Abstract: A fledgling biofoundry is taking shape within the new Biological Design Center at Boston University. The mission of the DAMP (Design, Automation, Manufacturing, and Prototyping) Laboratory is to develop novel biological systems using formal representations of protocols and experiments for the specify-design-build-test cycle. The ultimate goal is to produce faster, more scalable, and reproducible research results. Spearheaded by Dr. Douglas Densmore, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the facility is uniquely software-focused and plans to integrate high-throughput robotics with software for biological design and experimental planning. This approach is designed to meet the growing demand for standards and scalability across academia and industry in the field of synthetic biology.

Speaker biography: Marilene Pavan is the Scientific Manager on DAMP Lab (damplab.org) and Lab Manager of CIDAR (Cross-disciplinary Integration of Design Automation Research) lab at Boston University, working on synthetic biology & automation projects, mainly in the Living Computing Project (livingcomputing.org). Her main roles / expertise are related but not limited to: automation of genetic circuits assemblies, cell free systems, synthetic biology tools evaluation and implementation, microfluidics, science outreach programs (stempathways.org), IGEM mentorship, lab management, and training of new students.

Previously, she worked metabolic engineering, molecular and synthetic biology, as part of the research staff in leader companies like Monsanto S.A., Braskem S.A. (both in Brazil), and JBEI (jbei.org), CA.