Roger Brent, PhD

Dr. Roger Brent is a senior fellow in Science Studies and an emeritus professor of Basic Sciences. He is a visiting scientist at the Meselson Center, the RAND Corporation. His work at RAND encompasses protecting humanity from naturally and anthropogenically derived pathogens, including the possible public health-related risks that advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) make possible. His current work at Fred Hutch additionally addresses aspects of the "anthropology of the contemporary," as continuing increases in biological knowledge and capability, and breakneck advances in AI are quickly shaping human events. 

In his lab at the Fred Hutch (2009-2024), Brent, a molecular biologist by training, used computational tools and simple organisms like yeast and worms to understand the basis for differences in how cells respond to information from the outside environment. Cells use this information to make decisions, such as whether to divide or undergo programmed cell death. Variations in how cells respond likely underlie the origin of some human diseases. By building tools to carefully study and manipulate individual decision circuits in cells that are seemingly wired the same way, Brent and coworkers teased apart why this variability exists and gained insights into its consequences. From 2011-2015, he created and led the Center for Biological Futures (CBF). Conducted in collaboration with social scientists and humanities scholars, the goal of this interdisciplinary think tank, was to improve understanding of the global impact of biological research progress, including how advances in biology continue to shape 21st century human affairs. This work of the CBF prefigured his work at RAND and Fred Hutch. Under the general heading of "epistemic support," Brent and his team pursued pilot efforts to use deep neural networks for hypothesis generation and developed augmented reality (AR), with the goal of accelerating the pace of biological experimentation and discovery worldwide. The AR technology is being tested in public health labs and in GMP manufacturing in biopharma companies.