Policy reports & white papers
Public-facing documents shaping how engineered biology gets regulated, deployed, and governed.
2026
Contributor
OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers No. 2026/02 · Barraza-Botet et al. · January 2026
OECD working paper comparing innovation-enabling conditions and regulatory practices for biotechnology and biosolutions across the EU and the U.S. — covering venture capital, patenting, workforce, manufacturing capacity, and shared regulatory challenges (uncertainty, fragmentation, complexity, lengthy approvals). Supports transatlantic policymakers in designing frameworks that foster innovation while managing risk.
2026
Expert review panelist
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine · Board on Life Sciences · April 2026
NAS consensus report on the biosafety, biosecurity, and environmental considerations of synthetic cell research and development — outlining a national strategy for responsible innovation in the field. Yonatan served as an expert review panelist for the project ("External Review of Environmental, Biosafety, and Biosecurity Considerations for Synthetic Cell Research and Development," DELS-BLS-22-12).
2026
First author
Y. Chemla & C. A. Voigt · Trends in Biotechnology · Feature Review · 2026
A Feature Review synthesizing the 27 Spirit of Asilomar 2025 entreaties into concrete action items — spanning the environmental release of engineered organisms, biosecurity, AI in the biosciences, education, governance, and regulation — and contextualizing them within the broader literature fifty years after the original Asilomar meeting. (Distills the entreaties into reform calls including product-not-process regulation, evidence-based adaptive risk assessment, and infrastructure for transparent field release.)
2025
First author
Y. Chemla, C. J. Sweeney, C. A. Wozniak, C. A. Voigt · Nature Microbiology · 2025
A review consolidating the scientific and regulatory landscape for engineered bacteria in the open environment — covering the U.S. Coordinated Framework, EPA/USDA/FDA jurisdictions, and the design choices labs must make to release safely. Widely cited as a reference for the next-generation EMER regulatory conversation.
2024
Workshop participant
Caltech Linde Center for Science, Society and Policy (LCSSP) · Marken, Maxon & Murray (eds.) · June 2024
A landmark policy report developing recommendations for how the U.S. should regulate Engineered Microbes for Environmental Release. Authored by LCSSP following the "Pathways Towards the Safe and Effective Deployment of Engineered Microbial Technologies" workshop (Caltech, Feb 2024), in which Yonatan was a workshop participant alongside Voigt, Murray, Maxon, EPA, USDA, ZBiotics, Pivot Bio, Corteva, and others.
Spirit of Asilomar 2025 entreaties
In 2025, on the 50th anniversary of the original Asilomar Conference on recombinant DNA, the “Spirit of Asilomar and the Future of Biotechnology” summit (Pacific Grove, CA, Feb 23–26) produced 27 entreaties on the governance of modern biotechnology. Yonatan authored one and co-authored two more.
2025
First author
Y. Chemla, T. Alexanian, F. Moronta Barrios, G. Demirer, A. Flores, S. Karthikeyan, A. B. Lindner, B. Mackelprang, J. Marken, A. S. Mitra, K. A. Molla, L. Rudenko, M. J. Syberg-Olsen, F. Wu, J. Silberg, C. A. Voigt
An entreaty proposing a non-exhaustive parameter space applicable to diverse organisms for risk assessment based on function rather than origin or development method — arguing that evaluation of impacts (not arbitrary prohibition) is what advances responsible environmental release. Published among the 27 Spirit of Asilomar 2025 outputs.
2025
Co-author
Additional Asilomar 2025 entreaties (co-authored)
Spirit of Asilomar & the Future of Biotechnology Summit · Pacific Grove, CA
Co-authored two further entreaties among the 27 published outputs of the summit. Specific titles, authors, and DOIs available via the Rice Repository collection below.
Workshops, committees & convenings
Standards bodies and policy convenings that produce ongoing outputs.
2025 –
Committee member
American Society for Testing and Materials
Active committee member contributing to standardised nomenclature, practices, test methods, and specifications for industrial biotechnology and synthetic biology. Committee E62 outputs (including ASTM E3072 on synthetic-biology terminology) are referenced by U.S. regulators and industry.
2025
Organizing committee
Caltech Linde Center for Science, Society and Policy (LCSSP) · October 6–7, 2025
Two-day Caltech workshop following the Asilomar 2025 summit, focused on policy and governance for biotechnologies that operate outside conventional containment. Yonatan served on the organizing committee alongside Richard Murray, Sara Kassir, and Tom Adamo. Outputs include public-session recordings and forthcoming policy products.
2024
Discussion leader
Caltech Linde Center for Science, Society and Policy + Resnick Sustainability Institute · February 2024
Led discussions on the environmental use of genetically modified microorganisms at the Caltech-hosted workshop that fed directly into the LCSSP EMER Report (linked in the Reports section above). Brought together regulators (EPA, USDA), industry (Pivot Bio, ZBiotics, Corteva), and academia.
Forthcoming & ongoing engagements
In-progress and planned policy work, listed for transparency.
2026 →
Roadmap
BBCC Clearinghouse — an NGO for Biotechnologies Beyond Conventional Containment
Founding-workshop roadmap · sponsorship under discussion
An independent NGO providing neutral standards, lifecycle stewardship, and registry-based verification for biotechnologies beyond conventional containment. Roadmap drafted; founding workshop, first standards (field-trial protocols, lifecycle reporting, barcoding), and a paper-of-record planned.
2026 →
Engagement
NSCEB, GAO and EPA engagement on Asilomar reforms
Per the Asilomar 2025 follow-up plan
Planned engagements with the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB), the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), and EPA leadership to translate the Asilomar 2025 reform package into specific TSCA / FIFRA / SECURE-rule proposals.