Plant Synthetic Biology Course
Exploring African biodiversity with an open-source educational program in Plant Synthetic Biology
Course Access
Self-paced learning with full materials
- 11 video lectures
- Weekly homework assignments
- Group final project
- Course slides & PDFs
- Certificate of completion
About This Course
The SynBio4ALL Intermediate Course in Plant Synthetic Biology is a 10-week virtual program that takes you deep into plant systems engineering. From genome architecture to metabolic pathway design, computational tools, and real-world African biodiversity research — this course bridges theory and practice.
A highlight of the course is a collaborative group final project in which students and instructors work together to identify African native plant candidates for whole-genome sequencing — contributing directly to open-science biodiversity research on the continent.
What You'll Learn
Course Highlights
Course Schedule
May 28, 2025
OptionalWeek 0: Course Orientation and SynBio Recap
June 4, 2025
Week 1: Introduction to Plant and Synthetic Biology
June 11, 2025
Week 2: Plant Genome Architecture
June 18, 2025
Week 3: Tools and Techniques for Plant Genome Editing
June 25, 2025
Week 4: Plant Metabolic Engineering
July 2, 2025
Week 5: Plant Microbiome and Engineering Strategies
July 9, 2025
Week 6: Group Final Project — Exploring African Plant Biodiversity
July 16, 2025
Week 7: Computational Approaches for Plant Synthetic Biology
August 6, 2025
OptionalWeek 7.5: Additional Discussion: Computational Approaches (cont.)
July 23, 2025
Week 8: Notable Applications: Food and Medicine
July 30, 2025
Week 9: Notable Applications: Sustainability Focus
August 13, 2025
Week 10: Biosafety, Ethical Considerations, and Global Partnerships
October 1, 2025
OptionalWeek 11: Native Plant Candidates Presentation
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