What is Life?
In this conversation, Dr. Elizabeth Strychalski discusses the fascinating field of synthetic biology, particularly focusing on synthetic cells. She shares her journey into this research area, the challenges of defining life, and the ethical considerations surrounding synthetic biology. The conversation also explores the potential applications of synthetic cells in environmental science and medicine, as well as the importance of engineering standards and biomanufacturing for sustainability. Dr. Strychalski emphasizes the need for collaboration and communication in the scientific community to advance this field responsibly and effectively.
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All opinions are of the individual scientist and do not reflect the opinions of NIST or the federal Government.
About the Guests Dr. Elizabeth Strychalski
Dr. Elizabeth A. Strychalski received a B.S. in Physics and a B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Rochester and M.S. and Ph.D. in Physics from Cornell University. She was awarded a National Research Council Postdoctoral Research Associateship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the areas of nanofabrication, nanofluidics, and confined biopolymers. Dr. Strychalski served as a Program Manager in the Biological Technology Office (BTO) at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where she managed a ~$120M portfolio to aggressively advance experimental and theoretical research at the interface of synthetic biology, control engineering, nanobiotechnology, and fluidic devices. Upon returning to NIST, she founded the Cellular Engineering Group, as part of NIST’s Engineering Biology Program, and serves on the Steering Group for Build a Cell. Dr. Strychalski received the University of Rochester’s Harry W. Fullbright Prize and Janet Howell Clark Award, as well as the Maryland Academy of Sciences Young Scientist Award. Her current research focuses on discovering and testing fundamental rules to predict and control the engineered function of biological systems. (NIST bio link)
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Stay Connected: You can find Dr. Elizabeth A. Strychalski on her webpage at NIST.
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