Jeff Tabor is an Associate Professor of Bioengineering at Rice. He genetically engineers bacteria for applications in medicine, biotechnology, and fundamental science among others. Jeff earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology with Andy Ellington at the University of Texas at Austin in 2006. As a Ph.D. student, he worked on a team that developed the first bacterial optogenetic tool (Cph1-EnvZ) and invented bacterial photography. Jeff went on to become an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow with Chris Voigt at UCSF. There, he engineered a bacterial edge detector, developed the first green-light activated tool for gene expression control (CcaSR), and combined these two light sensors to engineer the first system for multichromatic control of gene expression. He began his independent research group at Rice in 2010. At Rice, he has developed the most blue- (UirSR) and red- (BphP1/PpsR2) shifted tools for controlling bacterial gene expression, and utilized his light sensors to interrogate gene circuit dynamics, and control the metabolism of gut bacteria in vivo. Jeff has received the NSF CAREER and ONR Young Investigator awards and is a fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).