Jenn Brophy Joins the Stanford Bioengineering Department

Jenn Brophy is currently a postdoc in the Biology department and will be joining the Bioengineering Department as an Assistant Professor in 2021. We asked her to share a few stories with us so that we could start getting to know her.

What initially got you interested in Bioengineering?
I got interested in bioengineering as an undergrad. I read an article in my university’s newspaper about a Bay Area company making ultra clean diesel fuel in bacteria through bioengineering, which I thought was awesome. The article inspired me to pursue research in synthetic biology and to eventually change my major to bioengineering.

What excites you about working at Stanford?
The communities! Stanford has vibrant plant biology, microbiome, ecology, and synthetic biology communities. It’s rare to find a university with strong research in all of these areas and I think it will be great for me and my lab to be surrounded by experts in these fields.

What will your research at Stanford focus on?
My lab will develop tools for genetically engineering plants and their associated microbes, with the overarching objective of addressing climate change issues through plants. My hope is that we drive innovation in agriculture for a sustainable future.

What do you want the Stanford/BioE community to know about you?
I’m already here at Stanford. I am currently a postdoc in the Biology department and, although I won’t open my own lab until September 2021, I’d love to start getting to know the bioengineering community now. If you see me around campus, come say hi or shoot me an email. I’d love to meet you!

What are some of your favorite past times/hobbies?
I LOVE arts and crafts. If you have murals to paint, logos to design, scarves to knit, or shirts to screen print, I want to help. I think art projects are a great way to destress and they are one of my favorite ways to pass time. In addition to arts and crafts, I enjoy running and craft cocktails.