Life at the Interface of Science and Engineering

Established through the generosity of UAlbany Distinguished Professor Marlene Belfort and RPI Institute Professor Georges Belfort, the Life at the Interface of Science and Technology Endowed Lecture Series is designed to address fundamental questions that require the expertise of both Life Sciences and Engineering to answer. This collaborative lecture series will bring world renowned experts to speak to the campus communities at both UAlbany and RPI.

Previous Life at the Interface of Science and Engineering Lecture Series

  • 2026 Venki Ramakrishnan, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, U.K. 
  • 2025 Phillip A. Sharp, MIT
  • 2024 Patrick O. Brown, Standford University
  • 2023 Daivd Baker, University of Washington
  • 2022 Robert S. Langer, MIT & Melissa J. Moore, Moderna
  • 2021 Jennifer A. Doudna, UC Berkeley
  • 2021 Stephen R. Quake, Stanford University
  • 2019 David R. Liu, Harvard University
  • 2018 Frances H. Arnold, California Institute of Technology
  • 2017 Karl Deisseroth, Stanford University
  • 2016 Thomas R. Cech, University of Colorado Boulder
Venki Ramakrishnan
My Adventures in the Ribosome
Venki Ramakrishnan , Nobel Laureate , MRC Laboratory of Molecular
Monday, March 30, 2026 - 14:30
CBIS Auditorium, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Phillip A. Sharp
Discovery in Life Sciences: Biotechnology and Convergence with Engineering
Phillip A. Sharp , Nobel Laureate and Institute Professor, Emeritus , Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Friday, February 14, 2025 - 13:00
Hynes Convention Center - Boston, MA
Melissa J. Moore
mRNA as Medicine
Melissa J. Moore , Chief Scientific Officer , Moderna
Thursday, September 15, 2022 - 14:30
ETEC 1st Floor Auditorium - SUNY Albany
Dr. Patrick Brown
"Escape from the Planet of the Cows"
Dr. Patrick Brown , Founder, Impossible Foods , Stanford University
Wednesday, September 11, 2024 - 14:00
Isermann Auditorium, CBIS
David Baker
Protein Design Using Deep Learning
David Baker , Direct, Institute for Protein Design; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Henrietta and Aubrey David Endowed Professor of Biochemistry , University of Washington
Thursday, September 14, 2023 - 15:00
Online via Zoom: https://albany.zoom.us/s/93588168666?pwd=R2tSZHFReEdCVEVSdFpKVkJzQ2Mxdz09
Robert S. Langer
Micro and Nanotechnology Delivery Systems for mRNA Therapies and Tackling Global Health Challenges
Robert S. Langer , David H. Koch Institute Professor , Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Thursday, September 15, 2022 - 10:00
CBIS Howard P. Isermann Auditorium
Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna
CRISPR: The Science and Opportunity of Genome Editing
Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna , Li Ka Shing Chancellor's Chair and Professor of Chemistry and of Molecular and Cellular Biology , University of California, Berkeley
Tuesday, September 21, 2021 - 13:00
Online via Zoom: https://albany.zoom.us/j/96444072569?pwd=eEYrclV5a0RjNkova1QvR0NoWmhIZz09
Stephen Quake
The Cell is a Bag of RNA
Stephen Quake , Lee Otterson Professor of Applied Physics and Bioengineering , Stanford University and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub
Tuesday, April 6, 2021 - 15:00
Online via Zoom: https://albany.zoom.us/j/91410515522?pwd=enIxSEovQzJneUQ3RXI5S2N0c0VCUT09
Stephen Quake
Molecular Counting and Liquid Biopsies: A Path to Creating Health Equity in the Genomic Revolution
Stephen Quake , Lee Otterson Professor of Applied Physics and Bioengineering , Stanford University and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub
Friday, April 9, 2021 - 15:00
Online via WebEx: https://rensselaer.webex.com/rensselaer/onstage/g.php?MTID=e82f6f832862570ba42ffb30b34cd1a60
David R. Liu
Base Editing: Chemistry on a Target Nucleotide in the Genome of Living Cells Using Engineered and Evolved Proteins
David R. Liu , Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of the Natural Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator , Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT
Friday, September 20, 2019 - 15:30
D' Ambra Auditorium, Uptown Campus, University at Albany, SUNY
Chemical and Biological Engineering

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