Natalie Partridge

Project title

Governing synthetic biology: A food policy approach

Supervisors

• Dr Kenneth Taylor

Project description

The UK is a major global hub for synthetic biology research, and food and agriculture is one sector in which synthetic biology can be applied. However, little is known about attitudes towards this in the UK.

To address this knowledge gap, my research explores views towards the governance of synthetic biology in food and agriculture contexts. I hope to investigate what might be on the horizon for synthetic biology as applied to food and agriculture and signpost some of the potential policy implications.

My research takes an exploratory, qualitative approach. Through in-depth, online interviews, I aim to speak to a range of stakeholders, such as synthetic biologists, policymakers, and those involved in relevant areas of the food industry.

My research is jointly funded by the EPSRC and Newcastle University, as part of the interdisciplinary Portabolomics project in synthetic biology. The Portabolomics project takes a novel approach to standardise the connection between a given genetic circuit and the chassis organism by the development of a ‘bio-adapter’.