AI x BIODESIGN: A Practical Course in Molecular Workflows for Creatives

A designer-friendly training to work with molecules, AI tools and living materials: no biology or coding required.

Why This Course Now?

AI is fundamentally changing how we approach biological design, from molecular structures to materials, living systems, and bio-integrated products.

A host of tools like AlphaFold from Google DeepMind (and many others) are beginning to transform protein structure prediction from a decades-long challenge into minutes. Generative systems now propose novel enzymes, materials, and biological components that never existed in nature.

In fact, these capabilities actually extend far beyond molecules, they're reshaping living materials, synthetic biology, tissue engineering, ecosystems, and how designers work with biological systems.

Featured and Recognised in Leading Biodesign Spaces

Biodesign Academy’s work on Responsible AI × Biodesign was recently featured at the Next Nature Conference 2025, where we presented how AI is reshaping molecular intuition and material reasoning for designers. The talk explored how AI-generated structures, biological constraints, and molecular reasoning can become usable tools for creative practice, themes that directly inform this course.

These methods have also been taught across biodesign programmes, universities, and workshops, where the response has consistently highlighted clarity, grounded explanation, and the ability to make complex biological information accessible to designers.

What Others Say About Our Approach

The Problem is Access and Translation

The knowledge needed to work confidently in biodesign, understanding molecular behaviour, interpreting AI predictions, assessing biological feasibility, still sits largely inside scientific communities. It’s embedded in technical papers, specialist reasoning, and implicit lab knowledge rarely taught in design education.

Without this foundation, designers end up in two unhelpful positions: relying on scientists for every decision, or falling back on oversimplified narratives that encourage speculation without grounding. Neither approach supports real creative agency.

This course offers a way through.

What this course enables

Where you start: 

Biology feels like borrowed knowledge. Molecular structures look like abstract shapes. AI predictions seem opaque; you can see the output but not what it means. Living materials behave unpredictably. Scientific papers are impenetrable. Conversations with researchers require constant translation.

Where you'll be:

You read molecular structures and understand what you're looking at. AI-generated proteins become interpretable; you can assess their logic and potential. Living materials gain concrete, molecular explanations instead of vague descriptions. You recognize feasibility issues before investing time.

Scientific papers become navigable. You communicate directly with labs and bio-AI teams using shared language and methods. The shift is from dependence and ambiguity to working knowledge and agency.

What’s Included

• Six live 2-hour sessions

• Two expert guest sessions

• Designer-friendly AI tools + workflow templates

• Weekly diagrams and methods

• Lifetime access to all tools

• Final project critique + certificate

Who This Course Is For

• Design students (BA, MA, PhD)

• Creative practitioners exploring living materials

• Industrial, interaction, and material designers

• Artists/designers working with molecules, systems, and futures

• Early-stage founders or researchers exploring bio-AI

• Anyone wanting molecular literacy without the scientific gatekeeping

Course Structure: What We’ll Cover Each Week

Each session is live, two hours long, and designed to build your confidence step by step. You’ll always leave with a visual output, a practical method, and a clearer sense of how molecular reasoning fits into design work.

[WEEK 0]: A Gentle Start (sent before the course begins)

You’ll get a short warm-up pack to help you settle in: a designer-friendly biology primer, a few annotated diagrams, and a quick orientation video. Nothing to study, just enough to help you feel anchored before we begin.

[WEEK 1]: Molecules, Behaviour, and How Design Fits In

We start by making sense of what molecules do, in relation to what they look like and how they fold. You’ll learn how molecular behaviour shapes material properties and how to read it in a way that feels intuitive. By the end of the session, you’ll create your first behaviour map and start using the Living Material Proxy Library.

[WEEK 2]: Making Sense of AI-Driven Tools (Without the Hype)

This week is all about interpreting AI-generated structures. We’ll give you an overview of AI-driven protein design tools and closely look at six common ones in use, with special focus on what AlphaFold gets right, what it gets wrong, and how to read a confidence map without getting overwhelmed. You’ll run your first prediction using the Designer AlphaFold Notebook and produce an annotated structure map of your own.

[WEEK 3]: How Living Materials Work at the Molecular Level*

Our living-materials specialist will join us to unpack how mycelium, bacterial cellulose, and algae behave; not in abstract terms, but molecule by molecule. You’ll learn why these materials look, feel, and grow the way they do, and you’ll build a diagram linking molecular drivers to visible outcomes. * With our expert collaborator 1.

[WEEK 4]: Turning Molecular Insight into Design Workflows

This is where everything begins to connect. We’ll take molecular and AI outputs and translate them into design decisions using structured, designer-friendly workflows.
You’ll also practice breaking down a scientific paper using the Biodesign Co-Pilot and produce your first molecular-to-material workflow diagram.

[WEEK 5]: Scientific Reasoning, Ethics, and Real Constraints**

Our computational biologist joins to show you how scientists in the field think about sequence, structure, function, and feasibility. This session gives you the clarity to evaluate claims, spot hype, and understand the limits of AI models. You’ll also create a mechanism map that reflects this deeper understanding. ** With our expert collaborator 2.

[WEEK 6]: Your Final Project: Coherent Design Futures

In the final week, you’ll bring everything together in a project of your choice. You can develop a material concept grounded in molecular logic, or produce an analytical interpretation set based on AlphaFold. You’ll get feedback, a template to refine your work, and a clearer sense of how to carry this literacy into future practice.

Custom Tools and Models You’ll Work With

In addition to AI-driven molecular design tools, we will also provide you with our own set of customised tools and models that make molecular and AI reasoning clear and practical, even without a science background. These are used throughout the course, so they become part of your regular workflow.

Tools (with lifetime access):

• Living Material Proxy Library – mycelium, bacterial cellulose, and algae explained at the molecular level.

• Designer AlphaFold Notebook – run and interpret predictions without complexity.

• Biodesign Co-Pilot Workspace – AI-assisted paper-to-design workflow.

• Template Packs – variants, reasoning patterns, and a capstone structure.

Models (with lifetime access):

• Biodesign Layer Map – how molecules scale into material behaviour.

• Reasoning Loop – a clear way to interpret structure → behaviour → design.

• Leverage Matrix – which molecular factors influence which properties.

About the Instructor

This course is led by Raphael Kim, founder of Biodesign Academy. My work sits at the intersection of molecular biology, design education, and AI-supported research, the combination needed to teach designers how to navigate biological systems with clarity instead of guesswork.

I trained as a biotechnologist and spent several years working in professional wet-lab environments, including Roche Pharmaceuticals, Imperial College London, and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST). My focus was protein chemistry, molecular interactions, and experimental workflows, giving me a grounded understanding of how biological systems behave in practice.

I later completed an MA in Design Interactions at the Royal College of Art and a PhD in Interaction Design, specialising in how designers engage with complex, invisible, or molecular-scale processes. Over the past decade, I’ve published 15+ first-author papers and taught biodesign, molecular interfaces, and materials futures across universities and independent studios.

My recent work on Responsible AI × Biodesign was featured at the Next Nature Conference 2025, where I presented how AI is reshaping molecular intuition and design reasoning. I also run workshops on AlphaFold, biological sense-making, and computational interpretation for design teams and students.

The frameworks in this course: the Biodesign Layer Map, the Reasoning Loop, and the Molecular Leverage Matrix, come directly from this hybrid background. My priority is clarity, accuracy, and giving designers real agency in a field that is often gate-kept and overly technical.

Guest Experts

You’ll learn from two specialists who bring complementary perspectives to the course. Our living materials expert works hands-on with mycelium, bacterial cellulose, and algae, and will walk you through how these materials behave at the molecular level and why they respond the way they do. Their session helps make living-material intuition clearer and more grounded.

You’ll also meet a computational biologist who works with protein modelling and AI-driven interpretation. They’ll show you how scientists think through sequence, structure, function, and feasibility, giving you a realistic sense of what tools like AlphaFold can and can’t tell you.

Both sessions are integrated into the course to strengthen your ability to work across disciplines with more clarity and confidence. Guest names and their professional backgrounds will be confirmed with participants before the course begins.

Pricing

• Early-access enrolment for the six-week live cohort is available at €299 until Tuesday 25th November 2025 at 23:59 (CET).

• From Wednesday 26th November 2025 onward, the standard course price of €349 applies.

All major payment methods accepted. Seats are limited.

And if the course genuinely isn’t a fit for you, you can request a full refund up to 48 hours before the start date.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Do I need a biology background to take this course?

No. Everything is explained in a way that’s accessible to designers and creative practitioners. You’ll learn the essential biological concepts as we go, using diagrams, examples, and simple models.

Q2. Do I need coding or technical AI experience?

No. All AI tools we use (including AlphaFold workflows) are guided through designer-friendly notebooks. You’ll learn how to interpret outputs, not code models.

Q3. Will sessions be recorded?

Yes. All live sessions are recorded and shared privately with the cohort. Recordings remain accessible after the course, so you can revisit any part of the material.

Q4. What if I can’t attend one of the live sessions?

The course is designed so you can still follow along through recordings, tools, and templates. Live attendance is encouraged for feedback and discussion, but missing a week won’t put you behind.

Q5. How much time should I set aside each week?

The live session is 2 hours. Most students spend an additional 1–2 hours per week reviewing notes or working through diagrams and workflows, but this varies depending on your pace.

Q6. How technical is the material?

It’s rigorous but not intimidating. The aim is clarity, not complexity. You’ll work with real molecular structures and AI outputs, but through models and explanations created specifically for a design audience.

Q7. Is this course suitable for speculative or conceptual design work?

Yes. Many students use the tools and frameworks to ground speculative projects in real molecular behaviour and biological constraints. It’s also suitable for applied work, material exploration, and early-stage bio-innovation.

Q8. Can I join from outside Europe/time zone differences?

Yes. The live session time will be published before enrolment. Recordings make it possible to follow the course even if you’re in a different time zone.

Q9. How big is the cohort?

The course is capped at 15 seats (with a few discretionary spots) to keep discussions manageable and allow for meaningful feedback.

Q10. Are there any discounts?

Yes. Early-access pricing is available until the deadline. Partner communities and paid newsletter members also receive private discount codes.

Q11. Is there a certificate?

Yes. Participants who complete the course and submit a final project receive a completion certificate.

Q12. Can institutions purchase multiple seats?

Yes. If you’re representing a university, lab, or organisation interested in multiple enrolments, please get in touch for a tailored arrangement.

Q13. What’s your refund policy?

You can request a full refund up to 48 hours before the course begins. After the course starts, refunds aren’t offered, since materials and recordings are immediately available.