#49 – Ajay Karpur on Metagenomic Sequencing

Ajay Karpur is a senior research software engineer at RAND, working with the Meselson Center. He's hoping to start tweeting again soon, at @ajaykarpur. Joining as a guest co-host on this episode was Janvi Ahuja, who is a PhD student in computational biology at Oxford University, and part of the Johns Hopkins Centre for Health Security ‘Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity’ program. She's tweeting at @jn_ahuja. In our conversation, we discuss: What is metagenomic sequencing, and why could it matter so much for it to become affordable and ubiquitous? How and why can nonprofits help positive technologies become more accessible? How emerging biotech can help the world respond better to the next emerging (potential) pandemic Refuges against biological threats Analogies between fire protection and pathogen protection through monitoring and cleaner air Career advice for entering biosecurity, especially with an engineering background. You can read more about the topics we cover in this episode's write-up: hearthisidea.com/episodes/karpur If you have any feedback or suggestions for future guests, feel free to get in touch through our website. Consider leaving us a review wherever you're listening to this — it's the best free way to support the show. If you want to support the show more directly, consider leaving a tip. Thanks for listening!