Synthetic Biology Entrepreneur Dies

June 15, 2015

(The Scientist) – Austen Heinz, the founder of the synthetic biology startup Cambrian Genomics, died last month (May 24). He was 31. According to an obituary posted last week (June 5) on thepilot.com, Heinz “worked to change the world by democratizing access to synthetic DNA through cost-effective, accurate DNA laser printing.” Heinz, who earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Seoul National University in South Korea, began his career in synthetic biology as a member of the Duke iGEM team, a genetic engineering student competition.