Years ago, I was too nervous to apply to any biology programs. I was already burnt out from traditional schooling and feared it would be more of the same. So instead, I applied to art school, where I could develop a different set of skills—ones that had been absent from my high school experience. Being dyslexic, this shift was a refreshing change of pace, allowing me to think and create in a more embodied way. Yet, my love for biology never faded, and now I’m beginning to explore how to make better use of it.
After a decade of working in design, I find it more interesting to carve out a space where I can combine two unconventional skill sets. I’m always drawn to people who apply their expertise from one field to an entirely different, seemingly unrelated space—their work tends to captivate me. My hope is that my own interpretation of this will lead me toward becoming a biodesign technologist as I continue to explore ways of [[grounding-the-clouds]].
To provide structure to this path, I’m defining BioDesign Technology as follows, along with some potential ways this practice can be embodied.
A BioDesign Technologist integrates biology, design, and technology to develop innovative solutions in fields such as healthcare, sustainability, synthetic biology, and biotechnology. This discipline merges biodesign, biomimicry, bioengineering, and computational biology to create products, systems, or processes that address real-world challenges.
Tentative Areas of Focus:
- Biological System Engineering – Designing and optimizing biological organisms or materials for applications such as biofabrication, synthetic biology, and biomaterials.
- Interdisciplinary Innovation – Combining biology with technology (e.g., AI, robotics, 3D printing) to create novel solutions.
- Medical and Healthcare Applications – Developing bio-integrated devices, regenerative medicine technologies, and bio-inspired prosthetics.
- Sustainability & Environmental Impact – Creating bio-based alternatives to plastics, developing waste reduction strategies, and designing ecological restoration technologies.
- Human-Computer-Biology Interaction – Designing wearable biointerfaces, biosensors, and bio-cybernetic systems.