Call for Papers

Join us for the 18th annual IWBDA meeting in Boulder, CO, June 18-20, 2026. This year, IWBDA will take place immediately after SEED 2026 and will include presentation and poster talks selected from submitted abstracts, Birds of a Feather discussions, and breakout sessions on selected topics. We aim to bring together academic researchers and industry partners to push the field of bio-design automation for synthetic biology forward. The field of biology is still lagging behind the industry when it comes to implementation and adoption of computational and digital solutions. This is primarily because it is extremely difficult to offer a one-size-fits-all solution to engineer biology. Some BDA solutions serve as templates for a larger problem; however, to make them usable in a practical setting, the solutions often have to be redesigned for bespoke biological workflows. Without understanding the requirements of the broader synthetic biology community, it is hard to design a solution that can have a wider impact. Increasing the efficiency of biological processes and workflows with biodesign automation is a continuous journey that requires fresh exchange of ideas. It is crucial for the BDA community to have a forum where they can collaborate, gather new perspectives, and understand the requirements of the broader synthetic biology community. IWBDA provides this forum for cross-disciplinary discussion, with the aim of seeding and fostering collaboration between the researchers from the synthetic biology, systems biology, and design automation communities.

Topics of Interest:

• Design methodologies for synthetic biology
• Standardization of biological components
• Biosecurity in lab automation processes
• Biopreparedness through bio-design automation
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning in synthetic biology
• Computer aided design tools and automation for engineering biology
• Biofoundries and their impact on synthetic biology
• Formalized protocol capture
• Design Build Test Case studies
• Synthetic Biology education and outreach

Tutorials

Before the SEED Conference this year, please Join us in Boulder, CO for the IWBDA 2026 Tutorials on June 13-14, an immersive hands-on experience with synthetic biology software tools. Parallel tutorials will be offered for users and developers, allowing participants to tailor their learning experience to their level of expertise and interests. The user tutorials will guide participants through the complete synthetic biology workflow using open-source tools. The developer tutorial will introduce libraries and other resources to create standard-enabled synthetic biology software tools. These tutorials will combine practical exercises with interactive discussions. A goal of these tutorials will be to bridge the gap between tool developers and experimental biologists, fostering a shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities in biodesign automation. These tutorials will provide a unique environment to learn, collaborate, and contribute to the future of reproducible, data-driven synthetic biology.