I contact you in relation to the ‘European Conference on Synthetic Biology (ECSB) II: Design, Programming and Optimisation of Biological Systems’, organised by the European Science Foundation and the University of Barcelona. The conference is to take place 29 March – 3 April 2009, in Sant Feliu, Spain.

More information, including information on its chairs, scope and invited speakers, is posted below. Attached, please also find the conference preliminary programme.

Upon the recommendation of the conference chair, Prof. David Gilbert (Brunel University, UK), could I please ask you to inform the Synthetic Biology research community of this conference? If possible, could it also be listed on your dedicated website? (Please note the closing date for applications is 15 February 2009).


In return, we could offer a reciprocal weblink on the conference webpage (www.esf.org/conferences/09294) and/or a free literature display at the conference.

Thank you in advance for your help and please don’t hesitate to contact me for any further information you may need.

I look forward to hearing from you.


Best regards,

Ivanka



European Conference on Synthetic Biology (ECSB) II: Design, Programming and Optimisation of Biological Systems

ESF-UB Conference

29 March - 3 April 2009, Hotel Eden Roc, Sant Feliu de Guixols, Spain



Programme and applications: www.esf.org/conferences/09294

Grants available for young researchers

'''Deadline for applications''': 15 February 2009



Scope: The ECSB 2009 conference will draw on international expertise from biological disciplines (e.g. genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, etc.) and computational and engineering experts, to present a balanced overview of the very latest key technologies and research advances as pertaining to synthetic biology in general and to the quest for minimal living forms in particular.



The aim of this conference is to generate new vigorous interactions between the disciplines that impinge on (and contribute to) synthetic biology. It will also bring together two research communities within synthetic biology: a top-down community of researchers who are knocking out or modifying functions of existing cells, and a bottom-up community of researchers who investigate the construction of artificial systems from first principles, protocells, etc.



ECSB 2009 is the second conference in the series. It will comprise invited talks by internationally known scientists who are leaders in their fields (see list of invited speakers below), tutorials to introduce young researchers to synthetic biology, contributed talks and posters.



Topics to be presented at the conference include: DNA sequencing and synthesis, minimal genomes, chemical and biological networks, evolution (natural, directed and simulated), biological systems, cell cycles and circuits, computational techniques (modelling, data mining, optimisation) and infrastructures for synthetic biology.



Organisers: European Science Foundation (ESF) and the University of Barcelona (UB)
Contact person: Jean Kelly, Conference Officer (jkelly@esf.org)

Chair: David Gilbert, Brunel University, UK
Co-chairs: Alfonso Jaramillo, Ecole Polytechnique, FR - Natalio Krasnogor, University of Nottingham, UK - Víctor de Lorenzo, Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia, ES

Organising Committee: Sibylle Gaisser, Fraunhofer ISI, DE – Markus R. Schmidt, IDC – idialog, AT



Invited Speakers:

· Edward Bayer, Weizmann Institute of Science, IL

· Mark Bedau, Reed College, US

· Miguel Cámara, University of Nottingham, UK

· Irene Chen, Harvard University, US

· Antoine Danchin, Institute Pasteur Paris, FR

· Alistair Elfick, University of Edinburgh, UK

· Martin Fussenegger, ETH Zurich, CH

· Ulrich Gerland, University of Cologne, DE

· Rafael Giraldo, CIB Madrid, ES

· Jeff Hasty, UCSD, US

· François Képès, Genopole Evry, FR

· Albert Libchaber, Rockefeller University, US

· Pier Luigi Luisi, Università degli Studi di Roma, IT

· Sheref Mansy, Denver University, US

· Philippe Marlière, Heurisko SAS, FR

· Didier Mazel, Institute Pasteur Paris, FR

· Andres Moya, University of Valencia, ES

· Stephen Muggleton, Imperial College London, UK

· Susan Rosser, University of Glasgow, UK

· Herbert Sauro, University of Washington, US

· Luis Serrano, CRG Barcelona, ES

· Edward Trifonov, University of Haifa, IL

· Alfonso Valencia, CNIO Madrid, ES

· Ralf Wagner, Gene Art, DE

· Peter Walde, ETH Zurich, CH

· Philip Wright, University of Sheffield, UK



_____________________________________

Ivanka Angelova

Communications Officer - ESF Conferences

European Science Foundation - Communications Unit

1 quai Lezay-Marnésia, BP 90015

67080 Strasbourg Cedex, France

Phone: +33 (0)388 76 21 48
Fax: +33 (0)388 76 71 80
iangelova@esf.org

http://www.esf.org