Synthetic biology, bioenergy, symbiosis, engineered ecologies, science and technology studies, biologically inspired engineering, art, and design.
2006-2011
Harvard University
PhD, Biological and Biomedical Sciences
2002-2006
Yale University
BS, Magna Cum Laude, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
2011-present
Postdoctoral Researcher
Liao Lab, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UCLA
2007-2011
Graduate Researcher
Silver Lab, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School
Thesis: Biological Design Principles for Synthetic Biology (PDF)
2005-2006
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Crews Lab, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University
Performed pharmacological and biochemical studies of the natural product myriaporone.
2003-2005
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Austin Lab, Department of Chemistry, Yale University
Worked to elucidate the biological function of the Src kinase activation loop.
Summer 2004
Summer Research Intern
Altshuler Lab, Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital
Performed haplotype analysis and single nucleotide polymorphism association studies for
genes in the insulin pathway.
Bactricityproject earned a gold medal and won the prize for Best Food or Energy Project.
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, 2008
NIH Pharmacological Sciences Training Grant, 2006‐2008
Inducted into ΦΒΚ, Yale Chapter, 2006
Yale-HHMI Future Scientists Fellowship, 2005
Yale College Mellon Undergraduate Research Grant, 2004
Massachusetts Biotechnology Council Scholar, 2002
National Merit Scholarship, 2002
Agapakis CM, Niederholtmeyer H, Noche RR, Lieberman TD, Megason SG, Way JC, Silver PA. Towards a Synthetic Chloroplast.
PLoS ONE, 2011, 6(4): e18877.
Barstow B, Agapakis CM, Boyle PM, Grandl G, Silver PA, and Wintermute EH. "A synthetic system links FeFe-hydrogenases to essential E. coli sulfur metabolism." Journal of Biological Engineering, 2011, 5:7.
Agapakis CM and Silver PA. Modular Electron Transfer Circuits for Synthetic Biology: Insulation of an Engineered Biohydrogen Pathway.
Bioengineered Bugs, 2010, 1:6.
Agapakis CM, Ducat DC, Boyle PM, Wintermute EH, Way JC, and Silver PA. Insulation of a Synthetic Hydrogen Metabolism Circuit in Bacteria.
Journal of Biological Engineering, 2010, 4:3.
Agapakis CM and Silver PA. Synthetic Biology: Exploring and Exploiting Biological
Modularity Through the Design of Novel Biological Networks.
Molecular BioSystems, 2009, 5: 704-13.
Florez JC, Sjögren M, Agapakis CM, Burtt NP, Almgren P, Lindblad U, Berglund G,
Tuomi T, Gaudet D, Daly MJ, Ardlie KG, Hirschhorn JN, Altshuler D, Groop L.
Association testing of common variants in the insulin receptor substrate-1 gene
(1RS1) with type 2 diabetes.
Diabetologia. 2007, 50(6): 1209-17.
Hines J, Roy M, Cheng H, Agapakis CM, Taylor R, Crews CM. Myriaporone ¾ structure-
activity relationship studies define a pharmacophore targeting eukaryotic protein synthesis.
Molecular BioSystems. 2006, 2: 371-9.
Florez JC, Wiltshire S, Agapakis CM, Burtt NP, de Bakker PIW, Almgren P, Boström
KB, Tuomi T, Gaudet D, Daly MJ, Hirschhorn JN, McCarthy MI, Altshuler D,
Groop L. High-density haplotype structure and association testing of the insulin-degrading
enzyme (IDE) gene with type 2 diabetes in 4,206 people.
Diabetes. 2006, 55(1): 128-35.
Florez JC, Agapakis CM, Burtt NP, Sun M, Almgren P, Rastam L, Tuomi T, Gaudet D,
Hudson TJ, Daly MJ, Ardlie KG, Hirschhorn JN, Groop L, Altshuler D. Association
Testing of the Protein Tyrosine Phosphatease IB Gene (PTPN1) With Type 2 Diabetes in
7,883 People.
Diabetes. 2005, 54(6): 1884-9.
Videlock EJ, Chung VK, Hall JM, Hines J, Agapakis CM, Austin DJ. Identification of a
Molecular Recognition Role for the Activation Loop Phosphotyroside of the Src Tyrosine Kinase.
Journal of the American Chemical Society. 2005, 127(6): 1600-1.
Upcoming (March 2012): "Designing Living Things." Panel at SXSW Interactive with Patrick Boyle, Jason Kelly, and Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg.
"Engineering Biology." (November 2011) Workshop with HackLab, University of Southern California Annenberg Innovation Lab.
"Designing Biologically: Synthetic Biology Devices in Environmental and Social Context." (September 2011) Presentation at Synthetic Biology at the Interface of Science and Policy, University of Ottawa.
"Towards Sufficient Weirdness." (June 2011) Synthetic Biology Slam.
Agapakis CM, Boyle PM. “Knowledge and Learning Used for Good Effect: Evolving Biological Design Principles for Synthetic Biology” (June 2011) Poster presented at Synthetic Biology 5.0.
Tolaas S, Agapakis CM. “BOD_BAC_CHE” (June 2011) Poster presented at Synthetic Biology 5.0. [PDF]
"Imagining, engineering, and evolving synthetic biologies." (May 2011) Lecture at Bio:Fiction Film Festival.
Presenter, "Invitation to Speak: Interdisciplinary Salon." (April 2011) Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Designing Biologically.
(February 2011) Presentation at Gingko BioWorks.
Presenter, Form Follows Evolution, Function, or Fashion? Exploring collaborations between synthetic biology, art and design.
(November 2010) Synthetic Aesthetics Seminar at MIT Media Lab.
Agapakis CM, Boyle PM, and Liu TY. (October 2010) Beyond Agribusiness: New and Old Ways to Grow Food.
Science in the News lecture at the Harvard Medical School and (April 2011) Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy Seminar Series.
Agapakis CM, Niederholtmeyer H, Inniss M, Wintermute EH, Noche R, Super M, Way JC, and Silver PA. (March 2010) Towards a synthetic
endosymbiosis.
Poster presented at the Institute for Biological Engineering Annual Conference. [PDF]
Hydrogen Production in Synechococcus elongatus.
(February 2010) Presentation at the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center retreat.
Synthetic Endosymbiosis: Towards a Photosynthetic Astronaut.
(January 2010) Presentation at Harvard Department of Systems Biology Lunch Seminar.
Agapakis CM, Boyle PM, and Budin I. (October, 2009) Origins: Synthesizing Life in the Lab.
Science in the News lecture at the Harvard Medical School.
Agapakis CM, Wintermute EH, Boyle PM, Savage DF, and Silver PA. (October, 2008)
Modular Approaches to
Engineering the [FeFe] Hydrogenase.
Poster presented at Synthetic Biology 4.0 in Hong Kong. [PDF]
Agapakis CM, Wintermute EH, and Boyle PM. (September, 2008) Fuels of the Future.
Science in the News lecture at the Harvard Medical School. [PDF]
Oscillator, a blog about synthetic biology and biologically inspired design and engineering in principle and in practice. Active since 2009, member of ScienceBlogs.com 2010-2011, part of Scientific American Blog Network since July 2011.
What Will Power the Future.
(November 2011), Invasion of the Synthetic Bactera.
(October 2011), and Climate Change, Synthetic Biology, and Cephalopods.
(February 2011) Diavlogs with Maggie Koerth Baker on Bloggingheads.tv.
Knowledge is Power.
(January 2011) Selected for publication in The Open Laboratory: The Best in Science Writing on Blogs, 2010 Edition.
Mixed Cultures: art, science, and cheese.
(December 2010) Scientific American Guest Blog.
Dispatches from the future.
(November 2010) Posted on i09.com.
What If Science Were Like Sports?
(June 2010) Guest post on World Science Festival Blog.
My Synthetic Life,
(June 2010) Episode of The Agenda With Steve Paikin, TV Ontario.
Ancestors and Offspring,
(May 2010) Diavlog with John Hawks on Blogginheads.tv.
On Failure.
(November 2009) Finalist in scientificblogging.com Graduate Student Writing Competition.
"Who is the Bioengineer of the Future" (Winner of Online Audience Award) and "Compound 74" selected for Bio:Fiction Science, Art, & Film Festival.
Self Portrait With Lab.
(February 2011) Short film screened at Making Movies/Making Science,
at the MIT Museum Second Fridays Program.
Fall 2010
Resident, Synthetic Aesthetics
A collaborative project between artists and designers, social scientists, and synthetic biologists. Paired with odor artist Sissel Tolaas to explore microbial ecologies of cheese and the human body.
Molecular biology and biochemistry lab techniques
Python scripting, HTML/CSS
Machine Shop Certified
Fluent Greek, OK Spanish, Beginner French
Sewing, Knitting, Crochet
Digital Video Production
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