James Joseph Collins (born June 26, 1965) is an American bioengineer and biophysicist who is one of the founders of synthetic biology. He is known for pioneering synthetic gene networks and programmable cells, which launched the field of synthetic biology and influenced research in the detection and treatment of Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19. He pioneered the use of artificial intelligence in antibiotic discovery, identifying novel antibiotics effective against drug-resistant bacterial pathogens. He is also known for pioneering stochastic resonance, neurostimulation, and biological dynamics in the research of physiological and biological systems. He is the Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering & Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). After graduating from the College of the Holy Cross, Collins earned his doctorate in medical engineering from the University of Oxford in 1990 as a Rhodes Scholar. He was a professor of biomedical engineering, a professor of medicine, University Professor, and the William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor at Boston University, where he co-founded the Center for BioDynamics before moving to MIT in 2014. He is currently a director of the MIT Jameel Clinic, a member of the Harvard–MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology and the Broad Institute, and a core faculty member of the Wyss Institute at Harvard University and IMES. Collins is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Sciences. He was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2003 for biotechnology research, the Lagrange Prize in 2010 for outstanding contributions to complexity science, and the Dickson Prize in Medicine in 2020 for pioneering synthetic biology. He received the Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology in 2023 and was named a Clarivate Citation Laureate in Chemistry that same year for pioneering synthetic gene circuits.
Early life and education Collins was born on June 26, 1965, in the Bronx, then moved to Bellerose, New York. His father was an aviation engineer employed in NASA and military projects, and partly developed the optical system for the Apollo Lunar Module. His mother was a mathematician. His paternal grandfather, Maurice Collins, and his paternal grandmother, Helen Kiely, were both Irish natives who were raised in Abbeyfeale, County Limerick, and Kiskeam, County Cork, respectively. 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. After high school, Collins initially intended to study electrical engineering in college. He was admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), but chose instead to enroll at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, for its community. As an undergraduate at Holy Cross, he was a member of its track and cross country teams, and ran a 4:17 mile. He worked as a cartoonist for the school newspaper, The Crusader, in addition to being a class officer and editor of a science literary magazine. He also won a President's Volunteer Service Award and, in 1986, was named the Fenwick Scholar, the college's highest academic honor. He graduated from Holy Cross with a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, in physics as valedictorian in 1987. As the Fenwick Scholar, he was granted exemption from classes to pursue research as a senior and completed a thesis titled, "Functional Neuromuscular Stimulation: An Analysis of the Biomechanical and Neuromuscular Foundations of Walking". After graduating from Holy Cross, Collins was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study in England at the University of Oxford. As a Rhodes Scholar, he earned his Doctor of Philosophy (D.Phil.) in medical engineering from Balliol College, Oxford, in 1990. His doctoral dissertation, completed under John J. O'Connor at the Department of Engineering Science, was titled, "Joint Mechanics: Modelling of the Lower Limb". While pursuing his doctorate, he played as a member of the Oxford University Men's Basketball team and earned an Oxford Blue. In 1989, while still a doctoral student, Collins began a collaboration with mathematician Ian Stewart, with whom he published a series of papers on animal locomotion during the 1990s.
Academic career
Boston University (1990–2014)
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