Drew Endy

Drew Endy is an Associate Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University and Senior Fellow, by courtesy, at the Hoover Institution and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. He earned his PhD in Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering from Dartmouth College in 1998, MS in Environmental Engineering from Lehigh University in 1994, and BS in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University in 1992. Endy studies synthetic biology, with research advancing standards for reliable reuse of bio-measurements and materials, developing measurement and modeling tools for whole-cell analysis, bootstrapping biotechnology tools in unconventional organisms such as mealworms, wood fungus, and skin microbes, and exploring limits of whole-genome recoding and building cells from scratch. His lab also supports strategy and policy work on bio-safety, security, economy, equity, justice, and leadership. Endy helped launch undergraduate bioengineering majors at MIT and Stanford and co-founded the iGEM competition, an annual global genetic engineering event for thousands of students. His former students lead companies including Ginkgo Bioworks and Octant.

Endy serves as President and Director of the BioBricks Foundation since 2006, Director of the iGEM Foundation since 2019, and Director of the BioBuilder Educational Foundation since 2021. He has held positions including Chair of the Committee on Undergraduate Admissions & Financial Aid since 2022, member of the WHO Advisory Committee on Variola Virus Research since 2016, Voting Member of the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity from 2012 to 2017, and member of the Defense Innovation Board from 2020 to 2021. His awards include Martin Family University Fellow for Undergraduate Education in 2022, Elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering in 2021, Honorary Doctorate from Technische Universiteit Delft in 2017, Presidential Champion of Change in 2013, and Terman Fellow at Stanford in 2008. Key publications comprise 'Foundations for engineering biology' (Nature, 2005), 'Engineering BioBrick vectors from BioBrick parts' (Journal of Biological Engineering, 2008), 'Refinement and standardization of synthetic biological parts and devices' (Nature Biotechnology, 2008), 'Amplifying genetic logic gates' (Science, 2013), and 'Engineering tRNA abundances for synthetic cellular systems' (Nature Communications, 2023). Endy's contributions have shaped synthetic biology through standardization and educational initiatives.

Professional Email: endy@stanford.edu