SynBIOsis

Synthetic biology research for every student, everywhere.

What is SynBIOsis?

SynBIOsis is a brand-new American Synthetic Biology Competition designed to make it easy and affordable for schools and students across the country to engage in synthetic biology research.

Running fall through spring in step with the academic year, the program offers a tiered structure spanning beginner to expert.

This way, the competition allows high school and collegiate students to advance year over year alongside their educators.

SynBIOsis stands for Synthetic Biology Innovation Opportunities and we invite anyone interested in learning about the technology of synthetic biology to join us.

Competition Structure

The competition is split into three tiers according to the student’s and educator’s levels. All teams move through the same four-step engineering cycle: learning core concepts, designing genetic systems and experiments, building DNA and models, and testing results in the wet lab. The scope and independence of the work grows from tier to tier.

The program culminates in annual regional events called SynBIOsis Synapse, where teams come together to present their work through presentations and posters to compete for awards judged by faculty, instructors, and peers.

Three tiers of participation

Interlab

The entry point, built for educators and students who are new to synthetic biology.

Educators receive pre-year training in foundational synthetic biology concepts, while students work through structured lab activities with guided protocols, contributing their data to an open-source database.

Challenge

Teams will use synthetic biology to tackle a challenge, which will be selected each year with community input.

Educators move into scaffolded inquiry projects and engineering design cycles, while students take on pre-set challenges through student-led inquiry, iterating on their designs with continued support as they gain independence.

Project

The most advanced tier, which is expected to launch in 2027.

Educators mentor other educators and guide independent research, while students design and carry out original, self-directed research projects, posing novel questions of their own.

SynBIOsis competition cycle and tiers are designed to grow from beginner to expert.

Click here to download slide.

How to participate

Instructors and teams are invited to participate at the InterLab or Challenge tier this year, depending on your current synthetic biology experience.

Challenge topics will be announced in early fall.

Want to learn more?

Fill out our interest form and join us for an information session happening soon!

Submit the interest form

Our Mission and Values

Mission Statement

We exist to nurture the curiosity, skill, and drive it takes to excel in synthetic biology. We aim to empower the next generation and equip educators with the tools to lead. Our goal is to build an ecosystem of scientists and engineers who are ready to contribute, compete, and make their mark. We strive for excellence and continuous improvement in what we enable ourselves and our community to accomplish.

Values

Synthetic Biology for Everyone

We build communities where everyone who wants to do synthetic biology can. That means removing barriers, welcoming a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives, and ensuring the composition of our community reflects the world science is meant to serve.

Grow Through Doing

We believe the deepest learning happens through real experience, honest feedback, and the freedom to fail safely. We invest in each other’s development at every stage.

Integrity in All Things

We hold ourselves to honesty and transparency in our work, our words, and our relationships. Trust is the foundation on which everything else is built.

Communicate with Clarity

We communicate what we do and why it matters in ways that are clear, accurate, and genuinely engaging. We work to bridge the gap between scientific work and the communities we serve.

Engineer for Impact

We apply the tools and mindset of synthetic biology with rigor and intention, designing, testing, and measuring our work because good science demands it and the communities we serve deserve nothing less.

Responsibility and Rigor

We take responsibility for the broader impact of what we build and do. Acting with care, rigor, and ethics is not a constraint on our mission. It is our mission. Honoring the hard work of students and teachers, we relentlessly seek to improve the technology, practices, and workflows that underlie synthetic biology.