Harrison Steel

Harrison Steel's research group works on interdisciplinary challenges at the intersection of Synthetic Biology, Robotics, and Control Engineering. Synthetic Biology and Feedback Control Engineered biological systems are often fragile and highly sensitive to changes in their environment. We are building synthetic biological feedback systems to enable robust, safe biotechnologies with applications in fields from agriculture to medicine. Experimental Robotic Platforms Cutting-edge experimental tools and methods are integral to enabling research, scale-up and application of engineered biological systems. We develop robotic platforms - some of which are currently used by dozens of academic and industry labs worldwide - to help answer scientific questions and create new biotechnologies. Theory for Control/Biology In parallel with experimental work, we frequently work on theoretical questions in control and biology - using mathematics to investigate or simulate systems that would be challenging to analyze in the lab.

Generative design of synthetic gene circuits for functional and evolutionary properties. Quantum spin resonance in engineered proteins for multimodal sensing Microscopic PhotoSelection (MiPS) of single cells in mother machine microfluidic devices Automatic Feedback Control for Resource-Aware Characterisation of Genetic Circuits Streamlined and efficient genome editing in Cupriavidus necator H16 using an optimised SIBR-Cas system