Ahmad (Mo) Khalil, a leading figure in synthetic and systems biology, has joined Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences as the Hok Lam and Kathleen Kam Wong Professor of Bioengineering.

Khalil is renowned for developing continuous evolution technologies, including the automated eVOLVER platform, which accelerates the creation of biomolecules with improved functions.

His research focuses on creating tools in synthetic biology, genomics, and computation to better understand cellular systems and engineer new biological capabilities.

Khalil's lab has developed synthetic circuit tools used in therapeutic applications such as CAR T cell therapies for cancer.

His previous work at Boston University involved pioneering approaches to dissect and engineer molecular circuits that control eukaryotic gene regulation, leading to significant discoveries in transcription regulation and epigenetic memory.

He holds advanced degrees from MIT and Stanford, including a Ph.D. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and a B.S. from Stanford University.

Khalil has a history with Harvard as a visiting scholar at the Wyss Institute and now joins as a professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology, with affiliations at the Broad Institute and the Wyss Institute.

His appointment is expected to bolster Harvard’s bioengineering community by bringing foundational discoveries and innovative technologies that could significantly impact health and medicine.

Khalil is also a co-founder of K2 Therapeutics, a company that leverages his technologies to develop precision antibodies for various diseases.