Dr. Tara Deans received her PhD from Boston University in Biomedical Engineering and did her postdoctoral training at Johns Hopkins University. She currently runs a synthetic biology laboratory with the focus on building novel genetic tools to study the mechanisms of stem cell differentiation for the purpose of directing cell fate decisions. Recently, Dr. Deans has received four prestigious awards to support this area of research: 1. the NSF CAREER Award, 2. the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Award, 3. the NIH Trailblazer Award, and 4. an NIH Director’s New Innovator Award. In addition to her research, Dr. Deans was named a STEM Ambassador in the STEM Ambassador Program (STEMAP) at the University of Utah to engage underrepresented groups in STEM fields. In August 2024 Dr. Deans will move her lab to Georgia Tech where she will lead efforts to become a National Hub of Excellence in Synthetic Biology.