Christina Agapakis
Christina Agapakis | |
---|---|
Bioengineering | |
Institutions | University of California, Los Angeles Ginkgo Bioworks |
Thesis | Biological Design Principles for Synthetic Biology (2011) |
Doctoral advisor | Pamela Silver |
Website | agapakis |
Christina Maria Agapakis is a synthetic biologist, science writer. She is the Creative Director of the biotechnology company Ginkgo Bioworks.
Education and early life
Agapakis received her Bachelor of Science degree in 2006 from Yale University in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. She then attended Harvard University, where she received her PhD in biological and biomedical sciences under the mentorship of Pamela Silver.[1] Her thesis, on Biological Design Principles for Synthetic Biology, centered on identifying and utilizing design principles for bioengineering, keeping in mind the evolutionary and ecological contexts under which genes and genetic pathways were being modified or newly synthesized.[1]
Career and research
Agapakis worked to engineer
Following her PhD, Agapakis began a
Bioengineering and bioart
Agapakis is now the Creative Director of the Boston-based biotechnology company
In her role as Creative Director, Agapakis focuses on creating experiences and communicating stories about the bioengineering work the company undertakes with the ultimate goal of making biotechnology more approachable.[14] For instance, Ginkgo hosted designer Natsai Audrey Chieza as artist in residence to experiment with dying textiles with bacteria as an environmentally sound and resource-conservative approach alternative to commercial dyes.[15][16]
Science writing
Agapakis is also a science writer. She began blogging in graduate school and in 2011 started a column for Scientific American called the "Oscillator," sharing her thoughts on the latest developments in the field of synthetic biology for a popular audience.[17] Her posts covered a number of topics from sustainability to the intersection between art and science to the microbiology of body fluids.[18] She has also written for a variety of outlets, including highlighting the women who made microbiology possible for Popular Science and reviewing Sophia Roosth's book Synthetic: How life got made for New Scientist.[12][19] She also co-founded a four-edition print science magazine called Method Quarterly about how science works in practice with science writers Azeen Ghorayshi and Rose Eveleth.[20]
Awards and honors
- Forbes 30 Under 30, 2012[21]
- L'Oreal USA Fellowship for Women in Science, 2012[22][23]
- UdKAward for Interdisciplinary Art and Science, 2012
- 100 Most Creative People in Business, Fast Company, 2016[10]
- Next List 2017: 20 People Who Are Creating the Future, Wired, 2017[24]
- Excellence in Public Engagement Award, SynBioBeta, 2018[25]
References
- ^ ProQuest 881069635.
- PMID 21533097.
- PMID 20184755.
- ^ "Team:Harvard - 2010.igem.org". 2010.igem.org. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
- PMID 22716313.
- ^ ""Human Cheese" Only the First Course for Odd Cheeses". National Geographic News. 2013-12-04. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
- ^ Madrigal, Alexis C. (2013-04-24). "The Hordes of Microbes Inside Your Body Are Your Friends". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
- ^ "Ginkgo Bioworks, The Latest "Unicorn," Genetically Engineers Everything From Perfume To Food". BuzzFeed News. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
- ^ a b "Christina Agapakis, Most Creative People 2016". Fast Company. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
- ^ "Organism Designers at Ginkgo Bioworks are Designing Tasty Food Flavors". MOLD :: Designing the Future of Food. 21 September 2017. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
- ^ a b cosmeticsdesign.com (3 November 2015). "Ginkgo Bioworks and Robertet to develop new fragrance ingredients". cosmeticsdesign.com. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
- ^ Agapakis, Christina; Lee, Suzanne (2018-09-19). "Design With Science". Journal of Design and Science.
- ^ Thayer, Katheryn. "This Scientist Explains Complex Biotech With Food, Art And Empathy". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
- ^ "Artist Screen-Prints Fabrics With Bacteria". mentalfloss.com. 2017-08-31. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
- ^ Zhang, Sarah (2018-02-12). "Can This Company Convince You to Love GMOs?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
- ^ Zivkovic, Bora. "Introducing #SciAmBlogs bloggers: Christina Agapakis". Scientific American Blog Network. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
- ^ "Oscillator". Scientific American Blog Network. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
- ^ Agapakis, Christina. "Synthetic biology's ties to our humanity let it elude definition". New Scientist. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
- ^ "Method | Science in the making". Retrieved 2018-12-22.
- ^ Herper, Matthew; Le, Vanna; Sharf, Samantha. "30 Under 30 - Science & Healthcare". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
- ^ Braun, David Max (2012-09-15). "Researchers Examining Critical World Issues Receive L'Oréal Fellowships for Women in Science". National Geographic Society Newsroom. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
- ^ L'Oréal USA For Women In Science (27 August 2013), Meet our 2012 L'Oréal USA For Women In Science Fellow, Dr. Christina Agapakis, retrieved 2018-12-21
- ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
- ^ Cumbers, John (2018-09-25). "The Fourth Annual Engineering Biology Awards Recognize Excellence in the Synthetic Biology Industry at SynBioBeta 2018". SynBioBeta. Retrieved 2018-12-21.