Christina Agapakis

Agapakis is now the Creative Director of the Boston-based biotechnology company Ginkgo Bioworks, known as "The Organism Company," which specializes in genetically engineering organisms like yeast and bacteria for a number of applications—from engineering perfumes and food to engineering solutions for more sustainable agriculture.[9][10] One project, for example, focuses on engineering yeast to produce a rose-like scent by modifying their genes to produce the molecules a rose makes to generate that scent.[11] The rose oil fragrance was licensed to the fragrance maker Robertet.[12] Agapakis has also been leading the company's 100 Vial Project, which is engineering a library of bio-based scents. One of these scents is an effort to resurrect the smell of a long-extinct flower by analyzing preserved botanical samples to identify the DNA encoding smell-producing enzymes. They can then engineer yeast to produce those same enzymes and produce the molecules that create the extinct flower's scent.[13] The project is in collaboration with Agapakis's long-time collaborator Sissel Tolaas and Daisy Ginsberg.

In her role as Creative Director, Agapakis focuses on creating experiences and communicating stories about the bioengineering work the company undertakes with the ultimate goal of making biotechnology more approachable.[14] For instance, Ginkgo hosted designer Natsai Audrey Chieza as artist in residence to experiment with dying textiles with bacteria as an environmentally sound and resource-conservative approach alternative to commercial dyes.[15][16]

Agapakis is also a science writer. She began blogging in graduate school and in 2011 started a column for Scientific American called the "Oscillator," sharing her thoughts on the latest developments in the field of synthetic biology for a popular audience.[17] Her posts covered a number of topics from sustainability to the intersection between art and science to the microbiology of body fluids.[18] She has also written for a variety of outlets, including highlighting the women who made microbiology possible for Popular Science and reviewing Sophia Roosth's book Synthetic: How life got made for New Scientist.[12][19] She also co-founded a four-edition print science magazine called Method Quarterly about how science works in practice with science writers Azeen Ghorayshi and Rose Eveleth.[20]

• Forbes 30 Under 30, 2012[21]
• L'Oreal USA Fellowship for Women in Science, 2012[22][23]
• UdK Award for Interdisciplinary Art and Science, 2012
• 100 Most Creative People in Business, Fast Company, 2016[10]
• Next List 2017: 20 People Who Are Creating the Future, Wired, 2017[24]
• Excellence in Public Engagement Award, SynBioBeta, 2018[25]