Hear from Climate SynBio Society members Gabrielle Admans and Friederike Nintzel about the Cambridge society dedicated to exploring synthetic biology solutions to climate change.
The Climate SynBio Society is a community of students and scientists discussing cutting-edge synthetic biology research and promoting their use in averting the climate crisis. The society seeks to create a network focused on tacking challenges like sustainable food production, biological carbon capture, and ecosystem resilience.
The society organises seminars, held during Cambridge term time, featuring leading scientists at the intersection of synthetic biology and sustainability. Speakers offer insights and spark ideas on applying synthetic biology to climate challenges. The society also hosts social events like brunches, board games, and pub evenings, providing informal settings for sharing ideas.
Their 2024 Lent seminar series, “From Molecules to Ecosystems: Climate Synthetic Biology at All Scales,” was very successful. It united participants from various disciplines to discuss innovations like protein engineering for carbon capture and enzyme-powered green chemistry. One networking session even helped a student secure a dream internship studying plants with enhanced mycorrhizal interactions to reduce fertilizer use.
The society traces its roots back to a group of PhD students who found it challenging to find research groups dedicated to using synthetic biology to combat climate change. Gabrielle, one of the founders and now a PhD student, was inspired by a call for bioscientists to use their skills to tackle the climate crisis when she was an undergraduate. She reached out within her college (Darwin) and connected with other students who shared this passion. They began meeting regularly, sharing ideas, organising seminars, and thus the society was born.
Membership is open to all, from undergraduates to professors and even those outside the university. The society offers a unique network of like-minded individuals applying their research to better the world, with opportunities for early career members to connect with group leaders and companies. The society also collaborates with the EngBio IRC and the Cambridge Climate Society, and is keen to link up with other societies.
Anybody who is interested can keep up to date with the society’s latest talks on their events page. You can also get involved by joining the committee and helping to organise talks, socials, or writing posts for their blog. The society will continue to host their talk series throughout the year. In future they plan to organise a conference which will be ideal to bring people together around the growing field of climate synthetic biology.
More Information
For more information, check out the society’s website and blog.
For up-to-date information on events, including how to register for virtual sessions, please see the society’s events page, or contact climate.synbio.cambridge@gmail.com.
Credits and Acknowledgements
The author and the EngBio IRC would like to thank Gabrielle Admans and Friederike Nintzel for sharing their work and taking part an interview.