Farren J. Isaacs, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale University. He received a B.S.E degree in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania and obtained his Ph.D. from the Biomedical Engineering Department and Bioinformatics Program at Boston University. In his Ph.D. he pioneered the design and development of synthetic RNA components capable of probing and programming cellular function. He then was a research fellow in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School working on genome engineering technologies with George Church. At Harvard, he developed enabling technologies for genome engineering, including MAGE (Multiplex Automated Genome Engineering) and CAGE (Conjugative Assembly Genome Engineering). His research is focused on developing foundational genomic and biomolecular engineering technologies with the goal of developing new genetic codes, and engineered cells that serve as factories for chemical, drug and biofuel production. He has recently been named a “rising young star of science” by Genome Technology Magazine and a Beckman Young Investigator by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation.