Biodesign Symposium 2026

The Biodesign Symposium: How to Grow a Biodesigner is an annual, conference-style event where educators, researchers, and practitioners of Biodesign will discuss how they've worked across art, design, and biotechnology. Presenters at the Symposium share ways of formalizing Biodesign education and aligning Biodesign learning outcomes with workplace needs. Ticket includes lunch and access to all Symposium presentations and panel discussions.

NOTE: Free access to the Biodesign Symposium is only available to individuals who have purchased a 2-day Summit Pass via Humanitix.

Speakers

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Justice Toshiba Walker

Justice Toshiba Walker, Ph.D., is a Learning Scientist and Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park. His research draws on perspectives in constructionism, epistemic agency, and literacy to study learning in engineering biotechnology-powered environments. This work is informed by a decade of high school biology teaching experience. Walker has won more than $4.2M in extramural funding to support these efforts, which are featured in Computer Science Education, Phi Delta Kappan, the British Journal of Educational Technology, Public Understanding of Science, and the Journal of Science Education and Technology. He currently serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Research in Science Teaching and the Journal of Science Teacher Education.

Charlotte McCurdy is a designer, researcher, and educator working at the intersection of fashion, climate, and novel biogenic materials. Her work on natural carbon sequestration through algae-based materials has been exhibited in the Cooper Hewitt Triennial, the London Design Museum, and the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney; her collaboration with fashion designer Phillip Lim is now in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her work has reached mass audiences through national ad campaigns for electric vehicles with Genesis, Hyundai Motor Group. She holds a Core Lecturer appointment at Stanford's d.school, where she collaborates on research focused on biobased materials across Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, and Biochemistry. She teaches classes including “REDRESS: Biomaterials and the Future of Fashion” for which she won the 2025 Biodesign Challenge Outstanding Instructor Award. She holds a BA in Global Affairs from Yale and an MID from RISD.

Schedule:

9:30 AM Participant Registration & Coffee

10:00 AM Opening Address

10:10 AM Morning Keynote // Dr. Justice Toshiba Walker, Learning Scientist & Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park

10:50 AM Morning Session // Engaging the Next Generation with Bioart and Design

12:00 PM Morning Session // Building Biodesign Curriculum in Higher Education

1:00 PM Lunch

2:00 PM Panel Discussion // Ensuring Equitable and Resilient Pathways in Biodesign

2:50 PM Afternoon Session // Local Resources as Structure for Biodesign Education

3:50 PM Afternoon Session // Biodesign Education and Technical Systems

5:00 PM Afternoon Keynote // Charlotte McCurdy, Core Lecturer at Stanford University d.school, BDC Outstanding Instructor 2025 Prize Winner

5:25 PM Closing Remarks