One Cohesive Team, Several Scientific Disciplines
Our team of passionate scientists and engineers integrate diverse scientific disciplines and perspectives to address global issues using molecular solutions.
Led by
Ahmed H. Badran, Ph.D.

Awards and Honors
2024 Baxter Young Investigator Award
2024 Chemical & Engineering News Talented 12 Award
2024 Army Research Office Young Investigator Award
2024 Homeworld Collective Garden Grant Award
2023 Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research New Innovator Award
2023 Breakthrough Energy Explorer Fellow
2023 J-WAFS Water and Food Grand Challenge Award
2023 Air Force Young Investigator Award
2023 RCSA Scialog Negative Emission Science Collaborative Award
2023 Scripps Collaborative Innovation Award
2022 Negative Emissions Science RCSA Scialog Fellow
2021 Dream Chemistry Award Finalist
2017 National Institutes of Health Early Investigator Award
2017 Reaxys Ph.D. Prize Finalist
2014 Harvard University GSAS Merit Fellowship
2014 Christensen Prize for Outstanding Research Achievement
2013 Harvard University Certificate of Distinction in Teaching
2010 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow
2009 Michael A. Wells Research Scholar
2009 Galileo Circle Scholar
2008 Van de Verde Research Scholar
2008 Arnold & Mabel Beckman Scholar
2007 Undergraduate Biology Research Program Fellow
2007 Bio5 Innovator Award
2006 University of Arizona President’s Award for Excellence
Ahmed H. Badran is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Chemistry and of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology at the Scripps Research Institute. Badran earned his B.Sc. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics from the University of Arizona. As an NSF Graduate Research Fellow at Harvard University, Badran developed high-throughput strategies to evolve proteins with improved or altered activities. After receiving his Ph.D. in 2016, he was selected as part of the first class of Fellows of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, where his group developed technologies to alter protein translation and expand the genetic code of cells. He moved to the Scripps Research Institute in 2021, where his on-going research leverages the programmability of biological systems to develop next-generation strategies for addressing global problems in biotechnology, medicine, and sustainability. Badran’s current research interests include engineering of carbon-sequestering enzymes; development of pathogen-specific antimicrobials to curb widespread resistance; creating new-to-nature catalysts that bridge synthetic chemistry and molecular biology; and pioneering novel bioactive modalities to therapeutically intervene in diverse disease states.
Meet the Team

Aaron Vilchez
Rotation Student
B.Sc. University of California, Berkeley

Yeoungeon Kim
Trainee
B.Sc. Kyungpook National University

Gia Balius
Research Assistant
B.Sc. University of California, Santa Cruz
Lab Alumni and Current Positions

Adrian Adib
2022 – 2023
Undergraduate Student, University of California San Diego

Fan Liu
2017 – 2019
Principal, Boston Consulting Group

Natalie Kolber
2017 – 2020
Graduate Student, Stanford University

Erika DeBenedictis
2018 – 2019
Principal Investigator, Francis Crick Institute

Rajiv Movva
2018 – 2019
Graduate Student, Cornell University

Ranan Fattal
2018 – 2021
MS/MBA Candidate at Harvard Business School

Gavriela Carver
2019 – 2021
Graduate Student, Princeton University

Stefan Wan
(2019 – 2021)
Graduate Student, California Institute of Technology

Sinisa Bratulic
2017 – 2019
Data Scientist, Elypta
Let’s Work Together to Secure an Equitable Future
Our lab thrives on insightful discourse, daring exploration, and a solutions-first ethos. We're always searching for talented researchers to join our growing team. If you're inspired by our research areas and have experience spanning biology, chemistry, and/or computational domains, check out the opportunities below.