Standards and Metrology Training for Engineering Biology

Unlocking Reliability for Innovation: Biochemical Engineering Researchers Champion Standardisation and Metrology in Engineering Biology at the Advanced Metrology training at LGC in Teddington last week.

Researchers from Biochemical Engineering at UCL, along with representatives from The University of Edinburgh, Imperial College London, University of Bristol, and Earlham Institute, were at the UK National Measurement Laboratory (NML) at LGC in Teddington for the final workshop on Advanced Metrology in engineering biology. The workshop aimed to enhance understanding and implementation of metrology principles within the field of engineering biology.

Engineering biology involves harnessing biological systems, cells, and intricate processes for innovative applications and sustainable products. The field holds immense promise, spanning from sustainable materials and life-saving medicines. 

The UKRI National Engineering Biology Programme acknowledges that standards and metrology are essential for unlocking the full impact of engineering biology in the UK and play a vital role in enabling successful transition from research to practical application.

Since 2022, researchers in select engineering biology centres in the UK, including UCL’s Department of Biochemical Engineering, have supported the efforts at NML to develop standards and metrology training in engineering biology and to raise awareness within the engineering biology research community. This important initiative was funded by the BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council).

Dr Stefanie Frank (lead) and Dr Andrea Rayat are this programme's engineering biology champions at UCL. Together, they supported the delivery of the Fundamentals of Metrology pilot training in February 2024 held at UCL Biochemical Engineering, which was attended by our first-year doctoral researchers and MRes Synthetic Biology cohorts (top photo). More recently last week, they headed to Teddington with doctoral researchers Emma Burman and Stefanos Mylonas for the final part of the Advanced Metrology training (bottom photo) where participants explored and discussed challenges related to measurements in engineering biology with the other champions and programme organisers Jim Huggett, Alexandra Whale, Vicki Barwick, Robert Griffiths, Thierry Le Goff (NML) and Jane Garrad (BBSRC).

Find out more

• Dr Stefanie Frank’s UCL profile
• Dr Andrea Rayat’s UCL profile
• UK National Measurement Laboratory hosted at LG 
• Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)

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