As part of Science Meets Parliament 2026, centre members Alex Coram and Bini Zhou went on a Parliament House beekeeping tour! They tasted the honey made by the parliamentary bees, with a reusable cassette frame, and a micro honey harvester, both Australian innovations from startup Hivekeepers!

Four Centre members attended Science Meets Parliament at Parliament House in Canberra last week. Stay tuned for the full report! @scienceau.bsky.social

Great to welcome representatives from @idtdna.bsky.social to Macquarie University last week for a tour of our Centre and Australian Genome Foundry. We discussed a variety of ways to engage with synthetic biology at Macquarie. Looking forward to future collaboration. 🤝

Learn how one confronting film inspired a biotech startup to tackle a problem devastating the world’s rainforest 🌴⬇️ Download our Annual Report here: coesb.com.au/annual-repor...

Download our 2025 Annual Report The theme Rising Stars, Real World Impact captures the Centre’s evolution from fundamental science to real-world outcomes, showcasing how our synthetic biology discoveries are providing solutions for Australia’s emerging bioeconomy. coesb.com.au/annual-reports

Great turnout at today’s CoESB Local Startup & Industry Networking Lunch held at Macquarie University. Supporting the local Synbio ecosystem with the opportunity for startup founders, researchers and industry leaders to meet and exchange ideas over lunch and drinks. Thanks to all who attended!

'You can’t fix a forest by yelling at a single tree,' she tells the audience. 'You need to think about the whole ecology.' How Dr Selina Cao is redesigning Australia’s approach to synthetic biology commercialisation. ➡️ Read the full annual report story here: coesb.com.au/the-ecosyste...

Founded by Centre Associate Investigator Dr Laura Navone, navbio is a specialised biotechnology consultancy that provides expert guidance to navigate the complexities of engineering biology for the circular economy. Get in touch at [email protected] 🔗 Learn more: navbio.com.au

@danfulvi.bsky.social from our Western Sydney University node was a guest on the panel at the STS Network Inaugural event: Why (Australian) STS Now? The panel, which included five other scholars, discussed the role of technology, knowledge and culture in shaping contemporary societies. 💡

Congratulations to SWAN Genomics, Number 8 bio, HydGene Renewables and All G on securing funding from a $4.75 million BioSciences Fund, designed to help companies bring their technologies to market. 🎉 ➡️ Read our story: www.coesb.com.au/synbio-win-f...

From battling typhoid to fighting plastic pollution, Professor Amy Cain’s career has been driven by microbial mysteries. 👉 Read our Annual Report story 'How a moth's microbiome could hold the answer to plastic pollution' now: bit.ly/4rfYFou @flamycain.bsky.social

Picture a future where your morning routine leaves barely a trace on the planet. The colours in your wardrobe, from deep indigos to bright yellows, come from microbes, not fossil fuels. This isn’t a far-off dream. It’s a reality that #newerabio is building. Read the story: bit.ly/4b9jNry

🔭 Do you have a strategic vision for science in Australia? The USYD Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science is awarded to individuals who combine research excellence with transformational leadership. 🚀 Learn more: bit.ly/4ti63ly #EurekaPrizes @sydney-uni.bsky.social

Do cutting-edge research at the frontiers of AI-driven Whole Cell Modelling! We invite applications for two fully funded, 3.5-year PhD positions based with MACSYS at The Australian National University (ANU). 2026 PhD applications are now open for two exciting projects.👇 macsys.org/phd-scholars...

What problem do you hope bioengineering or synthetic biology approaches will enable us to tackle in the next decade? doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...

Great to host a team from Sanitarium Development and Innovation department at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology and the Australian Genome Foundry at Macquarie University. Strong conversations and shared ambition. Looking forward to what we build together.

Making a bioproduct with #Uluu 🪸 In our latest video, we show you how biomaterials are made out of seaweed and synthetic biology - providing a sustainable solution to plastic pollution. ♻️ youtu.be/KVO3mcDTnKI?...

Researchers from our Centre have developed a new method to produce beneficial minor cannabinoids, in a collaboration between #QUT (Queensland University of Technology) and industry partner #HaleFarm. Read the story: www.coesb.com.au/improving-ac...

Read how Dr Thom D. is translating synthetic biology's promise - and risks - for the people who need to govern it ⬇️ #Biotech

Spider silk has long captured the imagination of scientists and engineers. 🕷️Weight for weight, it’s stronger than steel and tougher than Kevlar. Yet despite decades of research, nobody has successfully replicated its remarkable properties in the lab, let alone improved upon them. Until now ⬇️

Check out Sunday Extra this week on ABC radio for my interview with Julian Morrow on De-extinction!

Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science! 👩‍🔬 Today, we celebrate the incredible contributions of women and girls in science and advocate for full and equal participation in STEM.

Some companies claim they can ‘resurrect’ species. Does that make people more comfortable with extinction? 🤔 Researchers from our ethics node at Macquarie University answer this question and more in a new study. Read about it in the @aunz.theconversation.com ⬇️ bit.ly/4kgUqHm #Ethics

At #EntoZyme, a biotech spin-out from #MacquarieUniversity, black soldier flies (Hermetic illucens) are being genetically engineered to chew through waste streams that stump even the most advanced recycling systems. 👉 Read the full story now: coesb.com.au/from-trash-t... #BioTech

@weforum.org recently named Precision Fermentation as one of 10 Emerging Technology Solutions for Planetary Health. Learn why by watching our animated explainer! 👀 youtu.be/A5kgo8oxulo?...

Congratulations to Dr Elena Eremeeva of QUT node on her grant success: 1. AEA Ignite Grant - to develop portable, rapid diagnostic sensors to detect smoke taint markers in wine grapes. 2. 2026 Thomas Davies Research Grant - to develop sensors for the environmental monitoring and clean-up of PFAS.

QAAFI is hiring across research, partnerships and professional roles, offering you the chance to make real-world impact in 2026. Some include: 🔹 Research Partnerships Officer 🔹 Postdoc Research Fellow (Sorghum Genome Bioinformatics) 🔹 FaBA Administration Officer View all now 👉 bit.ly/4pWMY5z

Centre postdoc Dr Anthony Waddle of Macquarie University combines synthetic biology with conservation to tackle one of wildlife's deadliest threats: the chytrid fungus that has driven 90+ frog species to extinction. Read the story ⬇️ bit.ly/49lrRoh

For the past two years, Centre researchers have taken to the stage with stand-up comedy at our Annual Conference Gala Dinner 🥂 - a tradition that's quickly become a crowd favourite! Huge congratulations to Erik Baker, Felicia Lie, and James Antoney for bringing the laughs and the science! 👏

Congratulations to Distinguished Professor Nicki Packer for receiving the 2025 Society for Glycobiology's President's Innovator Award for her pioneering work in glycoscience and proteomics. 🎉 Source: Macquarie Uni News Hub

From programmable microbes to self-assembling DNA structures, the ARC Centre of Excellence's fifth annual conference #CoESB25 painted an ambitious picture of where the field is headed and what it will take to get there. Read the story: bit.ly/4aPh86M @taeseokmoon.bsky.social

Did you know we have a Scholarly Visits Scheme? ✈️🔬 Last year we supported nine EMCRs, who visited four domestic labs and five international labs. 🌏🤝 We're looking forward to supporting even more collaborative research in 2026!

We're pressing pause on socials for a short break and will be back on 5 January. Wishing you a safe, restful and happy holiday season! 🌊✨

We are hiring! Our lab in Sydney is looking for a postdoc with cyano experience to drive our SynBio project on carbon fixation in encapsulin protein cages.🦠 ➡️ 🌻 This project follows our recent work in Nature Communications: lnkd.in/g-rYrg93 Full details: lnkd.in/gRJv4RGs @arccoesb.bsky.social

Congratulations to Centre researcher Dr Daniele Fulvi @danfulvi.bsky.social on being awarded the 2025 Excellence Award as an Early Career Researcher in the School of Arts at @westernsydneyu.bsky.social! 🎉

Building synthetic chromosomes one yeast at a time: insights from Sc2.0 - @arccoesb.bsky.social go.nature.com/48Fqxwi

After ten years and countless setbacks, scientists who completed the world’s first synthetic yeast genome have published a troubleshooting guide for building life from scratch. Congrats to Dr Paige Erpf and the team! 📖 Read it: lighthouse.mq.edu.au/article/dece...

Team-building at #CoESB25 🏖️ Team-building is an important part of our Annual Conference, helping us unwind, recharge and connect. Here’s our Stand-Up Paddleboard and Kayaking group enjoying some time on the water! 🌊😎 Stay tuned for our professional photos from the Conference!

We're pleased to welcome Professor Sakkie Pretorius, who will deliver our final keynote talk of #CoESB25. Sakkie has a background in synthetic yeast genomics and wine biotechnology. His talk is titled: The confluence of the Technology of Intelligence and the Technology of Life.

Excited to attend the annual workshop hosted by @arccoesb.bsky.social on the Gold Coast this week.

Coming soon at #CoESB25! Don't miss the panel discussion "Synthetic Biology for the Common Good: Challenges and Possibilities", facilitated by Prof Sujatha Raman. The panellists: Distinguished Prof Wendy Rogers, Dr Dan Santos, and Dr Samantha McGaughey.

Good morning, world! ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology starts today. This is the view of Gold Coast dawn at 4:30 am from my suite room covered by Ian Paulsen et al. who kindly invite me as the opening plenary speaker! A fantastic perk! See you all soon! @arccoesb.bsky.social

✨ One sleep to go until #CoESB25! ✨ We'd like to acknowledge the support from our valued sponsors: 💎 Diamond Welcome Dinner 🍽️ and Poster Sessions 🪧 Australian Genome Foundry and IDEA Bio 🏆 Gold Barista Coffee Cart ☕ @twistbioscience.com and Decode Science 🪩 Silver Shimadzu Tecan

Macquarie University students have returned from Paris with a gold medal for their project MethaNO! at the @igemhq.bsky.social Competition Grand Jamboree. 🥇 The team competed at the world expo of synthetic biology. Congratulations to the team! 🎉 Read the story: www.coesb.com.au/its-a-gold-m...

🪴 Can we grow our way out of climate change? A new scientific framework suggests it's certainly possible with an essential mix of biotech, plant agriculture and informed policy. Congratulations to Centre member Professor @claudiavickers.bsky.social! 📖 Read the story: bit.ly/4acvH3S

A talented synthetic biologist and...baker!? 🍰 We're farewelling Centre postdoc Dr James Antoney, who is wrapping up his time at QUT. For his final group meeting, James baked a white–dark chocolate marbled mud cake with white chocolate ganache, decorated to look like the plasmid pET-28a.

A Centre researcher is part of an ambitious international project that could revolutionise the way we extract the precious metals used in smartphones, electric vehicles, and wind turbines. 📱🚗 Congratulations Prof Kirill Alexandrov and the team! Read the story: bit.ly/3Kc8TXi

We're proud to celebrate Centre researchers Prof Lars Keld Nielsen and Geoffrey Otim from University of Queensland who have earned national acclaim for their work in transforming biotechnology into impactful solutions! 📖 Read the story: www.coesb.com.au/national-rec...

Congrats Dr Daniele Fulvi from our @westernsydneyu.bsky.social node for his recent article in @theconversation.com 🥳 📖 Read the full article: bit.ly/49CBbVw

Centre Director Distinguished Prof Ian Paulsen met with ARIA project collaborators Prof Ryan Lister and Dr James Lloyd of the University of Western Australia last week. 🤝 The project aims to develop synthetic chromosomes for agricultural crops in a bid to advance global food production systems. 🌱🧬