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James J. Collins
James J. Collins (born June 26, 1965) is an American biomedical engineer and bioengineer who serves as the Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering & Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he is also a director at the MIT Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health.
Collins conducted research showing that artificial intelligence (AI) approaches can be used to discover novel antibiotics, such as halicin and abaucin. He serves as the director of the Antibiotics-AI Project at MIT, which is supported by The Audacious Project, and is a member of the Harvard–MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology. He is also a core faculty member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and a member of the Broad Institute.
Collins is one of the founders of the field of synthetic biology, and his work on synthetic gene circuits and programmable cells has led to the development of new classes of diagnostics and therapeutics, which have influenced research in detecting and treating infections caused by emerging pathogens such as Ebola, Zika, SARS-CoV-2, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. He is also a researcher in systems biology, having made discoveries regarding the actions of antibiotics and the emergence of antibiotic resistance.
Collins is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Sciences for his contributions to synthetic biology and engineered gene networks. In 2023, he was awarded a Clarivate Citation for research most likely to receive a Nobel Prize.
Collins was born on June 26, 1965, in The Bronx, then moved to Bellerose, New York. His father was an aviation engineer who worked on projects for NASA and the military. At age 10, Collins moved to New Hampshire with his family after finishing elementary school, growing up in Nashua. He first developed an interest in medical engineering when one of his grandfathers became blind and the other suffered multiple strokes.
Collins originally intended to study electrical engineering as an undergraduate and was accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) but decided instead to attend the College of the Holy Cross. Collins later recalled, "I fell in love with the place. I wanted to work hard and get a strong education, but I also wanted to enjoy myself. I wanted to get a broad experience, and I felt I could get that at Holy Cross".
At Holy Cross, Collins was a class officer and a member of the track and cross country teams, where he was a 4:17 miler. He also wrote for the school newspaper, served as a class officer, and co-hosted a radio show on the Holy Cross radio station. As an undergraduate, he had been awarded a President's Volunteer Service Award and was designated as a Fenwick Scholar in 1986, one of the college's highest honors. Collins graduated from Holy Cross in 1987 as class valedictorian, receiving a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in physics, summa cum laude. His undergraduate thesis was titled "Functional Neuromuscular Stimulation: An Analysis of the Biomechanical and Neuromuscular Foundations of Walking".
After graduating from Holy Cross, Collins was one of four students from New England to be selected for a Rhodes Scholarship, which he used to study medical engineering in England at Oxford University. At Oxford, he was a member of Balliol College and earned a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in 1990 specializing in medical and mechanical engineering. His dissertation was titled "Joint Mechanics: Modelling of the Lower Limb" and was supervised by John J. O'Connor.
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James J. Collins
James J. Collins (born June 26, 1965) is an American biomedical engineer and bioengineer who serves as the Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering & Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he is also a director at the MIT Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health.
Collins conducted research showing that artificial intelligence (AI) approaches can be used to discover novel antibiotics, such as halicin and abaucin. He serves as the director of the Antibiotics-AI Project at MIT, which is supported by The Audacious Project, and is a member of the Harvard–MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology. He is also a core faculty member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and a member of the Broad Institute.
Collins is one of the founders of the field of synthetic biology, and his work on synthetic gene circuits and programmable cells has led to the development of new classes of diagnostics and therapeutics, which have influenced research in detecting and treating infections caused by emerging pathogens such as Ebola, Zika, SARS-CoV-2, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. He is also a researcher in systems biology, having made discoveries regarding the actions of antibiotics and the emergence of antibiotic resistance.
Collins is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Sciences for his contributions to synthetic biology and engineered gene networks. In 2023, he was awarded a Clarivate Citation for research most likely to receive a Nobel Prize.
Collins was born on June 26, 1965, in The Bronx, then moved to Bellerose, New York. His father was an aviation engineer who worked on projects for NASA and the military. At age 10, Collins moved to New Hampshire with his family after finishing elementary school, growing up in Nashua. He first developed an interest in medical engineering when one of his grandfathers became blind and the other suffered multiple strokes.
Collins originally intended to study electrical engineering as an undergraduate and was accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) but decided instead to attend the College of the Holy Cross. Collins later recalled, "I fell in love with the place. I wanted to work hard and get a strong education, but I also wanted to enjoy myself. I wanted to get a broad experience, and I felt I could get that at Holy Cross".
At Holy Cross, Collins was a class officer and a member of the track and cross country teams, where he was a 4:17 miler. He also wrote for the school newspaper, served as a class officer, and co-hosted a radio show on the Holy Cross radio station. As an undergraduate, he had been awarded a President's Volunteer Service Award and was designated as a Fenwick Scholar in 1986, one of the college's highest honors. Collins graduated from Holy Cross in 1987 as class valedictorian, receiving a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in physics, summa cum laude. His undergraduate thesis was titled "Functional Neuromuscular Stimulation: An Analysis of the Biomechanical and Neuromuscular Foundations of Walking".
After graduating from Holy Cross, Collins was one of four students from New England to be selected for a Rhodes Scholarship, which he used to study medical engineering in England at Oxford University. At Oxford, he was a member of Balliol College and earned a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in 1990 specializing in medical and mechanical engineering. His dissertation was titled "Joint Mechanics: Modelling of the Lower Limb" and was supervised by John J. O'Connor.