PI: Tracy Lawson

Co-PIs: Andrew Leakey, Matt Hudson, Diwakar Shukla, John Shanklin, George Chryssochoidis, Hyerhim Kim, Steven Kelly, Martin Meyer, Atsushi Takemiya

Funding Source: NSF and Partner Agencies in UK, Finland, & Japan

NSF Award Number: 2435360

ASAP delivers synthetic biology solutions to produce high-energy, water use efficient crops. To do so, it exploits natural biodiversity in gene sequences to engineer crops with increased lipid content and greater water use efficiency. The Global Center draws on the expertise of a multi-disciplinary team of scientists from four countries to integrate recent breakthroughs in genetics, protein modelling, synthetic biology, AI, and biotechnology. ASAP also investigates attitudes among stakeholder groups toward biotechnology to achieve sustainability goals. The project directly leverages natural biodiversity across the tree of life. It employs a biofoundry and artificial intelligence tools to accelerate the crop improvement cycle. It trains the next generation of scientist experts in this field. Public and industry engagement strengthen its technological enterprise, accounting for consumer attitudes and market preferences.