We design and characterize nucleic-acid-based materials for personalized medicine, DNA data storage, nanoengineering, and bioengineering — from DNA nanorobots that detect disease to scalable genomic memory.
Ph.D. & M.Sc. positions availableFour interconnected thrusts — one goal: programming matter with DNA.
Gene expression is a process that we call "parsing of life algorithm," in which information flows from a one-dimensional DNA code into a three-dimensional structural base-21 protein.
With information retention times from thousands to millions of years, volumetric density 10³ times greater than flash and energy of operation 10⁸ times less, NAM is an alternative to silicon-based memory.
We engineer CAGE — Chromatin Analogous Gene Expression — into a modular, programmable diagnostic system that regulates gene expression by tuning RNA polymerase activity for therapeutic means.
Bioinformatics provides tools to analyze biological "big data" — generation, storage, access, and interpretation — alongside computer-aided design and modeling of materials properties.
Recent highlights from the lab.
Huge congratulations to Mike Reed, who successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation this summer — alongside M. Nasiri and M. Bahadorani (Fall 2025). Recent publications in Nature Communications, Biotechnology Advances, and a new patent application.
Read more →A $1.5M NSF SemiSynBio-II award to create a sustainable, scalable DNA-based digital data storage system at the intersection of synthetic biology and the semiconductor industry.
Read more →
Our team collaborated with other faculty on the education ESTEEMED program led by Dr. Kanipes, preparing underrepresented minority students for Ph.D. programs in bioengineering.
Read more →Programming via DNA. Skills Needed: coding, CRISPR technology, microfluidics, molecular & synthetic biology, and strong communication. Email your CV and a reference letter to [email protected] with the subject "Application to join Z-Lab".
