Berkeley Genomics Project is recruiting a team to work on genetic selection for future children

Berkeley Genomics Project is recruiting a team to work on genetic selection for future children

On August 5, project founder and sole full-time employee Zvi Benson-Tilsen announced that he was looking for one to three colleagues. They will develop roadmaps, identify and fund projects, work on policy, and possibly conduct independent reviews of commercial claims about polygenic scores, which predict disease risk and other traits from many DNA variants.

Reproductive genetics encompasses technologies used to select embryos based on genetic traits or alter heritable DNA. The field includes geneticists, IVF clinics, startups, gene-editing specialists, and developmental biologists. Benson-Tilsen wants to connect these separate efforts through roadmaps, funding, and policy. To do this, his Berkeley Genomics Project (BGP) is building a team.

“Right now, BGP is me, a network of allies, and contractors.”

The main opening is for a head of operations. This person will oversee the Reproductive Frontiers Summit, finances, contractors, and the formal establishment of the organization. BGP is also seeking someone to develop roadmaps and recommendations for donors. For policy and advocacy, it needs someone who will work with biobanks, regulators, and professional associations.

A roadmap turns a broad objective into a list of research gaps, while grants connect those gaps with researchers and funding. Benson-Tilsen is also considering independent reviews of companies’ claims about polygenic scores.