Engineering Biology IRC Newsletter

Welcome to the July 2022 issue of the Engineering Biology (formerly Synthetic Biology) Interdisciplinary Research Centre Newsletter - a round-up of news, events and notices from across the initiative.

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News & Updates

EngBio Postdoc Fund - Call Now Open

Four x £1000 awards available for University of Cambridge postdocs and ECRs to develop their own interdisciplinary, cross-departmental and cross-school projects.

Events

Keep up to date with the latest events from the EngBio IRC by joining the
Cambridge Synthetic and Engineering Biology Meetup Group.

ENGBIO POSTDOC FUND - CALL NOW OPEN!

Calling all postdocs and ECRs - 4 x £1000 grants available for postdoc-led projects!

The new EngBio Postdoc Fund supports postdocs within the University of Cambridge Synthetic and Engineering Biology community to develop their own interdisciplinary, cross-departmental and cross-school projects. Four awards of £1000 each will be available for projects led by University of Cambridge Early Career Researchers wanting to:

Pilot application-driven research projects
Build cross-sector relationships
Develop Training for ECRs and other researchers
Develop resources for ECRs and other researchers
Run public engagement events

LEARN MORE AND APPLY

BIOMAKER MEETUP

3rd Wednesday of Each Month
Cambridge Makespace, 16 Mill Lane

7:30-9pm, 20th July: Build a bacteria sensor
7:30-9pm, 17th August: Repair, design and build lab equipment

Monthly in-person, informal meetup at the Cambridge Makespace for anyone wanting to repair, design or build lab equipment.

Bring your own project to work on (anything involving lab hardware is welcome), take the opportunity to work through Biomaker training with others or join one of the Beneficial Bio community projects to benefit researchers in resource-limited labs in Africa and Latin America and closer to home in community labs like Biomakespace. Examples of current projects include:

Dismantling and repairing PCR machines (like the COVID test ones but less fancy)
Using an Arduino(-like) device to turn a £120 beer fridge into a programmable incubator to grow biological things and make useful reagents for the laboratory

ENGBIO POSTDOCS MEET & GREET

12:00-1:00pm, 15th August
Postdoc Centre, Mill Road

Monthly meeting of the University of Cambridge EngBio Postdoc Group. Open to postdocs, students and research staff from across the University and affiliated institutes (MRC-LMB, Babraham Institute, Wellcome Sanger Institute).

Join our monthly lunches to meet postdocs from across the University interested in biology, engineering, design, computer science, bioethics and more. This is a great opportunity to meet postdocs from other schools and departments, share knowledge and ideas, establish connections and collaborations, and find out more about EngBio Postdocs activities such as funding calls and support.

Online Events from Around the Web

Bringing Open Source to the Global Lab Bench

20th July, 11:30am-12:30pm
In-person
Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, West Cambridge

Join the Open Bioeconomy Lab for a talk by Dr. Julieta Arancio from the Center for Science, Technology & Society, Drexel University/University of Bath. In this talk Dr. Arancio will present findings from her research with the Gathering for Open Science Hardware (GOSH) community, and will discuss the implications that closed-source instruments have for knowledge production, how they affect researchers worldwide differently, and what people are doing towards a different future for science.

Learn more >>

Epigenetics Club Summer Symposium

26th July, 1:30-6pm
Hybrid
Babraham Institute, Cambridge

The Epigenetics Club Summer Symposium, organized by Cambridge postdocs and PhD students, provides a platform for labs doing fundamental epigenetics research to network and create collaborations between researchers in the growing epigenetics community.

Learn more >>

Reimagining Biomanufacturing Journal Club: Constructing Cell-Free Expression Systems for Low-Cost Access with Fernando Guzman-Chavez

27th July, 12-1pm
Hybrid
Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, West Cambridge

Reimagining Biomanufacturing Journal Club is a monthly meeting open to all and organised by the Open Bioeconomy Lab at the University of Cambridge to discuss new approaches to distributed biomanufacturing. In July's meeting Dr Fernando Guzman-Chavez will present his paper on Constructing Cell-Free Expression Systems for Low-Cost Access followed by a Q&A.

Learn more >>

CRUK Cambridge Centre Annual Bioinformatics Summer School

Apply by 15th August
Core Module: 5-7th September
Optional Modules: November 2022 - April 2023
Online

Functional genomics looks at the dynamic aspects of how the genome functions within cells, particularly in the form of gene expression (transcription) and gene regulation. This workshop surveys current methods for functional genomics using high-throughput technologies. Four modules are available, with Module 1 as a core and optional Modules 2-4 offering full flexibility in needs based training. Researchers funded by CRUK are given priority and can subscribe free of charge, but applications are also open to non-CRUK researchers.

Learn more >>

IBioIC Certificate of Upstream Bioprocessing

27th-29th September
In-person
FlexBio Facility, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh

The course is aimed at early career professionals and anyone who wants to develop an understanding of upstream bio-manufacturing techniques and processes.

The 3-day course consists of 6 lectures, enhanced with practical demo’s using bench-scale, pilot-scale, and single-use bioreactors. In particular, the trainees will gain hands-on fermentation experience using pilot-scale stainless steel bioreactor.

Learn more >>

Physics Of Living Matter Symposium

29th-30th September
Hybrid
DAMPT Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge

The Physics of Living Matter Symposium aims to promote the interface between the Life and Physical Sciences in Cambridge. Over the years, PLM has grown from a local meeting to a popular international event that attracts interdisciplinary scientists from all around the world.

Learn more >>

Jobs & Opportunities

If you have an opportunity to advertise to the Cambridge EngBio community, please contact the IRC Coordinator at coordinator@engbio.cam.ac.uk.

Image Credits
Header image: Fernan Federici; Bringing Open Source to the Global Lab Bench: Julieta Arancio/Open Bioeconomy Lab; Epigenetics Club Summer Symposium: Cambridge Epigenetics Club; CRUK Cambridge Centre Annual Bioinformatics Summer School: CRUK Cambridge Centre; IBioIC Certificate of Upstream Bioprocessing: IBioIC; Physics Of Living Matter Symposium: Celine Labouesse & Patrick Rericha (Chalut Lab)/Physics of Living Matter Symposium;

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