Our Mission
Our vision for the future is one in which every student’s high school experience is engaging and prepares them for fulfilling, wealth-building careers that they want and that society needs.
BioBuilder’s aspirational goal is to serve students in every high school in America.
Founded in 2011 by an award-winning teaching team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), BioBuilder combines life sciences and engineering education to deliver outstanding resources and programming for students and educators.
Through hands-on laboratory experiences and biotechnology design challenges, BioBuilder teaches technical knowledge, practical skills, scientific ways of thinking, and an entrepreneurial mindset, all of which are aligned with higher education requirements and successful careers in science.
Key milestones in BioBuilder’s growth and expansion
With support from NSF and MIT, BioBuilder is established as a 501c3 and begins to publish curricula online
At MIT, BioBuilder hosts its inaugural cohort of educators for a full week of summer professional development
2011
2014
BioBuilder partners with the Biogen Foundation to launch the BioBuilderClub, an extracurricular program that supported biodesign work for seven high schools in Massachusetts in its first year.
“BioBuilder: Synthetic Biology in the Lab” is published by O’Reilly in English, and later in Japanese (2018) and Russian (2019)
BioBuilder co-authors “Building With Biology” activities with the Museum of Science in Boston, which facilitated public engagement in museums around the U.S.
2015
2016
In partnership with the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, the BioBuilder Educational Foundation launches its High School Apprenticeship Challenge to prepare students in under-resourced communities for summer jobs in life science.
BioBuilder opens its first dedicated teaching space inside LabCentral’s entrepreneurial community in Cambridge, MA
BioBuilder teams up with world renowned Carolina Biological Supply Company as exclusive global distributor of BioBuilder Lab Kits
2017
2019
BioBuilder partners with government, business, philanthropic and education leaders to collaboratively bring college and career relevant bioscience to high school students in the Appalachian Highlands of East Tennessee.
BioBuilder Learning Lab opens inside Ginkgo Bioworks headquarters to offer more exceptional programming in combination with the world-leading synthetic biology company.
2021
2024
The BioBuilder Educational Foundation launches BioTechBuilder, a workforce-readiness curriculum to prepare students for entry level jobs in biotechnology.
BioBuilder opens its third Learning Lab in Allston Labworks to focus on biomanufacturing and skills-based training.
Frontiers in Education publishes a study on the impact of BioBuilder training on students and their scientific identity.
2025
Since its inception, BioBuilder has evolved into a global presence that partners with schools in almost every state and around the world, focusing on traditionally underserved students and regions.
The BioBuilder Educational Foundation cultivates the adaptable, creative, and collaborative talent that is necessary for us all to flourish in the biotechnology revolution.