Jason W. Chin

Synthetic biologist

Jason W. Chin pioneers methods to reprogram the genetic code of living organisms.

Why you should listen

Jason W. Chin leads a team of scientists at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK, that is reimagining what life can become. The lab focuses on rewriting the universal genetic code of natural life to create synthetic organisms with new genetic codes. The new organisms show some remarkable properties: they are resistant to a wide variety of viruses and they can be programmed to make whole new classes of molecules and materials.Chin's work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the gold medal from the European Molecular Biology Organization, the Francis Crick Medal and Lecture from the Royal Society and the Sackler International Prize in the Physical Sciences. He also regularly advises the UK Government on engineering biology.

Jason W. Chin’s TED talk

11:03

Jason W. Chin

A virus-resistant organism — and what it could mean for the future

Posted Oct 2022

More news and ideas from Jason W. Chin

Live from TED2022

Wellbeing: Notes from Session 6 of TED2022

April 12, 2022

The feeling of wellbeing has been in short supply the last couple years. In Session 6 of TED2022, we took a crack at restocking that supply — featuring a return of Bill Gates to the TED stage (talking about how to make COVID the last pandemic), a compelling case for the four-day work week and […]