School of Medicine
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Benjamin Rein
Adjunct Lecturer, Psych/Public Mental Health & Population Sciences
BioBen Rein, PhD is a neuroscientist by training and science communicator whose research has focused on the neuroscience of empathy, the genetic basis of autism spectrum disorder, and how synaptic deficits modulate social behavior. In his postdoctoral work with Dr. Robert Malenka, Ben characterized the neurobiological mechanism by which MDMA acts as an "empathogen." His research has been honored with awards from the NIH, the Society for Neuroscience, and Sigma Xi.
Outside of the lab, Ben creates educational science videos for an audience of >1 million social media followers. His videos summarize recent research papers, teach neuroscience basics, and debunk viral videos containing misinformation. They have received over 60 million views and been featured on Good Morning America, ABC News, and other major media outlets. Ben has been profiled by Popular Mechanics and Spectrum News, appeared on Entertainment Tonight, and joined over 40 podcasts including StarTalk with Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Ben's science communication efforts have been recognized with awards from the National Academies of Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Society for Neuroscience.
Ben currently serves as the Chief Science Officer of the Mind Science Foundation and has served as a scientific/media consultant for more than 35 companies and foundations. He is a contributing editor at OpenMind Magazine, and the Founder & President of the Aspiring Scientists Coalition, an organization providing free guidance for students in 75+ countries. -
Bijie Ren
Visiting Instructor, Radiation Oncology - Radiation Physics
BioBijie Ren is a quantitative biologist as well as a pro bono academic advisor for the SATORI Institute for Complexity and Emergence (SICE). Inspired by electrical engineering and synthetic biology courses at MIT, he developed a profound interest in integrating digital logic into synthetic biotechnology. He earned his Ph.D. in Quantitative Biology from UC San Diego and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford University. His expertise lies at the intersection of AI and synthetic biology, built a high throughput cellOS to quickly Decode-Design-Recode novel species, with a specific focus on engineering microalgae to foster a better ocean ecosystem, discovery of anti-aging chemicals/peptides with new technology and real-world ground-truth data generation for virtual cell training and AlphaFold improvement. The whole pipeline can quickly help scientists to discover novel protein targets involved in aging process, design new chemical/peptide to target on these proteins and validate their effect in the wet lab to see if these molecules can extend single cell life span. The ingredients can be used for cosmetic, cosemtic injection, healthcare food and pharmacy sequentially. And with powerful cell factory and new synbio technology, he can reduce the R&D and manufacture cost by log scale.
In his advisory role at SICE, he also collaborated with distinguished faculties from top universities to initiate local "Labrary", aiming to empower young students to succeed in both academia and industry.
