Program

The ELM Workshop will be a dialogic event at which all participants are encouraged to weigh in on concepts and challenges in the field. The solutions and collaborations we develop as a community will have a strong impact on the future of ELMs. Distinct from other presentation-driven seminars, the ELM Workshop will:

  • Prompt attendees to consider current roadblocks and opportunities;
  • Focus on problem-solving discussions in both large forums and small breakout groups;
  • Balance discussion time with formal presentations, and encourage interaction with speakers during their talks;
  • Involve academic, industry, and government representatives across many disciplines and of all levels for comprehensive viewpoints;
  • Facilitate the formation of collaborations and coalitions to continue tackling roadblocks and sustain communication after the event;
  • Feature breaks for informal discussions among participants.

Click here for a Google map of Workshop venues

Wednesday, October 22

Baker Hall
1:00-2:00 pm Check-in
2:00-2:30 pm Welcome
2:30-3:15 pm

The State of Engineered Living Materials and discussion

Speaker: Marimikel Charrier (Rice University)
3:15-4:00 pm

Keynote: Oleg Igoshin (Rice University)

Data-driven approaches to understanding bacterial self-organization and pattern-formation: from agent-based models to AI feature extraction
4:00-4:40 pm

Policy and Programs: a conversation with Anne Cheever (Rand Corporation)
4:40-5:00 pm Flash Talks
5:00-6:30 pm Poster Session
6:45 pm Welcome Social at Valhalla

Thursday, October 23

Bioscience Research Collaborative
8:30-9:00 am Breakfast
9:00-10:30 am

Panel and Discussion: Ethical Use and Biosecurity

Panelists:

  • Kristen Intemann (Montana State University)
  • Sebastian Rivera (Engineering Biology Research Consortium)
  • Dalton George (Engineering Biology Research Consortium)
10:30-10:50 am

Speaker: Anna Duraj-Thatte (Virginia Tech)

Expanding the Landscape of Autogenic Engineered Living Materials
10:50-11:20 am Networking Break
11:20 am-11:30 am

Early Career Speaker: Olivia Pear (CU Boulder)

Engineered Biohybrid Mycelia Materials with Hierarchical Structure Control
11:30 am-11:40 am

Early Career Speaker: Isaak Thornton (Montana State)

Probing Structure–Function Relationships in ELMs with 3D Bioprinting
11:40 am-12:15 pm Interactive Panel: Career Paths in Biotech with representatives from Montana State University, Ginkgo Bioworks, Rand Corp, and more
12:15 pm-1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 pm-1:40 pm

Early Career Speaker: Manivannan Sivaperuman Kalairaj (Texas A&M)

Controlled Release of Microorganisms from Engineered Living Materials for the Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections
1:40 pm-2:00 pm

Speaker: Negar Kalantar (California College of the Arts) & Anna Muliana (Texas A&M)

Building with Bacteria: Collaborative Strategies in Biodesign for Architecture and Material Innovation
2:00 pm-2:10 pm

Early Career Speaker: Tiana Rohe (University of Rochester)

Sustainable Degradation of Marine Plastics using Microbial and Enzymatic Engineered Living Materials
2:10-2:40 pm Networking Break
2:40-4:10 pm

Panel and Discussion: Communication and societal adoption of ELMs

Panelists:

  • Mike Johnson, (International Living Futures Institute)
  • Suzanne Lee, (Biofabricate)
  • Orkan Telhan, (Biodesign Challenge)
4:10-4:30 pm

Speaker: Lin Su (Queen Mary University of London)

Photoactive Living Bio-hybrid Materials for Solar Reforming
4:30-5:30 pm Networking Break
6:30 pm

Reception and Keynote: Lynn Rothschild (Brown University)

ELMs for Off-Earth Environments

At the Hilton Houston Plaza/Medical Center at 6633 Travis St.

Friday, October 24

Ralph S. O'Connor Building for Engineering and Science
8:30 am-9:00 am Breakfast
9:00 an-9:20 am

Speaker: Sara Trujillo (INM-Leibniz Institute for New Materials)

Pre-clinical assessment of Living Materials-Host Interactions
9:20am-10:50 am

Panel and Discussion: Transitioning ELMs out of the lab

Panelists:

  • Jesse Dill (Gingko Bioworks)
  • Heath Mills (Rhodium Scientific)
  • Tim Silman (Lonely Whale)
10:50-11:00 am Networking Break
11:00 am-11:45 pm

Keynote: Adam Arkin (UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab)

Organizing microbial interactions for persistence, activity and protection: challenges of an open world
11:45 am-12:30 pm Closing remarks and future directions

All times in Central

The program for the 2025 ELM Workshop is subject to change.