From July 7–11, the prestigious Onassis Lectures in Biology and Chemistry took place at FORTH in Heraklion, Crete, centered on “Re-engineering Biology: Directed Evolution of Enzymes and Cellular Pathways.”
This year’s series, featuring Nobel Laureate Frances Arnold, explored how directed evolution, synthetic biology, and AI-driven design are transforming protein engineering, metabolism, and cellular systems – opening new possibilities for biotechnology, health, and sustainability.
Three young scientists — Konstantinos Rigkos, Ilias Bakirtzis, and Christina Michalopoulou — participated with full travel fellowships awarded by the Onassis Foundation, offering them the chance to join high-level discussions and connect with leading researchers from around the world.
According to their experience, the lectures provided a chance to connect with pioneers in the field and gain deeper insights into cutting-edge research in enzyme engineering, thermodynamic modeling of protein evolution, and AI-driven biological design.
“Attending the Onassis Lectures was truly inspiring. The speakers not only shared breakthrough science, but also conveyed a vision of what synthetic biology can become in the next decade.”
– Konstantinos Rigkos
Boost4Bio is proud to see young members of the ERA Chair Team supported and recognized in such international initiatives – and remains committed to helping the next generation grow through access to global scientific dialogue.