Andrew Hessel
I consult in synthetic biology technology and education, open source biology, the international Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) program, DIYbio, and open innovation models with a focus on Canada. I am also faculty and co-chair of the biotechnology and bioinformatics track at the Singularity University.
My goal is to help grow a next-generation biotechnology industry better able to address environmental, health, and manufacturing concerns. I accomplish this by raising awareness of the emerging tools and technologies with students, scientists, government officials, and business leaders; by facilitating introductions; and by helping groups or regions find the money and other resources necessary to do things.
I advocate open source, incentive prizes, and fearlessness.
I am a co-founder, along with Jayson Tymko and John Carlson, of the world's first cooperative biotechnology company. We out to build a community able to make individually-customized therapeutics with synthetic biology and give them away. Open source competes well with IT giants, why not Big Pharma?
Please contact me if you are interested in learning about synthetic biology, creating iGEM or undergraduate programs in your area, how to change the world with biotechnology.
Contact Information
LinkedIn profile
hi-res photo
email: ahessel (at) gmail (dot) com
phone: 780.868.3169
Skype: search for "Andrew Hessel", ahessel (at) gmail (dot) com
2009 Talks, Conferences, Posters
The Drive to Innovate, Conoco-Phillips, Calgary, November 3, 2009
BIL:PIL, Building a Drug Development Pipeline for Personalized, Open Source Therapies for Breast Cancer. San Diego, October 30, 2009
TEDMED, San Diego, Oct 27-30, 2009 (attend)
SENS4, Cambridge, UK, September 3-7, 2009
Swedish-American Life Science Summit, Bionetworking Sessions, Stockholm, Sweden August 19-21, 2009
Singularity University, Introduction to synthetic biology and applications, July 20-21, 2009
iGEM Ontario Regional, University of Waterloo, May 29, 2009
SciBarCamp 2009, Toronto, May 8-9, 2009
Oil Sands Leadership Initiative keynote and meeting, Calgary, April 15-16, 2009
2008 Talks, Conferences, Posters
Convergence 08, Panel Debate, Talk, November 15-16, 2008
iGEM Jamboree, MIT, Cambridge, MA, November 7-9, 2008 (Chairing iGEM Canada session)
Singularity Summit 2008, San Jose, CA, October 25, 2008 (attending)
UofC Engineering, Calgary, Sept 24, 2008 (Engineering Biology)
SciFoo, Mountain View, CA, August 8-10, 2008
BioBarCamp, Palo Alto, CA, August 6-7, 2008
Science Cafe, Telus World of Science and Alberta Ingenuity, Edmonton, May 6, 2008
Sanofi Aventis BioTalent Challenge Keynote, Calgary, April 23, 2008
Sanofi Aventis BioTalent Challenge Keynote, Edmonton, April 16, 2008
Civil Society Synthetic Biology Teach-In, Washington DC, April 14, 2008 PDF
TEC Edmonton, Open Source Therapeutics, round 2, March 31, 2008
TEC Edmonton, Open Source Therapeutics, March 19, 2008
Overview of iGEM program, Edmonton Catholic School Board, March 18, 2008
Open Source Therapeutics. UofA Digital Biology Meeting, March 17, 2008
National Post Article on SciBarCamp by David Sachs.
Synbio Debate w/ Jim Thomas, ETC group; open source therapeutics scibarcamp, Toronto, May 14-16, 2008
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), Overview of Synthetic Biology, February 2008.
2007 Talks and Posters
iGEM and Synthetic Biology: Opportunities for Canada, University of Ottawa, November 23, 2007 audio by request
SemBioSys Biotechnologies, Calgary, Alberta, October 26, 2007
Synthetic Biology, Risks, Rewards, and Opportunities, Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, October 23 audio by request
Synthetic Viruses Targeting Cancer, SENS 3, Cambridge UK, September 7Video
Overview of synthetic biology, University of Lethbridge, July 19
University of Alberta Department Chairs and Divisional Directors Meeting, July 4
SB3.0 Poster -- iGEM: A case study for open source biological engineering
MIT TTT Canada overview May 26 Video