Synthetic Biology & Citizen Science

We sit down with leading molecular biologist, community educator, and TEDx speaker, Ellen Jorgensen, PhD. Dr. Jorgensen is the Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer at Aanika Biosciences Inc., a biotech startup that uses DNA-barcoded to track and trace products through supply chains. She's passionate about increasing science literacy in both student and adult populations, particularly in the areas of molecular and synthetic biology. In 2017, Fast Company magazine named her one of their Most Creative Leaders in Business. Dr. Jorgensen’s two TED talks (Biohacking: You Can Do It Too and What You Need To Know About CRISPR) have received over three million views. In 2009 she co-founded Genspace, the world’s first community bio lab where she became a worldwide voice for hands-on public engagement with biotechnology. She is a SynbioLEAP fellow, recipient of a Shuttleworth Foundation Flash Grant, and an alumnus of the THNK School of Creative Leadership. She is Founder and board member of Biotech Without Borders, a non-profit 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to democratizing the practice of biotechnology for useful and peaceful purposes in order to benefit humankind and the planet. ‍Her work has been chronicled by Nature Medicine, Science, Discover Magazine, Wired, Make, BBC News, The Washington Post, Dan Rather Reports, PBS NewsHour, The Discovery Channel, and The New York Times. Her two TED talks have had over three million views.