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Bio
Robert Friedman is adjunct faculty at the J. Craig Venter Institute. Friedman directs JCVI's Policy Center, helps to facilitate JCVI’s affiliation with UC San Diego, and is also active in several projects ongoing in the Institute's Environmental Genomics Group. Prior to joining the Venter Institute, Friedman was Vice President for Research at The H. John Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment, a nonprofit policy research organization that brought together collaborators from government, industry, environmental organizations, and academia. Earlier, Friedman was a Senior Associate at the Office of Technology Assessment, U.S. Congress (OTA). For 16 years, he advised Congressional committees on issues involving environmental and natural resources policy.
Dr. Friedman received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in Ecological Systems Analysis, concentrating in ecology, environmental engineering, and systems analysis. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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Research Priorities
- As amply demonstrated throughout the 20th century, scientific and technological advancements frequently affect society in unintended ways. Hand-in-hand with its mission to advance the life sciences, JCVI is committed to understanding the implications of these advances for society.
- The overarching goal of my research at JCVI’s Policy Center is to help decision makers understand and anticipate the impact of 21st century biology and biotechnologies, and where appropriate, devise policies to enhance positive and avoid negative societal outcomes.
Publications
Publications
Nature biotechnology. 2023-01-01; 41.1: 9-13.
Exploring the value of a global gene drive project registry
Science (New York, N.Y.). 2020-12-18; 370.6523: 1417-1419.
Core commitments for field trials of gene drive organisms
Trends in ecology & evolution. 2017-02-01; 32.2: 97-107.
Is It Time for Synthetic Biodiversity Conservation?
PloS one. 2013-12-11; 8.12: e81862.
A metagenomic framework for the study of airborne microbial communities
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2013-06-25; 110.26: E2390-9.
Candidate phylum TM6 genome recovered from a hospital sink biofilm provides genomic insights into this uncultivated phylum
Genome research. 2013-05-01; 23.5: 867-77.
Genome of the pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis recovered from a biofilm in a hospital sink using a high-throughput single-cell genomics platform
The ISME journal. 2012-06-01; 6.6: 1186-99.
Genomic insights to SAR86, an abundant and uncultivated marine bacterial lineage
Biosecurity and bioterrorism : biodefense strategy, practice, and science. 2007-12-01; 5.4: 359-62.
Synthetic genomics | options for governance
PLoS biology. 2007-03-01; 5.3: e77.
The Sorcerer II Global Ocean Sampling expedition: northwest Atlantic through eastern tropical Pacific
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2006-07-25; 103.30: 11240-5.
A Sanger/pyrosequencing hybrid approach for the generation of high-quality draft assemblies of marine microbial genomes
Related Information
Research Priorities
- As amply demonstrated throughout the 20th century, scientific and technological advancements frequently affect society in unintended ways. Hand-in-hand with its mission to advance the life sciences, JCVI is committed to understanding the implications of these advances for society.
- The overarching goal of my research at JCVI’s Policy Center is to help decision makers understand and anticipate the impact of 21st century biology and biotechnologies, and where appropriate, devise policies to enhance positive and avoid negative societal outcomes.
Projects
News
JCVI Policy Center forecasts US likely to remain biotechnology leader through 2050, but China could threaten position
Scientists set a path for field trials of gene drive organisms
As genetically engineered organisms ramp up, a multidisciplinary coalition offers a framework for ethical, socially engaged and transparent field practices
Gene Drives: New and Improved
As the science advances, policy-makers and regulators need to develop responses that reflect the latest developments and the diversity of approaches and applications.