Biosecurity

Beyond my professional involvement in biosecurity, I sometimes work on related side-projects.

  • With a non-academic group, I published a paper on the implications of direct-to-consumer whole genome sequencing.
  • I followed this up with some work on the security oimplactions, with the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTIBio). You can read the report here.
  • I taught a biosecurity course at BlueDot Impact
  • I helped with designing LLM Evals related to biosecurity
  • I compiled information on the spread of Bird Flu (H5N1) in the United States.

Microfluidics

During my PhD I developed microfluidic devices (channel and digital microfluidics) for applications in synthetic biology at the Shih microfluidics lab.

Droplet-in-channel Microfluidics


Non model organisms

During my Masters degree, I studied Arbuscular Mycorrhizal fungi with the intention of developing an engineering tolkit for it, and developed a fascination for these extremely complex living fossils. Growing them in vitro and studying them is quite fascinating.
How to save the world with mushrooms? Read this book.

Mutated Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) *R.irregularis* DAOM197198


DIY Bio and community science projects

I worked on plenty of ideas in our DIYBio group Bricobio.

Kombucha engineering

A project at Bricobio where we were trying to improve the structural properties of bacterial cellulose biofilm by stabilizing a foreign bacteria in the community.

Bioliumiescent beer / Foulbeer Green Pale Ale. In collaboration with Foulab, we’ve been brewing fluorescent beer with transformed yeast. That is nothing special… but… We’re working towards bioilluminescent beer!



For brewing, we use transformed S.cerevisiae (GFP). The plan was to make a food safe transformed yeast strain that exports proteins that can trigger bioilluminescence in low quantity. I designed the yeast expression vector (2µ plasmid origin of replication, a ColE1 element, a marker gene (E. coli), a heterologous (methanol inducible) promoter, a termination signal and alpha-factor secretion leader peptide. )

… and many others

  • Bacterial based photography developer and stripper
  • Chicken-of-the-woods, mushroom farming
  • Synbio Carmine dye synthesis


Selfmade centrifuge (3D printed spinner, brushless DC motor, Arduino nano), magnetic stirrer (Hard drive supermagnets, computer fan), Lab bench (polyurethane covered plywood). Thanks to Bricobio, Foulab and Helios makerspace.