James J. Collins

James J. Collins is the Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering & Science and Professor of Biological Engineering at MIT, and a Core Founding Faculty member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. His research spans synthetic biology, systems biology, and AI-driven medical innovations. He pioneered synthetic biology by engineering biological circuits to reprogram organisms for diagnostics/therapeutics and developed medical devices like vibrating insoles for balance improvement. Collins co-founded companies including Synlogic and Sherlock Biosciences, and his patented technologies have been licensed by over 25 biotech firms.

**Research Focus**: Synthetic biology applications in antibiotic development, bacterial resistance mechanisms, and programmable cells. Current emphasis includes AI-driven antibiotic discovery (via Phare Bio) and CRISPR-based diagnostics. His lab also explores phosphorylation signaling networks and RNA structure prediction using deep learning.

**Awards**: MacArthur “Genius” Award, Dickson Prize in Medicine, triple membership in US National Academies. **Affiliations**: Broad Institute, Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Technology, MIT’s Synthetic Biology Center.