Human Practices/Committee
Human Practices Committee
Many members of the iGEM community have expertise related to Human Practices. The Human Practices Executive Committee members works directly with the iGEM foundation to develop its human practices efforts including providing guidance on judging criteria, information and resources. Our Human Practices Committee members provide additional guidance and have agreed to be contacted by teams seeking assistance on specific elements of their human practices work.
Have suggestions, need help or want to get in touch with our committee members? Email the executive committee at humanpractices [AT] igem [DOT] org .
Megan J. Palmer
Director of Human Practices
Senior Research Scholar, Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), Stanford University
A bioengineer by training, Megan’s expertise is in developing programs to engage scientists and engineers in policy-relevant issues in biotechnology.
Todd Kuiken
Co-Chair, Human Practices Committee
Senior Research Scholar, Genetic Engineering & Society Center, North Carolina State University
Todd is an environmental scientist who now evaluates and designs new research and governance strategies to proactively address the biosafety, biosecurity and environmental risks associated with synthetic biology and genetic engineering.
Sam Weiss Evans
Co-Chair, Human Practices Committee
Research Assistant Professor, Science, Technology, and Society (STS),Tufts University; Research Fellow, STS Program, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Sam is an expert in Science and Technology Studies, and understanding how we navigate the fine line between technologies that help and those that harm
Peter Carr
Executive Judging Committee Representative
Senior Staff, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Bioengineering Group; Member, Synthetic Biology Center at MIT (SBC@MIT), Director of Judging, iGEM
Peter wears many hats in iGEM, spanning the committees for judging, responsible conduct, safety, and human practices. In his day job he sits at the technical intersection of synthetic biology, microfluidics, and biosecurity.
Ana Sifuentes
iGEM Headquarters Representative
Visual Designer and Ambassador to Latin America, iGEM Foundation
Ana takes care of the visuals for the Jamborees, website materials and handles communications with the Latin America region.
Piers Millet
Vice President, Safety and Security
iGEM Director of Safety and Security; Global Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Piers works with governments, academia and industry to safeguard the use of biology as a manufacturing technology.
Human Practices Committee
Below are the 2018 Human Practices Committee members. The application to join the 2018 Human Practices Committee is now closed. If you are interested in joining the committee, please send an email to executivehp [AT] igem [DOT] org.
Kevin Chen
CEO and Cofounder, Hyasynth Bio
Director, Bricobio & Helios Makerspace
Kevin is a biochemist turned entrepreneur and community organizer. He spends his time working with teams in challenging, new areas of technology and sometimes narcotics regulations, as well as in creating communities for anyone to have access to tools, knowledge and equipment for learning biotechnology.
Matthew Sample
Postdoctoral Researcher, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal
why.technology
Trained in philosophy, Matthew Sample takes ethics and political theory into the real world. His research involves collaborating with scientists and engineers, designing expert-public deliberative workshops, and recently, publishing on the social and ethical aspects of brain-computer interfaces.
Rahmat A. Kemal
Lecturer, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Riau
www.linkedin.com/in/rahmat-kemal-RAKemal
A biotechnologist among medical doctors, Rahmat is keen on discussing medical application of biotechnology such as vaccine and synthetic biology in order to make them safe and well-received.
Joy Zhang
Associate Professor in Sociology, SSPSSR, University of Kent
Originally trained as a surgeon, Joy’s expertise is on the transnational governance of scientific uncertainty, with a focus on the Sino-European context. Her 2011 paper, the Transnational Governance of Synthetic Biology, has influenced the policy making of the Royal Society in the UK. Her current research focuses on the promotion of institutional and cultural change to improve public accountability of the biosciences.
Amy Weissenbach
Masters Student, History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine, University of Cambridge
A recent iGEM alum (Stanford-Brown 2016), Amy spent 2017-2018 working with Megan Palmer at CISAC. This year she sets off to Cambridge to study cultures of responsibility in and around biotech.
Marguerite Benony
Ph.D Student in Design and Anthropology, Université Paris Diderot, Paris 7.
Marguerite Benony is an Industrial Designer, working at the edge of Design and Biology. After graduating in Design at Ecole Boulle, she did the Master « Interdisciplinary Approaches of Life Sciences » at the CRI, in Paris. In 2015 she started a Ph.D that questions the future of research practice in life sciences.
Dorothy Zhang
Director of Science Education, BGI College
Dorothy has assisted and led the establishment and operation of several NGOs that focus on the exchanging and popularization of life sciences. With a background of psychology, she is now working on bridging the gap between folks without much biology background, especially the young students, and the most advanced research & technology development.
Luz Alba Gallo
Service and Experience Desginers, Minstry of ICT and Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá-Colombia
Luz is a Designer interested in exploring the intersection of Design and other disciplines in order to create positive impact. She currently teaches two Biodesign courses at Universidad de los Andes and works at the Ministry of ITC as a service and experience design consultant.
Ellen Dias Jorgensen
President, Biotech without Borders; Scientific Director, Brooklyn Bio, Adjunct Faculty, The Cooper Union
Ellen is a molecular biologist who spent 30 years in the biotech industry and FDA-regulated pharmaceuticals before founding the world’s first community lab. She strives to engage groups underrepresented in the sciences and is a pioneer in developing systems to promote safe and responsible conduct by citizen scientists.
Tessa Alexanian
Automation Engineer, Zymergen
Tessa spends her days trying to convince robots to do biology experiments and her evenings wondering about how to do them safely.
Hassnain Qasim Bokhari
Ambassador, iGEM Foundation
Hassnain, a bioscientist-cum-science communicator, is interested in the public understanding of scientific research and its impact on policy making. He has implemented initiatives such as Mobile Lab Project and founded, Speck, a biotech startup, in Pakistan.
Pieter van Boheemen
Researcher, Rathenau Instituut
https://www.rathenau.nl/en/about-us/who-we-are/our-staff/pieter-van-boheemen-msc
Pieter specialises in applying co-creation and design thinking in researching the societal aspects of science and technology on a national, EU as well as grassroots level. The Rathenau Instituut performs Technology Assessment and Science System Assessment.
Linda Kahl
Senior Counsel and Director of Ownership, Sharing and Innovation, The BioBricks Foundation
One of the many ways in which communities express cultural values is through legal frameworks for owning and sharing property. Linda’s expertise is in how existing legal frameworks are adapting (or not) to rapid advances in technologies for engineering biology.
Alumni Committee
Emma Frow
Assistant Professor, School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University
With a background in biosciences and Science and Technology Studies (STS), Emma’s work focuses on standards and governance in synthetic biology.
Jane Calvert
Reader, Science, Technology and Innovation Studies, University of Edinburgh Jane is an expert in the the sociology of the life sciences with a focus on synthetic biology and has a long-standing interest in interdisciplinary collaborations. Her research draws on sociology and anthropology of science, the philosophy of biology, and science policy.
Terry Johnson
Associate Teaching Professor in Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley Terry has been an iGEM advisor, judge, executive judging committee member and master of ceremonies for the Giant Jamboree. He teaches and write about biotechnology in society and how we might prepare ourselves for the future.
David Lloyd
CEO, FREDsense Technologies
David has been an iGEM student, advisor and judge and is now the CEO of a iGEM-based startup. His specialty is in entrepreneurship, user-focused design, and safety and ethics through the lens of product development.
Genya Dana
Principal, Dana & Sharpe Strategic Directions, LLC
Having served as a Senior Science Policy Officer for the US Department of State, Genya has expertise in international and domestic biotech policy and regulation, and in stakeholder engagement on synthetic biology.
Kenneth Oye
Professor of Political Science and Data Systems and Society and Director of the Program on Emerging Technologies (PoET), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Ken is an expert in international relations, political economy and technology policy. has focused on adaptive management of risks associated with synthetic biology and he has worked closely with iGEM on the development of the safety and Human Practices programs.
Larisa Rudenko
Visiting Scholar, MIT Center for International Studies
Larisa is an expert in science-based policy for the regulation of animal biotechnology and the development and implementation of new paradigms for risk assessment.
Tim Trevan
Co-Founder, Chrome Biorisk Management Consulting
With a background in biosciences, business and diplomacy, Tim’s work focuses on the management aspects of designing and implementing a culture of safety in organizations whose work involves biological risks.
iGEM Foundation
The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of synthetic biology, education and competition, and the development of an open community and collaboration. Visit us at igem.org
hq AT igem DOT org
One Kendall Square, Suite B6104
Cambridge, MA 02139
+1.617.500.3106