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Robert Friedman is adjunct faculty at the J. Craig Venter Institute. Friedman directs JCVI's Policy Center, helps to facilitate JCVI’s affiliation with UC San Diego, and is also active in several projects ongoing in the Institute's Environmental Genomics Group. Prior to joining the Venter Institute, Friedman was Vice President for Research at The H. John Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment, a nonprofit policy research organization that brought together collaborators from government, industry, environmental organizations, and academia. Earlier, Friedman was a Senior Associate at the Office of Technology Assessment, U.S. Congress (OTA). For 16 years, he advised Congressional committees on issues involving environmental and natural resources policy.
Dr. Friedman received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in Ecological Systems Analysis, concentrating in ecology, environmental engineering, and systems analysis. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Research Priorities
- As amply demonstrated throughout the 20th century, scientific and technological advancements frequently affect society in unintended ways. Hand-in-hand with its mission to advance the life sciences, JCVI is committed to understanding the implications of these advances for society.
- The overarching goal of my research at JCVI’s Policy Center is to help decision makers understand and anticipate the impact of 21st century biology and biotechnologies, and where appropriate, devise policies to enhance positive and avoid negative societal outcomes.
Publications
Nature biotechnology. 2023-01-01; 41.1: 9-13.
Exploring the value of a global gene drive project registry
Taitingfong RI, Triplett C, Vásquez VN, Rajagopalan RM, Raban R, Roberts A, Terradas G, Baumgartner B, Emerson C, Gould F, Okumu F, Schairer CE, Bossin HC, Buchman L, Campbell KJ, Clark A, Delborne J, Esvelt K, Fisher J, Friedman RM, Gronvall G, Gurfield N, Heitman E, Kofler N, Kuiken T, Kuzma J, Manrique-Saide P, Marshall JM, Montague M, Morrison AC, Opesen CC, Phelan R, Piaggio A, Quemada H, Rudenko L, Sawadogo N, Smith R, Tuten H, Ullah A, Vorsino A, Windbichler N, Akbari OS, Long K, Lavery JV, Evans SW, Tountas K, Bloss CS
PMID: 36522496
Science (New York, N.Y.). 2020-12-18; 370.6523: 1417-1419.
Core commitments for field trials of gene drive organisms
Long KC, Alphey L, Annas GJ, Bloss CS, Campbell KJ, Champer J, Chen CH, Choudhary A, Church GM, Collins JP, Cooper KL, Delborne JA, Edwards OR, Emerson CI, Esvelt K, Evans SW, Friedman RM, Gantz VM, Gould F, Hartley S, Heitman E, Hemingway J, Kanuka H, Kuzma J, Lavery JV, Lee Y, Lorenzen M, Lunshof JE, Marshall JM, Messer PW, Montell C, Oye KA, Palmer MJ, Papathanos PA, Paradkar PN, Piaggio AJ, Rasgon JL, Rašić G, Rudenko L, Saah JR, Scott MJ, Sutton JT, Vorsino AE, Akbari OS
PMID: 33335055
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2013-06-25; 110.26: E2390-9.
Candidate phylum TM6 genome recovered from a hospital sink biofilm provides genomic insights into this uncultivated phylum
McLean JS, Lombardo MJ, Badger JH, Edlund A, Novotny M, Yee-Greenbaum J, Vyahhi N, Hall AP, Yang Y, Dupont CL, Ziegler MG, Chitsaz H, Allen AE, Yooseph S, Tesler G, Pevzner PA, Friedman RM, Nealson KH, Venter JC, Lasken RS
PMID: 23754396
Genome research. 2013-05-01; 23.5: 867-77.
Genome of the pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis recovered from a biofilm in a hospital sink using a high-throughput single-cell genomics platform
McLean JS, Lombardo MJ, Ziegler MG, Novotny M, Yee-Greenbaum J, Badger JH, Tesler G, Nurk S, Lesin V, Brami D, Hall AP, Edlund A, Allen LZ, Durkin S, Reed S, Torriani F, Nealson KH, Pevzner PA, Friedman R, Venter JC, Lasken RS
PMID: 23564253
Biosecurity and bioterrorism : biodefense strategy, practice, and science. 2007-12-01; 5.4: 359-62.
Synthetic genomics | options for governance
Garfinkel MS, Endy D, Epstein GL, Friedman RM
PMID: 18081496
PLoS biology. 2007-03-01; 5.3: e77.
The Sorcerer II Global Ocean Sampling expedition: northwest Atlantic through eastern tropical Pacific
Rusch DB, Halpern AL, Sutton G, Heidelberg KB, Williamson S, Yooseph S, Wu D, Eisen JA, Hoffman JM, Remington K, Beeson K, Tran B, Smith H, Baden-Tillson H, Stewart C, Thorpe J, Freeman J, Andrews-Pfannkoch C, Venter JE, Li K, Kravitz S, Heidelberg JF, Utterback T, Rogers YH, Falcón LI, Souza V, Bonilla-Rosso G, Eguiarte LE, Karl DM, Sathyendranath S, Platt T, Bermingham E, Gallardo V, Tamayo-Castillo G, Ferrari MR, Strausberg RL, Nealson K, Friedman R, Frazier M, Venter JC
PMID: 17355176
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2006-07-25; 103.30: 11240-5.
A Sanger/pyrosequencing hybrid approach for the generation of high-quality draft assemblies of marine microbial genomes
Goldberg SM, Johnson J, Busam D, Feldblyum T, Ferriera S, Friedman R, Halpern A, Khouri H, Kravitz SA, Lauro FM, Li K, Rogers YH, Strausberg R, Sutton G, Tallon L, Thomas T, Venter E, Frazier M, Venter JC
PMID: 16840556
Research Priorities
- As amply demonstrated throughout the 20th century, scientific and technological advancements frequently affect society in unintended ways. Hand-in-hand with its mission to advance the life sciences, JCVI is committed to understanding the implications of these advances for society.
- The overarching goal of my research at JCVI’s Policy Center is to help decision makers understand and anticipate the impact of 21st century biology and biotechnologies, and where appropriate, devise policies to enhance positive and avoid negative societal outcomes.
28-Jul-2021
Press Release
JCVI Policy Center forecasts US likely to remain biotechnology leader through 2050, but China could threaten position
17-Dec-2020
Collaborator Release
Scientists set a path for field trials of gene drive organisms
As genetically engineered organisms ramp up, a multidisciplinary coalition offers a framework for ethical, socially engaged and transparent field practices
10-Jan-2020
Issues in Science and Tech
Gene Drives: New and Improved
As the science advances, policy-makers and regulators need to develop responses that reflect the latest developments and the diversity of approaches and applications.
29-Oct-2015
Press Release
J. Craig Venter Institute Policy Group Releases New Report: “DNA Synthesis and Biosecurity: Lessons Learned and Options for the Future”
28-May-2014
Press Release
Venter Institute-Led Policy Group Publishes Report on Challenges and Options for Oversight of Organisms Engineered Using Synthetic Biology Technologies
17-Oct-2007
Press Release