Education
We offer a multitude of academic courses and research opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers who are interested in becoming experts in synthetic biology. We encourage students to use these resources to enhance their synthetic biology tool sets across scientific disciplines, social policy, and ethics.
Synthetic Biology Course List
Stanford undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers have the opportunity to gain essential knowledge and specialized synthetic biology training through a collection of courses at Stanford. We have compiled a list of courses relevant to synthetic biology researchers organized by subject area.
SB Foundations
BIO 188: Systems Biology: Principles of Cell Signaling (Jan Skotheim)
BIOE 44: Fundamentals for Engineering Biology Lab (Jenn Brophy)
BIOE 204: Genetic and Epigenetic Engineering (Lacra Bintu)
BIOE 240: Principles of Synthetic Biology (Michael Jewett)
BIOE 300A: Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (Lacra Bintu)
Quantitative Courses
BIOE 101: Systems Biology (Markus Covert)
BIOE 209: Mathematical Modeling of Biological Systems (Alison Marsden)
BIOE 301E: Computational Protein Modeling Laboratory (Possu Huang)
ME 305: Dynamics and Feedback Control of Living Systems (Michaëlle Mayalu)
Translational SB
BIOE 231: Protein Engineering (Michael Lin)
CEE 274B: Microbial Bioenergy Systems (Alfred Spormann)
CHEM 283: Therapeutic Science at the Chemistry-Biology Interface (C. Bertozzi)
CHEMENG 150: Biochemical Engineering (James Swartz)
CHEMENG 355: Advanced Biochemical Engineering (James Swartz)
GENE 246: Synthetic Proteins and Gene Circuits (Kyle Daniels)
Humanities, Ethics, and Social Policy
BIOE 122: BioSecurity and Pandemic Resilience (Milana Trounce)
BIOE 131: Ethics in Bioengineering (Russ Altman)
FRENCH 376: Introduction to Apocalyptic Thinking (Jean-Pierre Dupuy)
Undergraduate Training
We are always looking for highly motivated students with an interest in research at the interface of engineering, biology, mathematics, and chemistry to participate in research. Undergraduate students have the opportunity to apply to any of our undergraduate research programs. Additionally, Stanford undergradautes can reach out directly to a lab.
iGEM is a global synthetic biology competition where student-led synthetic biology teams work to design, build, and test novel biological innovations.
Each year, the Stanford Bioengineering department offers Stanford undergraduates an opportunity to conduct research during a 10-week long summer program.
The Department of Biology offers paid research internships to current Stanford undergraduates who want to spend the spring or summer quarter participating in research.
Bio-X offers undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct hands-on and virtual interdisciplinary research and network with Bio-X faculty, postdocs, and graduate students.
Graduate Training
Graduate training in synthetic biology can be obtained through Masters or PhD programs across the university. Those interested in pursuing graduate training in synthetic biology are encouraged to apply.
Stanford Bioengineering offers master’s and doctoral programs, which provide courses and research training in synthetic biology.
Stanford Chemical Engineering offers PhD training on the forefront of chemical engineering research and innovation.
Stanford has a network of 14 Bioscience PhD programs, which provide students with the flexibility to tailor their education to their skills and interests.