On Tuesday of Week 2 (23rd Jan), SynBio.Oxford is pleased to be hosting Dr. Chris Barnes (UCL) to discuss the “control of synthetic biological systems at plasmid and population levels”. Dr. Barnes is a Reader in Systems and Synthetic Biology and has recently been awarded a ERC Consolidator Grant, which is given to the top researchers across Europe. His research aims to apply engineering tools and principles to the design of novel biological systems which can function in complex and changing environments. He is interested in the clinical applications of synthetic biology, particularly the engineering of probiotic bacteria. In the talk, he will describe two novel plasmid post-segregational killing mechanisms that can be used for maintaining plasmid stability in the absence of antibiotic selection. He will also introduce a two-species synthetic community which he is currently constructing as well as the role of Bayesian statistics and mathematical modelling in the design-build-test cycle of his research. Please note this talk will be held in the Sherrington Large Lecture Theatre instead of the usual New Biochemistry seminar room.