Hello and welcome back to the newsletter! Feel free to hang out on the slack! We are also on twitter!

All the past podcasts and tutorials can be found here. Enjoy!

  1. Podcast with Dr. Sifang Chen
  2. New team members!
  3. Slack invitation
  4. Message from tilibit nanosystems

1. Podcast with Dr. Sifang Chen

We chatted with Dr. Sifang Chen about her research journey from from quantum and graphene based devices to biosensors and DNA programmable materials, and now science policy. We talked about science in a broader scope, starting off with the big question of how Synthetic Biology and related fields will help in the fight against climate change, and the problems we face, both from a policy and science perspective. Moving into policy is certainly unconventional, and Sifang explains the transition, and the skills required to do so, before diving into the specifics of what her job entails, how she communicates with lawmakers, and the difficulties she faces in this line of work.

Dr. Sifang Chen is a science policy postdoc at the Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC). Her work focuses on policies related to synthetic biology and biotechnology, specifically on how to advance the field to help fight climate change and make our future more sustainable. Prior to joining EBRC, she worked on low-cost biosensors for pollution detection and DNA-based programmable materials. Sifang received her Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Washington in 2019.

2. New team members!

Hello everyone! We are excited to announce that two new members have joined the team: Dhaval Ghone and Erik Poppleton!

Dhaval Ghone is a first year PhD student at UW Madison. His general interests revolve around self-assembly and using it to make molecular devices.

Erik Poppleton is a 5th year PhD candidate in the Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics at Arizona State University. His work mostly focuses on how to use the oxDNA model to improve designs and rationalize experimental results in the structural DNA and RNA nanotech communities. He was a previous guest on the podcast.

3. Slack invitation

We’re launching a slack! Come join us over there to create the first molecular programming memes, share and find job opportunities, discuss podcast episodes, and help fledgling molecular programmers find their way!

4. Message from tilibit nanosystems

“At tilibit nanosystems, we offer the design and production of DNA nanostructures for any application. If you would like to find out more, contact us at info@tilibit.com, or visit our website at www.tilibit.com.

Find out how others are using our products here.”

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