Ottawa, ON — October 27, 2026 — SynBio Canada today announced changes to its Board of Directors, welcoming two new directors, recognizing the contributions of two retiring directors, and establishing a new committee focused on advancing Canada’s bioprocessing and bioeconomy capabilities.
SynBio Canada is pleased to welcome Dr. Jaya Joshi, Assistant Professor University of British Columbia, and Dr. Taylor Sheahan, Assistant Professor Mount Allison University, to its Board of Directors. Their appointments strengthen the organization’s leadership as SynBio Canada continues to build a national community around synthetic biology, biomanufacturing and the commercialization of biological innovation.
Dr. Jaya Joshi
Dr. Jaya Joshi is an Assistant Professor at University of British Columbia, where she leads the BioCycle Lab and advances synthetic biology for the circular bioeconomy. Her research integrates enzyme engineering, continuous directed evolution, and metabolic engineering to create biological systems that convert agricultural, forestry, and plastic waste into high value chemicals and advanced biomaterials. Her group engineers catalytic enzymes that improve carbon efficiency in plants and microbes, bridging protein innovation with climate focused biotechnology. Her work seeks to transform waste into resources and establish green biological factories for sustainable low carbon futures.
Dr. Taylor Sheahan
Dr. Taylor Sheahan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Mount Allison University. Her research focuses on cell-free synthetic biology, particularly understanding and improving cell-free gene expression systems for applications in biosensing and biotechnology. She brings experience from both academia and the biopharmaceutical industry, where she worked in analytical method development and characterization of emerging biotechnology products. She is passionate about mentoring the next generation of scientists, particularly undergraduate researchers. Through her involvement with SynBio Canada, she hopes to expand educational outreach, help students explore the diverse research and career opportunities available to them, and increase awareness and recognition of synthetic biology across Canada.
At the same time, SynBio Canada recognizes the contributions of outgoing directors Mackenzie Thornbury and Sean Sears, who are retiring from the Board. Their contributions have helped establish the foundation for SynBio Canada’s next phase of development, and the organization is grateful for their leadership and commitment.
“In 2024, we reconstituted SynBio Canada and elected a new Board. Mackensie Thornbury joined and assumed the role as treasure and Sean Sears assumed the role as secretary. Today we are in a strong financial position, with a solid governance framework and we thank them both for their contributions. We have had a tremendous 2 years and now are excited to add two new members and announce we will be asking the membership to expand the board to 7 members” said Hashif Khan, Chair of the Board of Directors. He continued, “We are excited to announce that Dr Jaya Joshi and Taylor Sheahan have joined the Board. We have been very fortunate to build such cohesion within our Board, and we feel these changes prepare use for the future. On a last note, we have been very active in preparing the groundwork for a Made-in-Canada’s biomanufacturing strategy and are happy to announce the National Biomanufacturing Network committee.”
Earlier in 2026, the SynBio Canada Board moved to create a new formal committee to take a leadership role in establishing a National Biomanufacturing Network.
“Canada has significant scientific, biological and industrial assets, but we need to connect those assets more effectively to scale-up, manufacturing and markets. At the same time Canada has invested millions in biomanufacturing for agriculture, food and industrial products. Biomanufacturing, particularly when combined with advanced AI & Robotics, are frontier technologies and will transform much of what and how we grow, consume and use. We have already launched RUN, a first-of-its kind in the world and it is the first pillar in a strategy meant to leap-frog Canada to the forefront.” said SynBio Canada founder and vice Chair Ben Scott. “This committee is intended to help build that conversation and identify practical opportunities for Canada.”
The committee will bring together expertise and perspectives relevant to the development of a stronger Canadian biomanufacturing ecosystem—from biological resources and innovation through scale-up, manufacturing and commercialization.
The committee’s initial directors are:
Dr. Scott Pownall, Founder, Open Science Network Society, British Columbia
Scott is a biotechnology entrepreneur, scientist, and open-source biology leader with more than 25 years of experience building research programs, technologies, and scientific communities. He founded the globally adopted Open Yeast Platform, whose tools are used in over 50 countries, and has supported startups, community labs, and universities worldwide. With experience as a biotech R&D director, founder of a bioinformatics company, member of the iGEM Engineering and Technology Committees, and organizer of Biosummits at the MIT Media Lab, he brings deep technical expertise, extensive international networks, and a proven record of community leadership.
Dr. Benjamin Scott, Platform Lead, Engineering Biology & Automation, Global Institute for Food Security, Saskatchewan/Ontario
Ben is a technology leader and community builder, working to advance Canada’s engineering biology ecosystem. As founder of SynBio Canada, he helped build a national network connecting researchers, trainees, startups, industry, and government to strengthen Canadian biotechnology. He leads the Engineering Biology Platform at the Global Institute for Food Security, Canada’s biofoundry dedicated to agricultural and food innovation, where he applies laboratory automation, strain engineering, protein engineering, bioinformatics, and metabolomics to accelerate innovation. His work focuses on scaling the tools, infrastructure, and talent needed to translate biological discoveries into real-world products, strengthening Canada’s competitiveness in the global bioeconomy.
Sean Sears, CEO, Clever Fermentation, Nova Scotia (Chair)
Sean Sears is an entrepreneur, innovation strategist, and governance leader with more than 40 years of experience spanning consulting, internet ventures, software, and bioproduct development. He brings deep expertise in commercialization, market strategy, product development, and ecosystem building. He joined SynBio Canada board in 2024 and has served as its secretary and governance lead. As CEO of Clever Fermentation, he has advanced innovative applications of fermentation and synthetic biology to develop next-generation health ingredients. Having served on numerous boards, Sears is recognized for his governance expertise, commitment to transparency, and ability to build consensus across diverse stakeholders.
The changes come as SynBio Canada continues to develop its role as a national organization connecting researchers, entrepreneurs, industry, government and other stakeholders working to advance Canada’s synthetic biology and biomanufacturing ecosystem.
About SynBio Canada
SynBio Canada is a national organization dedicated to advancing Canada’s synthetic biology and biomanufacturing ecosystem. It works to connect people and organizations across research, entrepreneurship, industry, government and commercialization to help build Canada’s capacity to develop and scale biological solutions.
For more information contact – caitlinoh@synbiocanada.org, Chief Administration Officer, NBN Community