Tal Danino

Tal Danino is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia Engineering, Columbia University, where he directs the Synthetic Biological Systems Laboratory. His research focuses on programming microbes for cancer therapy through synthetic biology, emphasizing gene circuit engineering, tumor targeting, and biosensor applications. He is affiliated with the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center and Data Science Institute.

• PhD in Bioengineering from UCSD
• Postdoctoral fellowship at MIT's Koch Institute

His work integrates synthetic biology with cancer therapeutics, using bacterial gene circuits to create living medicines. Recent projects include designing biosensors for tumor microenvironments and developing programmable bacterial delivery systems. His research spans microfluidics, immune modulation, and spatial microbial patterning.

Scientific awards include the NSF CAREER Award, DoD Era of Hope Scholar Award, CRI Lloyd J Old STAR Award, Pershing Square-Sohn Prize, and TED Fellowship. His laboratory develops microbial therapies for cancer and investigates gene network dynamics in bacteria.