How to Build an AI-Native Biodesign Career: A Starter Map for 2025

The AI Elephant in the Classroom

It's 2025, and AI isn't just conference jargon anymore—it's become the invisible backbone of scientific discovery. From Cradle's protein engineering platforms to LabGenius' EVA system for antibody discovery, AI is transforming biodesign from the molecule up—reshaping how we prototype, grow materials, design biotextiles, and imagine living architecture.

Yet most university curricula remain stuck in disciplinary silos. They treat wet-lab biology, computational modelling, and design as separate kingdoms with rigid borders. When AI appears in syllabus, it's often theoretical or outdated, with little guidance on practical application in the messy, beautiful world of biological design.

If you're a student—whether pursuing an MSc, PhD, or charting your own path—you have a rare advantage. You possess the freedom to play at these intersections, to tinker and create where biology meets computation meets design. This moment of flux is your opportunity.

This post offers the beginning of your map through this uncharted territory.

1. Biodesign Archetypes (and How to Find Your Role)

Through our work with labs, and assessing companies like Cradle and Epoch Biodesign, and drawing on our experience of helping students navigating these hybrid spaces, we've identified three recurring contributor types in successful AI-bio projects. These aren't job titles—they're working identities that reflect how you think, where you naturally thrive, and how you bring value to collaborative work.

The Synthesizer

Synthesizers weave connections between biology, computation, and design strategy. They translate across disciplinary languages, guide diverse teams, and frame the larger purpose—the "why" behind the work.

You might be a Synthesizer if you find yourself constantly sketching workflows, mapping systems, or reframing research questions to bridge disciplines. You've likely been inspired by initiatives like Biofabricate or Biodesign Challenge—spaces where biology, design, and materials strategy collide in unexpected ways.

In the wild: Christina Agapakis (Ginkgo Bioworks), who bridges microbiology and creative direction; Natsai Chieza (Faber Futures), who connects design thinking with microbial pigment systems; Natalie Kuldell (BioBuilder Foundation), who translates synthetic biology for education.

The Builder

Builders get their hands dirty with tools and prototypes. They experiment with Jupyter notebooks, API connections, biomaterial recipes, or hardware integrations—iterating, testing, and bringing speculative ideas into physical reality.

You might be a Builder if you find yourself tinkering with code on weekends, remixing existing tools, or testing protocols just to see what happens. You're driven by the satisfaction of making things work.

In the wild: The engineers at Cradle.bio creating protein design interfaces; the contributors to LabDAO building open scientific infrastructure; the developers at Profluent connecting language models to biological systems.

The Storyteller

Storytellers translate science into human experience. They transform complexity into narrative—through writing, visual design, interface development, or exhibition creation. Think of projects emerging from Material Factors, where scientific research becomes tangible through carefully crafted experiences.

You might be a Storyteller if you find yourself naturally explaining complex concepts to non-specialists, or if you think in metaphors as readily as molecules.

In the wild: The Synthetic Aesthetics project connecting designers and synthetic biologists; curator William Myers exploring biodesign through exhibitions; MoMA curator Paola Antonelli bringing biodesign into art contexts; artist-researcher Oron Catts provoking deeper conversations about living materials.

Making Sense of Biodesign Archetypes

These archetypes aren't rigid categories but tools for reflection. Use them to understand your natural strengths, shape your practice with intention, or build complementary teams. Most of us flow between these roles depending on the challenge at hand—and that adaptability is precisely the point.

In the Biodesign Academy paid tier, we'll provide deeper exploration—with an assessment toolkit, personalized roadmaps, and tailored tool recommendations to help you grow into your unique version of these archetypes.

2. Don't Panic, Just Begin (And Stay Curious)

You don't need to transform yourself into an AI engineer overnight—but you do need to develop AI-native biodesign fluency. This means understanding how tools like AlphaFold or Profluent might fit into your creative or research process, augmenting your natural way of working rather than replacing it.

This terrain can feel overwhelming at first—but resist the urge to retreat. These tools are designed for experimentation, not perfection. Tinker. Follow your curiosity. You're not behind—you're early in a transformation that will unfold over decades.

Common traps to sidestep:

• Waiting for permission. If your course or supervisors are ignoring AI, that's not a sign to wait—it's your cue to explore independently.

• Thinking it's too late. It's not. We're still in the opening chapters.

• Assuming AI is someone else's job. Not anymore. It's becoming everyone's toolkit.

• Treating it like a side project. It isn't separate from your work—it is the work.

3. Some Initial Moves to Consider Making

Upgrade Your Workflow

Integrate tools like ChatGPT or Claude to summarize dense papers, generate rough drafts, and brainstorm experimental approaches. This lightens your cognitive load and creates space for the deep thinking only humans can do.

Build Model Awareness

Develop a working understanding of tools like ESM, AlphaFold, and Profluent—not to master them technically, but to collaborate with them effectively. Knowing their capabilities and limitations makes you a more thoughtful biodesigner.

Sketch Your Own Stack

Map where AI tools could enhance—or potentially hinder—your specific workflow. Whether you're growing living materials, designing architectural structures, or planning field research, build a personalized playbook that reflects your unique approach.

Explore in Colab

Google Colab offers a free, browser-based Python notebook environment. Use it to experiment with models like Cradle or ESMFold—tweaking inputs, observing outputs, and building an intuitive feel for how these systems behave.

4. Biodesign Academy: Your AI-Native Career Companion

Biodesign Academy exists to help you navigate this evolving landscape—to map, execute, and continually refine your biodesign journey in an AI-augmented world.

Our paid tier includes:

• Tailored toolkits for Synthesizers, Builders, and Storytellers

• Weekly intelligence briefings on emerging AI and Bio-tools and strategies

• Case studies from labs and companies navigating these waters successfully

It's designed to support whatever form your work takes—whether that's a thesis project, experimental prototypes, or preparation for your next career move.