Project Highlights
Conducted 6 interviews with companies spanning different sizes, business models, and geographies.
Synthesized feedback across companies to inform revisions to a biosecurity standard.
Drafted sections of an accompanying report that situated the standard in the context of related efforts and current practices.
Challenge
The Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) sought to create a technical standard that would establish minimal know-your-customer practices for synthetic nucleic acid providers. The project team had developed a draft of the standard, but they needed industry input to understand whether it would be feasible to implement. Because information about companies’ biosecurity practices can be sensitive, this validation required not only technical expertise but also discretion and an ability to carefully navigate stakeholder conversations.
Approach
When I joined the project, EBRC had already developed and refined a draft standard over the course of several months in consultation with biosecurity experts. My biosecurity background enabled me to get up to speed quickly and support the industry validation stage of the work.
In collaboration with EBRC staff, I developed an interview guide to gather feedback on the content and structure of the standard, identify potential areas for improvement, and explore ways that EBRC or others could support its adoption. EBRC facilitated introductions to interviewees, and I conducted interviews with six companies spanning different sizes, business models, and geographies. Following the interviews, I synthesized the findings to understand where companies agreed and differed and how their perspectives could inform different elements of the standard.
Outcome
I presented my findings to EBRC staff, who used them to revise the standard in response to industry feedback. I also drafted sections of an accompanying report, which provided an overview of the work and situated the standard in the context of related efforts and current know-your-customer practices.
The completed standard provides a framework that nucleic acid synthesis providers can use to strengthen their biosecurity practices, as well as a model for policymakers seeking to safeguard biological research and development. Through this industry engagement, EBRC was able to revise the standard with an eye to implementation and adoption, laying the groundwork for the industry buy-in that will be critical to the standard’s success.
“Kathryn stepped into our project mid-way through and immediately made a huge impact. She quickly understood the project, dove in, and provided clear, timely, and actionable results that we used to improve our draft materials. I knew that anything I asked of Kathryn would be done quickly and to the highest standard.”