Event Date
Speaker: Ahmed Badran, Associate Professor
Speaker Bio: Ahmed H. Badran is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Chemistry and of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology at the Scripps Research Institute. Badran earned his B.Sc. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics from the University of Arizona. As an NSF Graduate Research Fellow at Harvard University, Badran developed high-throughput strategies to evolve proteins with improved or altered activities. After receiving his Ph.D. in 2016, he was selected as part of the first class of Fellows of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, where his group developed technologies to alter protein translation and expand the genetic code of cells. He moved to the Scripps Research Institute in 2021, where his on-going research leverages the programmability of biological systems to develop next-generation strategies for addressing global problems in biotechnology, medicine, and sustainability. Badran’s current research interests include engineering of carbon-sequestering enzymes; development of pathogen-specific antimicrobials to curb widespread resistance; creating new-to-nature catalysts that bridge synthetic chemistry and molecular biology; and pioneering novel bioactive modalities to therapeutically intervene in diverse disease states.
Institution: The Scripps Research Institute
Seminar Title: Synthetic Biology Strategies to Study and Improve Photosynthetic Carbon Capture
About the Series
The Plant Biology Graduate Group Events series brings researchers and trainees together to explore advances across plant biology, from molecules to ecosystems. Hosted by the Plant Biology Graduate Group, these events foster interdisciplinary exchange, professional development, and community around plant-focused research.