Biotech/Biosecurity Research Fellow at CSET Georgetown, PhD in biochem from Wake Forest. Lover of science storytelling and watermelon Jolly Ranchers. Views are my own.https://bsky.app/profile/stephbatalis.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/stephbatalis.bsky.social/post/3mqow6e6e522eIt was a pleasure to work on this article with @cat-aiken.bsky.social and Greg Tananbaum! [contains quote post or other embedded content]15 Jul 2026 14:21 +0000at://did:plc:zeodrylvendfqn3fcaz6ebm7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqow6e6e522ehttps://bsky.app/profile/stephbatalis.bsky.social/post/3m7sglnz4ok2jSo glad to have gotten to work with Matt and the Bulletin team again - looking forward to hearing folks’ thoughts! [contains quote post or other embedded content]12 Dec 2025 15:44 +0000at://did:plc:zeodrylvendfqn3fcaz6ebm7/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7sglnz4ok2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/stephbatalis.bsky.social/post/3lqahykfics2w"Red-teaming" isn't a catch-all term (or methodology!) to evaluate AI safety. So, what else do we have in the toolbox? In our recent blog post, we explore the different questions we can ask about safety, how we can start to measure them, and what it means for AIxBio. Check it out! ⬇️ [contains quote post or other embedded content]28 May 2025 15:03 +0000at://did:plc:zeodrylvendfqn3fcaz6ebm7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lqahykfics2whttps://bsky.app/profile/stephbatalis.bsky.social/post/3lpcervvxu22tNews like this isn't just a concern for public health practitioners - it should also be a big red flag for U.S. national security folks. America's biodefense strategy uses robust health infrastructure to deter bad actors. Right now, we're tearing down our own defenses so adversaries don't have to. [contains quote post or other embedded content]16 May 2025 15:46 +0000at://did:plc:zeodrylvendfqn3fcaz6ebm7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lpcervvxu22thttps://bsky.app/profile/stephbatalis.bsky.social/post/3loo5miqzgk2pThis has only become more relevant in the past week. Research cuts, new hurdles for vaccine trials, and tariffs on key medical countermeasures aren’t just risking Americans' health—they’re dismantling U.S. biodefense so our adversaries don’t have to. @defenseone.bsky.social [contains quote post or other embedded content]08 May 2025 14:45 +0000at://did:plc:zeodrylvendfqn3fcaz6ebm7/app.bsky.feed.post/3loo5miqzgk2phttps://bsky.app/profile/stephbatalis.bsky.social/post/3loo5arl6vs2pThe Pandora Report is easily one of my favorite newsletters right now. A great one-stop shop for timely health + biosecurity policy news, especially with too many “Breaking News” alerts flying around fight now to follow. Plus, it always sends me down rabbit holes with great links. Highly recommend. [contains quote post or other embedded content]08 May 2025 14:38 +0000at://did:plc:zeodrylvendfqn3fcaz6ebm7/app.bsky.feed.post/3loo5arl6vs2phttps://bsky.app/profile/stephbatalis.bsky.social/post/3lo4yxbibsc26🚨 Latest op-ed is out in Defense One! “Dismantling critical preparedness offices, cutting infrastructure and funding, and allowing misinformation to derail the response are not just bad for healthcare—they’re dangerous national security signals.” https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2025/04/americas-response-measles-eroding-its-ability-deter-biological-attacks/404953/01 May 2025 19:06 +0000at://did:plc:zeodrylvendfqn3fcaz6ebm7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lo4yxbibsc26https://bsky.app/profile/stephbatalis.bsky.social/post/3lma7oyve3c2tIn our latest piece for @thebulletin.org, @vikramvenkatram.bsky.social and I put YOU, the reader, in the shoes of a 🧬DNA synthesis provider🧬 to demonstrate how much tougher customer screening is than it may seem, and why guidance would be helpful for providers trying to make tricky decisions.⬇️ [contains quote post or other embedded content]07 Apr 2025 14:54 +0000at://did:plc:zeodrylvendfqn3fcaz6ebm7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lma7oyve3c2thttps://bsky.app/profile/stephbatalis.bsky.social/post/3lltfhmiet22g"We all rely on science [...] Businesses and farmers rely on science and engineering for product innovation, technological advances, and weather forecasting. Science helps humanity protect the planet and keeps pollutants and toxins out of our air, water, and food." https://docs.google.com/document/d/13gmMJOMsoNKC4U-A8rhJrzu_xhgS51PEfNMPG9Q_cmE/preview?tab=t.002 Apr 2025 12:33 +0000at://did:plc:zeodrylvendfqn3fcaz6ebm7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lltfhmiet22ghttps://bsky.app/profile/stephbatalis.bsky.social/post/3llrarzxxvc2cNot only this, but most of the NIH research was to ID biological targets/causes of disease rather than direct drug development—work that often isn't in the domain of the private sector. Cutting federal funding would mean less of the foundational science that makes future breakthroughs possible. [contains quote post or other embedded content]01 Apr 2025 16:04 +0000at://did:plc:zeodrylvendfqn3fcaz6ebm7/app.bsky.feed.post/3llrarzxxvc2chttps://bsky.app/profile/stephbatalis.bsky.social/post/3lizqroyvpk23TLDR: We can’t try to gain global leadership *and* destabilize our NIH/NSF funding edge. We aren’t just at risk of losing out on essential scientific advances. The global leader also gets to set global norms, shape future tech, and a HUGE economic advantage. https://eto.tech/blog/federal-funding-underpins-ai-bio/25 Feb 2025 20:56 +0000at://did:plc:zeodrylvendfqn3fcaz6ebm7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lizqroyvpk23https://bsky.app/profile/stephbatalis.bsky.social/post/3lip4d6jrqs2aI was asked on a panel yesterday what keeps me up at night: It’s this.👇 Even though my day job is to think about bioweapons + bad actors, THIS is what has me fearful. The long tail of this could undermine bio/med innovation, public health infrastructure, and the economies built on them for decades. [contains quote post or other embedded content]21 Feb 2025 15:23 +0000at://did:plc:zeodrylvendfqn3fcaz6ebm7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lip4d6jrqs2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/stephbatalis.bsky.social/post/3lip3phptkk2aAt a time of intense global competition, reducing funding to NIH and NSF isn’t just a budget issue. It’s a strategic misstep that could undermine U.S. influence in biotech and AI for decades. Read more in my recent post with CSET's ETO👇 [contains quote post or other embedded content]21 Feb 2025 15:12 +0000at://did:plc:zeodrylvendfqn3fcaz6ebm7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lip3phptkk2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/stephbatalis.bsky.social/post/3linctxsfmc2mEvo 2's release yesterday isn’t just impressive (though it is!)—it’s also making waves in the AIxBio policy space as the largest fully-open biological AI model to date. 🧬 ⬇️Here are a few policy implications I’ll be keeping an eye on: [contains quote post or other embedded content]20 Feb 2025 22:14 +0000at://did:plc:zeodrylvendfqn3fcaz6ebm7/app.bsky.feed.post/3linctxsfmc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/stephbatalis.bsky.social/post/3lgdpqnpmdc2sMy favorite thing about working at @csetgeorgetown.bsky.social? Learning something new every day from the experts I'm lucky enough to sit next to - from cybersecurity to AI evals to export controls (and more!) Don’t take it from me - join the virtual CSET water cooler here: https://bsky.app/starter-pack/did:plc:g65wgrgnkj4lo7pc3kwwzxei/3lbsey76unt26 [contains quote post or other embedded content]22 Jan 2025 15:48 +0000at://did:plc:zeodrylvendfqn3fcaz6ebm7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lgdpqnpmdc2shttps://bsky.app/profile/stephbatalis.bsky.social/post/3ld7bb4b52k23The US has work to do to get ahead in biotech and AI - and building a safe and resilient innovation ecosystem will also require us to balance advances with safeguards. Glad for the opportunity to put together a starting point in my new report for CSET, below!⬇️ [contains quote post or other embedded content]13 Dec 2024 17:03 +0000at://did:plc:zeodrylvendfqn3fcaz6ebm7/app.bsky.feed.post/3ld7bb4b52k23https://bsky.app/profile/stephbatalis.bsky.social/post/3lcldspkaic2m🤖🧬 How does AI plug into harmful biological outcomes, and what options do we have to make things safer? My new report for @csetgeorgetown.bsky.social maps biorisk pathways and the toolkit of corresponding safeguards. Check it out and let me hear your thoughts!⬇️ https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/anticipating-biological-risk-a-toolkit-for-strategic-biosecurity-policy/05 Dec 2024 18:55 +0000at://did:plc:zeodrylvendfqn3fcaz6ebm7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcldspkaic2m