Rey Edison

EDUCATION

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Microbiology PhD program, passed thesis defense in December 2024
Cumulative GPA 4.8 (out of 5.0)

California Institute of Technology

B.S. in Biology, graduated June 2016
Cumulative GPA 3.74 (out of 4.0), graduated with honors

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

PhD Student, Kevin Esvelt's Sculpting Evolution Group, MIT (Spring 2018 - Fall 2024)

Designed a red-teaming approach to assess the extent to which modern DNA synthesis providers adequately screen orders and avoid synthesis of potential hazards
Designed a strain of lab mice whose ability to feel pain can be removed
Wrote bioethics on genetic approaches for alleviating the suffering of animals used in research and agriculture
Modeled population dynamics of gene drives for malaria and Lyme disease prevention

Assistant Research Technician, Orphan Laboratory, Caltech (Spring 2016 - Summer 2017)

Analyzed images of microbial aggregates from deep-sea methane seeps for morphological variation between different subgroups of microbial communities
Investigated the biogeography of finch microbiomes

Research Fellow, Davidson Laboratory, Caltech (Summer 2014 - Winter 2016)

Developed procedures for genome engineering and whole mount in situ hybridization for use in sea urchins

Research Fellow, Planetary Science Department, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Summer 2013)

Observed Pluto from telescopes; analyzed images for evidence of volatile transport

HONORS AND FELLOWSHIPS

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program, 2019
Margaret Leighton Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, 2015
The Associates Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, 2014
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, 2013

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS AND BOOK CHAPTERS

Gretton, Dana, et al. "Random adversarial threshold search enables automated DNA screening." bioRxiv (2024). https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.20.585782v1

Clark, Anna C., et al. "Management of vertebrate pests using genetic control techniques." Applied Environmental Genomics (2023): 318-337. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1755-0998.13901

Clark, Anna C., et al. "A framework for identifying fertility gene targets for mammalian pest control." Molecular Ecology Resources (2024).

Edison, Rey, and Kevin M. Esvelt. "On mitigating the cruelty of natural selection through humane genome editing." Neuroethics and Nonhuman Animals (2020): 119-133. https://rdcu.be/dTABt

Alley, Ethan C., et al. "A machine learning toolkit for genetic engineering attribution to facilitate biosecurity." Nature Communications (2020). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-19612-0

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Teaching Assistant, MIT

Evolutionary and Quantitative Genomics (Fall 2019)
- Assisted students in developing independent genomics projects
- Designed homework and rubrics
- Managed grading and held office hours
Intro to Experimental Biology & Communication (Fall 2018)
- Assisted with microbiology and genetics experiments
- Taught best practices for maintaining lab notebooks
- Coached students through writing a scientific paper

Teaching Assistant, Caltech

Genetics (Fall 2014)
- Developed interactive lecture curriculum
- Wrote and graded homework and exams
- Held office hours and review sessions