Alexander A. Green

Alexander A. Green is an Associate Professor in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Boston University. His research focuses on synthetic biology, diagnostics, and nanotechnology, leveraging RNA engineering and nucleic acid design to create programmable molecular systems. He leads the Green Lab, which develops low-cost diagnostics for global health challenges and explores antimicrobial nanomaterials.

Education: Postdoc at Wyss Institute (Harvard), PhD in Materials Science from Northwestern University, B.A.Sc. in Engineering Science from University of Toronto.

Research: The lab designs RNA-based computing devices, nucleic acid sensors for pathogen detection (e.g., Zika, norovirus), and nanomaterials for antimicrobial applications. Their work bridges chemistry, biology, and materials science to create portable diagnostics and programmable biomolecular systems.

Publications: Over 50 peer-reviewed articles, including high-impact work in Cell, Nature Biomedical Engineering, and ACS Nano. Recent focus areas include AI-driven RNA design and field-validated paper-based diagnostics.

Awards: 2019 DARPA Young Faculty Award, 2017 NIH New Innovator Award, 2017 Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship.

Lab Members: Current PhD students include Jiayi Li (RNA circuits), James Robson (DNA/RNA design), and Rebecca Kang (synthetic biology). Notable alumni include Duo Ma (PhD 2019) and Abhishek Debnath (PhD 2019).

Grants: Active funding from NIH, DARPA, and industry partnerships. Projects include DARPA Biopolymers on Demand and NIH New Innovator Award initiatives.