Dr. Ryan Richardson recently joined the Office of the BRAIN Director as a member of this year’s class of AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellows. With over 15 years in life sciences research, Dr. Richardson has significant expertise across a wide range of therapeutic areas and career perspectives. He earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Harvard University using synthetic biology to explore the dynamics of cellular responses to viral invasion and to develop novel genetic circuits that enable lower-cost biologic production. As a postdoctoral fellow and T32 trainee in Cancer Biology at the University of Maryland Baltimore, Dr. Richardson applied similar engineering and design principles to develop new genetic tools to investigate the parallels between neuronal circuit formation and tumor invasiveness. Beyond the bench, Dr. Richardson is interested in business development as a way to impart a greater, more positive impact on the lives of patients and their families. He has also demonstrated a firm and continuing commitment to science education, outreach, and mentorship, having engaged with multiple communities through variety of roles, from teaching undergraduates in a molecular biology course, to tutoring AP biology, and mentoring high schoolers interested in health sciences. He has also worked with students internationally, leading practica in high school biology in China and a synthetic biology workshop for college students in Mexico.