1:15 PM | Session Introduction by Session Chairs: Esteban Toro, Twist Bioscience & Juan Velasquez, Merck |
| 1:15 PM | 1:40 PM | Invited Speaker: Birgit Kosjek, Merck |
| 1:40 PM | 2:05 PM | Invited Speaker: Julius Lucks, Northwestern University |
| 2:05 PM | 2:20 PM | Selected Abstract: Growth-Based Quantitative Sequencing (GROQ-seq) of T7 RNA Polymerase Enables Large-Scale Mapping of Sequence-Function Landscape, James McLellan, The Align Foundation |
| 2:20 PM | 2:35 PM | Selected Abstract: Programmable RNA Molecular Devices for Biosensing and Cellular Gene Expression Regulation, Fan Hong, University of Florida |
| 2:35 PM | 2:50 PM | Selected Abstract: A Scalable Design–Build–Test Platform for Accessible Protein Discovery, Thomas Fryer, MIT |
| 2:50 PM | 3:20 PM | Afternoon Coffee Break |
| 3:20 PM | 4:05 PM | Panel Discussion: Funding Opportunities led by Chris Myers, University of Colorado-Boulder & Richard Murray, Caltech; Panelists: Mark Salvador, DARPA, Anthony Garza, NSF, Daria Fedyukina, ARPA-H, Stephanie McElhinny, U.S. Army Research Office, Andrea Hodgson, Schmidt Sciences & Jermont Chen, NIBIB & NIH |
| 4:05 PM | 4:30 PM | Lightning Talks Moderated by |
| 4:05 PM | 4:10 PM | Lightning Talk: Synthetic Bacteria As Novel Mammalian Endosymbionts, Liyam Chitayat, MIT |
| 4:10 PM | 4:15 PM | Lightning Talk: Mapping Context Dependency In Synthetic Biology Using Cell-Free Systems, Fernanda Piorino Macruz De Oliveira, National Institute of Standards and Technology |
| 4:15 PM | 4:20 PM | Lightning Talk: Leucine Zipper Bispecifics: A Synthetically Dimerized Method to Express Multi-Chain Bispecific Antibodies In One-Pot Cfps Reaction, Wei Chan, BigHat Biosciences |
| 4:20 PM | 4:25 PM | Lightning Talk: Beyond DNA Barcodes: Enzyme Screening through MS-Based Genotype Identification, Denijel Latifovic, ETH Zürich |
| 4:25 PM | 4:30 PM | Lightning Talk: Developing Dynamic Biosensors for Emerging Synthetic Opioids with Computational Design, Rachel Chayer, University of Colorado Boulder |
| 4:30 PM | 4:35 PM | Lightning Talk: Probing Mutability of Tev Protease through Comprehensive Deep Mutational Scanning with Groq-Seq, Svetlana Ikonomova, National Institute of Standards and Technology |
| 4:35 PM | 5:35 PM | Cocktail Reception + Poster Session 1 |
| Start Time | End Time | |
| June 16, 2025 | All Central Daylight Time (MST) | |
| Day 2 | ||
| 8:00 AM | 12:00 PM | Registration + Badge Pick Up |
| 9:00 AM | 9:05 AM | Welcome Remarks by Chair: Harris Wang, Columbia University & Peyton Greenside, BigHat Biosciences |
| 9:05 AM | 9:50 AM | KEYNOTE: Reshma Shetty, Gingko Bioworks |
| 9:50 AM | 10:20 AM | Morning Coffee Break |
| 10:20 AM | 11:45 AM | Session 3: New Chemicals & Materials from Synthetic Biology |
| 10:20 AM | 10:25 AM | Introduction to Session by Session Chair: Colin Harvey, Hexagon Bio & Caroline Ajo-Franklin, Rice University |
| 10:25 AM | 10:50 AM | Invited Speaker: A modular biosynthetic platform enabling scalable access to terpenes for diverse applications, Simone Montovani, Amyris |
| 10:50 AM | 11:15 AM | Invited Speaker: Engineered living optical fibers and other bacterial photonic devices, Anne Meyer, University of Rochester |
| 11:15 AM | 11:30 AM | Selected Abstract: Polyketide-Based Biosynthetic Platforms for Commodity and Specialty Chemicals, Qingyun Dan, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
| 11:30 AM | 11:45 AM | Selected Abstract: Engineering Microbial Consortia for Mixed Plastic Upcycling, Tae Seok Moon, J. Craig Venter Institute |
| 11:45 AM | 12:00 PM | Selected Abstract: Programmable Engineered Living Materials through CP19K-Mediated Self-Assembly, Ingrid Roselyne Dukundane, University of Maryland College Park |
| 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM | Lunch |
| 1:00 PM | 2:25 PM | Session 4: Living Medicines and Therapeutics |
| 1:00 PM | 1:05 PM | Introduction by Session Chair: Shujun Yuan, Outpace bio & Angad Mehta, UIUC |
| 1:05 PM | 1:30 PM | Invited Speaker: Sensitive and multispecific targeting of cancer with the Chimeric TCR platform, Sylvain Simon, Fred Hutch |
| 1:30 PM | 1:55 PM | Invited Speaker: Andrew Ng, Genentech |
| 1:55 PM | 2:10 PM | Selected Abstract: Surface Expression of Antitoxin on Engineered Bacteria Neutralizes Genotoxic Colibactin In the Gut, Jiahe Li, University of Michigan |
| 2:10 PM | 2:25 PM | Selected Abstract:Designing Probiotics to Suppress Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Via Metabolic Niche Exclusion, Jacob Hilzinger, University of California, Berkeley |
| 2:25 PM | 2:40 PM | Selected Abstract: Engineered Protein Circuits for Cancer Therapy, Andrew Lu, California Institute of Technology |
| 2:40 PM | 3:10 PM | Afternoon Coffee Break |
| 3:10 PM | 3:55 PM | Panel Discussion: Biosafety and Biosecurity in the Era of AI led by Harris Wang, Columbia University & Sam Weiss Evans, Federation of American Scientist; Panelists: Kevin Flyanolts, Aclid, James Diggans, Twist Bioscience, Jaime Yassif, Nuclear Threat Initiative, & Geoffrey Taghon, AI Engineering for Bioscience @ JHU + NIST |
| 3:55 PM | 4:25 PM | Lightning Talks Moderated By |
| 3:55 PM | 4:00 PM | Lightning Talk: Microbial Metabolism-Mediated Carbene Transfer, Alexis Holwerda, The University of Texas at Austin |
| 4:00 PM | 4:05 PM | Lightning Talk: Engineering Bacterial Multicellular Structures for Therapeutic Applications, Varunaa Sri Hemanth Kumar, UMD |
| 4:05 PM | 4:10 PM | Lightning Talk: Accelerated Design of Engineered Living Wood Composite Materials,Wilfried Weber, INM - Leibniz Institute for New Materials |
| 4:10 PM | 4:15 PM | Lightning Talk: From Pathogen to Platform: Engineering Cryptococcus Neoformans As a Living Biomaterial for Therapeutic Delivery to the Brain, Clinton Smith, University of Florida |
| 4:15 PM | 4:20 PM | Lightning Talk: Domesticating Brucella Melitensis Dvjbr for Living Bacterial Immunotherapy, Chelsea Hu, Texas A&M University |
| 4:20 PM | 4:25 PM | Lightning Talk: Unlocking Potent Anti-Tumor Immune Response Via CRISPR-Mediated Deletion of Immunosuppressive Effectors In Salmonella Cancer Therapy, Chinmay Deshpande, University of Massachusetts Amherst |
| 4:25 PM | 5:25 PM | Poster Session 2 |
| Start Time | End Time | |
| June 17, 2026 | All Central Daylight Time (MST) | |
| Day 3 | ||
| 8:00 AM | 12:00 PM | Registration + Badge Pick Up |
| 9:00 AM | 9:05 AM | Welcome Remarks by Chair: Harris Wang, Columbia University & Peyton Greenside, BigHat Biosciences |
| 9:05 AM | 9:50 AM | KEYNOTE: Evolutionary design from molecular to genome scale, Brian Hie, Stanford University |
| 9:50 AM | 10:20 AM | Morning Coffee Break |
| 10:20 AM | 11:45 AM | Session 5: Foundational ML Models for Biology |
| 10:20 AM | 10:25 AM | Session Introduction by Session Chairs: |
| 10:25 AM | 10:50 AM | Invited Speaker: From Sequence and Structure to Function: AI-Guided Protein Evolution, Kaiyi Jiang, Princeton University |
| 10:50 AM | 11:15 AM | Invited Speaker: Raphael Townshend, Atomic AI |
| 11:15 AM | 11:30 AM | Selected Abstract: What Does It Take to Build a Foundation Model for Antibody Biophysics and Developability?, Hunter Elliott, BigHat Biosciences |
| 11:30 AM | 11:45 AM | Selected Abstract: Centaur: Bridging Continuous and Discrete Generation for Protein Sequence Structure Co-Design, Leo Tianlai Chen, Harvard Medical School |
| 11:45 AM | 12:00 PM | Selected Abstract: Generative Design of Synthetic Gene Circuits for Functional and Evolutionary Properties, Olivia Gallup, University of Oxford |
| 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM | Lunch |
| 1:00 PM | 2:25 PM | Session 6: Engineered Cellular Sensors, Transducers, and Actuators |
| 1:00 PM | 1:05 PM | Session Introduction by Session Chair: Caroline Ajo-Franklin, Rice University & Harris Wang, Columbia University |
| 1:05 PM | 1:30 PM | Invited Speaker: Technologies to capture mammalian developmental cell trajectories, Nozomu Yachie, University of British Columbia |
| 1:30 PM | 1:55 PM | Invited Speaker: Brandon Fields, Fieldstone Bio |
| 1:55 PM | 2:10 PM | Selected Abstract: High-Throughput Engineering of Membrane Sugar Transporter Biosensors, Sojeong Gwon, Georgia Institute of Technology |
| 2:10 PM | 2:25 PM | Selected Abstract: Bacterial Biosensors for Lung Cancer Detection, Michael Brasino, University of Vermont |
| 2:25 PM | 2:40 PM | Selected Abstract: A Genetically Encoded Device for Transcriptome Storage In Mammalian Cells, Yu-Kai Chao, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard |
| 2:40 PM | 3:10 PM | Afternoon Coffee Break |
| 3:10 PM | 4:10 PM | Session 7: Engineering Microbiomes, Ecosystems, and Non-Model Organisms |
| 3:10 PM | 3:15 PM | Session Introduction by Session Chairs: Tim Schnabel, Switch Bioworks & Joanna Tannous, ORNL |
| 3:15 PM | 3:40 PM | Invited Speaker: Nili Ostrov, Cultivarium |
| 3:40 PM | 3:55 PM | Invited Speaker: Environmentally Triggered Growth-Production Programming in Undomesticated Cereal Inoculants, Tim Haskett, Switch Bioworks |
| 3:55 PM | 4:10 PM | Selected Abstract: Engineering Trichoderma-Based Biosentinels: Smart Systems to Detect, Remember, and Respond to Environmental Stressors, Kyle Davis, Oak Ridge National Laboratory |
| 4:10 PM | 4:25 PM | Selected Abstract: Building Synthetic Lichens through Fungal-Cyanobacterial Partnerships, Jorge Guío, Michigan State University |
| 4:25 PM | 4:40 PM | Selected Abstract: Engineering Horizontal Gene Transfer As a Biocontrol Strategy for Microbial Communities, Sai Varun Aduru, University of Rochester |
| 4:40 PM | 5:10 PM | Lightining Talks Moderated By: |
| 4:40 PM | 4:45 PM | Lightning Talk: Recoding Life with a 19-Amino Acid Alphabet Via Generative Modeling, Charlotte Rochereau, CUMC |
| 4:45 PM | 4:50 PM | Lightning Talk: A Modular ML Approach to Design Multiplexed Whole Cell Bacterial Biosensors, Jichi Wang, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 4:50 PM | 4:55 PM | Lightning Talk: A Single Protein Scaffold Enables Programmable Broad-Spectrum Small-Molecule Detection, Hao Tian, University of California |
| 4:55 PM | 5:00 PM | Lightning Talk: From Characterization to Prediction: A Dynamic and Single-Cell Framework for Context-Aware Biosensor Design, Mara Pisani, Institute for Integrative Systems Biology, (UV-CSIC) Spanish National Research Council |
| 5:00 PM | 5:05 PM | Lightning Talk: A Synthetic Biology Platform for Engineering Self Sustaining and Permanent Bioluminescence In Multicellular Plant Systems, Minseo Kim, Korea Science Academy of KAIST |
| 5:05 PM | 5:10 PM | Lightning Talk: Enabling Host-Informed Microbiome Engineering through Non-Invasive Longitudinal Host Transcriptomic Profiling, Yiwei Sun, Columbia University |
| 5:10 PM | 6:10 PM | Poster Session 3 |
| Start Time | End Time | |
| June 18, 2026 | All Central Daylight Time (MST) | |
| Day 4 | ||
| 8:00 AM | 12:00 PM | Registration + Badge Pick Up |
| 9:00 AM | 9:05 AM | Welcome Remarks by Chairs: Harris Wang, Columbia University & Peyton Greenside, BigHat Biosciences |
| 9:05 AM | 9:50 AM | KEYNOTE: George Church, Harvard Medical School and MIT |
| 9:50 AM | 10:20 AM | ACS SynBio Young Innovator Award: Xiaojing Gao, Stanford University |
| 10:20 AM | 10:50 AM | Morning Coffee Break |
| 10:50 AM | 12:15 PM | Session 8: Bio-design Automation |
| 10:50 AM | 10:55 AM | Session Intrudction by Session Chairs: Chris Myers, University of Colorado-Boulder & Harris Wang, Columbia University |
| 10:55 AM | 11:20 AM | Invited Speaker: Robotic platforms unlock new approaches and applications for engineering biology, Harrison Steel, University of Oxford |
| 11:20 AM | 11:45 AM | Invited Speaker: An AI-powered Self-driving Biofoundry for Synthetic Biology, Huimin Zhao, UIUC |
| 11:45 AM | 12:00 PM | Selected Abstract: Emergex: A Computational Framework for Designing Emergent Dynamics In Chemical Reaction Networks, Colin Yancey, Johns Hopkins University |
| 12:00 PM | 12:15 PM | Selected Abstract: Modeling Toehold-Mediated Strand Exchange Circuits across Synthetic Biology Applications, Zoila Jurado, National Institute of Standards and Technology |
| 12:15 PM | 12:30 PM | Selected Abstract: SynBioSuite2: A Standards-Enabled Platform for Integrated Synthetic Biology Workflows, Gonzalo A. Vidal Peña, University of Colorado Boulder |
| 12:30 PM | 12:35 PM | Lightning Talk: Multi-Variable Control to Enhance the Modularity of CRISPR Systems, Krishna Manoj, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 12:35 PM | 12:40 PM | Lightning Talk: Milliner Platform™: High-Speed Wet Lab and Machine Learning Integration for Bio-Design Automation, Adam Carr, BigHat Biosciences |
| 12:40 PM | 12:45 PM | Lightning Talk: Bio-Design Automation for Strain Engineering, William Henson, Battelle Memorial Institute |
| 12:45 PM | 12:55 PM | Closing Remarks from Chairs: Harris Wang, Columbia University & Peyton Greenside, BigHat Biosciences |
