Join us for an illuminating panel discussion on the future of biotechnology and the bioeconomy, featuring three leading experts shaping policy and scientific progress. Professor Robin Wolfe Scheffler, an esteemed historian of biological sciences, Hannah Frye, a biomedical research policy specialist, and Dr. Georgia Lagoudas, a biosecurity and innovation strategist, will explore the intersection of biological science, policy, and economic growth. From pandemic preparedness to bioeconomy advancement, this panel will dive into the crucial role biotechnology plays in shaping our world. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights from leaders at the forefront of discovery and policy transformation!
 

Prof. Rob Scheffler:
Robin Wolfe Scheffler, Associate Professor in the Science, Technology, and Society Program, is an historian of the modern biological and biomedical sciences and their intersections with developments in American history. He is currently working on a project that follows the history of cancer virus research in the twentieth century from legislature to laboratory, documenting its origins and impact on the modern biological sciences. His other projects include the history of the biotechnology industry and a chemical biography of dioxins. The common goal of Professor Scheffler’s projects is to understand the mutual influence of science on society and of society on science.

Professor Scheffler earned his doctorate at Yale in the history of science and medicine. He also holds an M.Phil in the History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge as well as undergraduate degrees in history and chemistry from the University of Chicago. Before joining the faculty at MIT he was a visiting scholar at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Rockefeller Archives Center, and the National Institutes of Health Office of History, among other institutions. He recently edited a special issue of Studies in the History and Philosophy of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences that focuses on the history of cancer viruses. Professor Scheffler has also published in Endeavour, and the Journal of the History of Biology.
 

Hannah Frye:
As the senior policy advisor, Hannah Frye focuses on health and biomedical research policy, working with such agencies as the National Institutes of Health, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health and the Food and Drug Administration and their related Congressional committees.

Hannah Frye joined the MIT Washington Office in November 2022 after serving as a science fellow with the California Council on Science & Technology on the California Senate Committee on Business, Professions, and Economic Development.

Hannah received her Ph.D. in neuroscience at Washington University in St. Louis, and her B.S. in chemistry with a biochemistry emphasis and a minor in biological sciences from Missouri University of Science and Technology. Her doctoral work focused on dissecting the interplay of genetics and biological sex on memory and opioid use disorder risk. Hannah has served as a guest editor with the Journal of Science Policy and Governance, as an early career policy ambassador with the Society for Neuroscience and as the policy and advocacy chair for the graduate student science policy group ProSPER at Washington University.
 

Georgia Lagoudas:
Dr. Lagoudas is bringing her expertise on biosecurity, pandemic response, and indoor air quality to her role as Senior Fellow at the School of Public Health’s Pandemic Center at Brown University. She recently served as Senior Advisor for Biotechnology and Bioeconomy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. During her time at the White House, she coordinated a variety of initiatives, including drafting and implementation of an Executive Order on Advancing the American Bioeconomy, as well as launching a White House Initiative to improve indoor air quality.

Prior to the White House, Georgia was a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the Department of State in the Office of Biological Policy Staff. She worked on international and domestic biological policy, helping to coordinate U.S. involvement in the Biological Weapons Convention and leading efforts in biosecurity and biosafety policy and programs. Georgia also served as a AAAS Congressional Science Policy Fellow in the U.S. Senate and worked on climate policy, air pollution, bioeconomy, and the COVID-19 response in Senator Markey’s office. She led the writing and introduction of three bills in the Senate, one of which has become law through the CHIPS and Science Act. Before coming to D.C., Georgia worked as a scientist in the DSM Innovation Center in Boston, leading an initiative to develop products to reduce antibiotic usage in animal agriculture. Georgia received her Ph.D. in Biological Engineering from MIT, working at the intersection of infectious disease, genomics, and microfluidics at the Broad Institute.