About

Emma Frow is an Associate Professor at Arizona State University, holding a joint appointment with the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and the School of Biological & Health Systems Engineering. She joined ASU in 2015 and focuses her research on the governance of emerging biotechnologies, particularly the governance of the STEM research community. Emma has been engaged with the synthetic biology community in the US and Europe since 2008. Her academic background includes a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Cambridge, followed by a transition to social sciences with a master's degree in science and technology studies from the University of Edinburgh. She completed postdoctoral research at the ESRC Genomics Policy & Research Forum at the University of Edinburgh and at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Prior to her appointment at ASU, she was an assistant professor in science, technology, and innovation studies at the University of Edinburgh. Emma Frow's research explores the intersections of science and technology studies, sociology of science, engineering studies, and the governance of emerging technologies such as synthetic biology. Her work addresses themes of expertise, interdisciplinarity, values, and representation in scientific practice. She collaborates on projects investigating synthetic cells and engineered control of DNA replication, funded by the National Science Foundation. Her research also examines care and control in bioengineering, reflecting a deep engagement with the social dimensions and ethical considerations of biotechnology development. Emma's interdisciplinary approach combines insights from biochemistry, social science, and policy to understand and shape the governance frameworks surrounding innovative biotechnologies.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Business
• Political Science
• Marketing
• Knowledge management
• Systems engineering
• World Wide Web
• Data science
• Biology
• Public relations
• Medicine
• Psychology
• Biotechnology
• Engineering
• Pathology
• Risk analysis (engineering)
• Process management
• Engineering management

Selected publications

• Making space to care: A Community Garden for bioengineering labs

  2025-08-21

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Emerging governance considerations for the deployment of genetically engineered microbes

  Current Opinion in Microbiology · 2025-12-13

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Opening up "containment": Technological and social dimensions of biocontainment for genetically engineered organisms designed for deliberate release

  2025-04-21 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Advances in engineering biology, together with growing interest and investment in supporting a bio-based economy in the US, are fueling research and development efforts into genetically engineering organisms for all kinds of different applications. Wh

  PublisherDOI

• A bumpy road ahead for genetic biocontainment

  Nature Communications · 2024-01-20 · 47 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  While the research community continues to develop novel proposals for intrinsic biocontainment of genetically engineered organisms, translation to real-world deployment faces several challenges.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Exploring presentations of sustainability by US synthetic biology companies

  PLoS ONE · 2021-09-17 · 8 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  The field of synthetic biology is increasingly being positioned as a key driver of a more sustainable, bio-based economy, and has seen rapid industry growth over the past 15 years. In this paper we undertake an exploratory investigation of the relationship between sustainability and synthetic biology, identifying and analyzing sustainability-related language on the public websites of 24, US-based synthetic biology companies. We observe that sustainability is a visible part of the self-presentation of the nascent synthetic biology industry, explicitly mentioned by 18 of the 24 companies. The dominant framing of sustainability on these company websites emphasizes environmental gains and "free-market" approaches to sustainability, with little explicit mention of social dimensions of sustainability such as access, justice or intergenerational equity. Furthermore, the model of sustainability presented focuses on incremental transition towards environmental sustainability through direct substitution of products and processes using bioengineered alternatives (n = 16 companies), with no change in societal consumption or policy frameworks required in order to see sustainability gains. One-third of the companies analyzed (n = 8) mention "nature" on their websites, variously framing it as a resource to be managed or as a source of inspiration; whether the latter signals a potentially more complex relationship with nature than advanced free-market models of sustainability remains to be seen. As the synthetic biology industry begins to grow in size and visibility, we suggest this is an opportune time for the community to engage in explicit deliberation about its approach to sustainability.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Weighing up the evidence used by direct-to-consumer stem cell businesses

  Stem Cell Reports · 2021 · 15 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Political Science
  • Marketing
  • Biology

  Hundreds of businesses across the United States offer direct-to-consumer stem-cell-based interventions that have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Here, we characterize the types of evidence used on the websites of 59 stem cell businesses in the Southwest United States to market their services. We identify over a dozen forms of evidence, noting that businesses are less likely to rely on "gold-standard" scientific evidence, like randomized clinical trials, and instead draw substantially on forms of evidence that we identify as being "ambiguous." Ambiguous evidence has some scientific or medical basis, but its interpretation is highly context-dependent. These findings highlight the interpretive responsibility placed on prospective patients. We identify actions for regulators and professional societies to assist with evaluating evidence, but caution that focusing on the (in)validity of particular evidence types is unlikely to eliminate demand for stem-cell-based treatments in this complex marketplace.

  PublisherDOI

• Building a biofoundry

  Synthetic Biology · 2020 · 84 citations

  • Computer Science
  • Computer Science
  • Engineering management

  A biofoundry provides automation and analytics infrastructure to support the engineering of biological systems. It allows scientists to perform synthetic biology and aligned experimentation on a high-throughput scale, massively increasing the solution space that can be examined for any given problem or question. However, establishing a biofoundry is a challenging undertaking, with numerous technical and operational considerations that must be addressed. Using collated learnings, here we outline several considerations that should be addressed prior to and during establishment. These include drivers for establishment, institutional models, funding and revenue models, personnel, hardware and software, data management, interoperability, client engagement and biosecurity issues. The high cost of establishment and operation means that developing a long-term business model for biofoundry sustainability in the context of funding frameworks, actual and potential client base, and costing structure is critical. Moreover, since biofoundries are leading a conceptual shift in experimental design for bioengineering, sustained outreach and engagement with the research community are needed to grow the client base. Recognition of the significant, long-term financial investment required and an understanding of the complexities of operationalization is critical for a sustainable biofoundry venture. To ensure state-of-the-art technology is integrated into planning, extensive engagement with existing facilities and community groups, such as the Global Biofoundries Alliance, is recommended.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Characterizing Direct-to-Consumer Stem Cell Businesses in the Southwest United States

  Stem Cell Reports · 2019-08-01 · 19 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  There are currently hundreds of businesses across the United States offering direct-to-consumer stem cell treatments that have not been through regulatory approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Here, we provide a detailed characterization of nearly 170 stem cell businesses operating in the Southwest United States. We draw specific attention to two as-yet understudied facets of these businesses. First, we identify differences in the degree to which a given business focuses their practice on stem cell treatments. Second, we compare the stated expertise of the care providers in stem cell businesses with the range of conditions they purport to treat. These findings deepen our knowledge of the growing industry around unapproved stem cell treatments, and are used here to offer suggestions for how the FDA might target its resources with respect to regulatory oversight.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Freshman Design Course: Device Design for Low-Resource Settings

  2018-05-10 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  She has graduate training in both the natural and social sciences, with a PhD in biochemistry and an MSc in science & technology studies. Emma is

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Promoting Career Reflection among Freshman BME Students

  2018-05-10 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  She has graduate training in both the natural and social sciences, with a PhD in biochemistry and an MSc in science &

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: Toward lifelike synthetic cells via engineered control of DNA replication

  NSF · $310k · 2021–2025

Frequent coauthors

• Jane Calvert

  10 shared

• David H. Guston

  Institute for the Future

  9 shared

• David J. Grainger

  6 shared

• Claudia E. Vickers

  ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology

  6 shared

• Adrian Mackenzie

  5 shared

• Caroline M. Leitschuh

  5 shared

• Fred Gould

  University of Auckland

  5 shared

• Michael R. Caplan

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  5 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Biochemistry

  University of Cambridge

• M.S., Science and Technology Studies

  University of Edinburgh

• B.A., Natural Sciences (Neuroscience)

  University of Cambridge

Awards & honors

• Reconfiguring Life: Care and Control in Bioengineering, CARE…
• European Research Council Engineering Life project (2015-202…