JAMES J. COLLINS, PH.D. - Biomedical Engineer
[ View speaker video from conference ]

Dr. Collins received his bachelor’s degree in physics (summa cum laude; class valedictorian) from the College of the Holy Cross in 1987 and a doctorate in medical engineering from the University of Oxford in 1990. From 1987 to 1990, he was a Rhodes Scholar.

Since 1990, Dr. Collins has been a faculty member in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University. Currently , he is a University Professor, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Co-Director of the Center for BioDynamics at Boston University.

Dr. Collins has received a number of awards and honors, including the American Society of Biomechanics Young Scientist Award, the Thomas Stephen Group Prize from the Engineering in Medicine Group of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Early Career Achievement Award, Boston University’s Metcalf Cup and Prize for Excellence in Teaching, and being selected for Technology Review’s inaugural TR 100, a group of 100 young innovators who will shape the future of technology. Dr. Collins is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and the Institute of Physics. In 2003, he was selected as a McArthur Fellow.

Dr. Collins is a scientific co-founder and chair of the scientific advisory board of Cellicon Biotechnologies, Inc., and a scientific co-founder and chair of the scientific advisory board of Afferent Corp. He is also a Special Advisor for PureTech Ventures. Dr. Collins’ research focuses on developing nonlinear dynamical techniques and devices to characterize, improve and mimic biological function. His specific interests include: (1) systems biology – reverse engineering naturally occurring gene regulatory networks, (2) synthetic biology – modeling designing and constructing synthetic gene networks and (3) developing noise-based sensory prosthetics.