Crossing Disciplines: Reflections from a Synthetic Biology Conference
A senior colleague of mine used to attend one conference every couple of years on a topic completely unrelated to their own on the grounds that it is good practice to experience how other scientific communities carry out their work. Having attended, and presented at, the Biochemical Society’s Synthetic Biology Conference last month with neither a Chemistry nor Biology degree to my name … I feel that my colleague was underestimating the value of her biennial experience. Held at UCL’s Mary Ward conference facility in London this event showcased leading edge SynBio research with application potential across a range of sectors. I thought the organisers got the balance between technical presentations and other sessions on policy etc. absolutely spot on. Whilst unquestionably being amongst the oldest delegates, I thought the most engaging session over the two days was the early careers panel discussion which featured four ECRs from academia and industry talking about their experiences (very different) and advice for pursuing a career in the field (surprisingly similar).
My talk was on the similarities between synthetic biology and water reuse in the context of public understanding and risk perception. The risk perception factors (those aspects which serve to increase how hazardous a technology is perceived to be) identified by behavioural psychologists such as Paul Slovic and others in the 1980s and 1990s play out in similar ways across the two fields. For example, the perceived riskiness of both synthetic biology and water reuse is enhanced by the fact that they are human-made threats rather than natural. Some very productive conversations after the event have laid the foundations for a full paper on the subject.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the poster presenters who took the time to explain their science to me in simple terms. Whilst not better educated I do feel better informed about synthetic organelles and transmembrane hemoproteins and excited about the range of social, health, and economic challenges that synthetic biology is capable of addressing. I would have liked to see more papers and discussion on biosafety and biocontainment but that is a minor grumble about what was a hugely enjoyable and worthwhile event.
Professor Paul Jeffrey, of EBIC & Cranfield University, on presenting at the Synthetic Biology UK conference.
Synthetic Biology UK
The 10th anniversary of SynBio UK, the premier conference for synthetic and engineering biology organised by the Biochemical Society. This milestone event brought together leading experts and emerging talents to reflect on the last ten years of synbio, showcase ground-breaking advancements, and explore future directions in the field.
The themes for 2025 were: Cell Free; Modelling & Control; Health & Therapeutics, Environment & Sustainability; and Manufacturing & Scaling.
Click here to learn more.
