GTRI's cyberbiosecurity (CBS) summit seeks to bring together thought leaders from government, industry and academia. Goals include documenting key CBS vulnerabilities and establishing best practices to prevent misuse or exploitation of emerging biotech hardware, software, data and bio-based systems.
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GTRi Cyberbiosecurity Summit 2023
The GTRI Cyberbiosecurity summit was held in November 2023 in Atlanta. Proceedings from the event are available as an open-access article in Global Security: Health, Science and Policy: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23779497.2024.2401164

Welcome to the 2023 Cyberbiosecurity Summit event site! Here you can find basic information on the venue, nearby accommodations, and the most up-to-date agenda.

*IMPORTANT SECURITY REMINDER* The event is restricted to US Persons (citizens and lawful permanent residents). Attendees must have one of the following in order to check in:

  1. valid US passport, birth certificate, green card, or other document proving US person status -- a driver's license alone is not sufficient
  2. active security clearance (VAR submitted to GTRI ahead of the meeting)
  3. GTRI employee badge

Final Agenda: The final program with speaker bios is posted! Download under "Agenda" at left.

Location: GTRI Headquarters in midtown Atlanta. View address and basic visitor information.

Food: Breakfast and lunch will be provided during the meeting. The area is also home to numerous restaurants. Please note food restrictions during registration.

Remote Attendance: The meeting will be in-person only.

Registration:  *Registration for the event has closed*  Registration is a 2-step process and requires confirmation by meeting organizers. Look for a confirmation email after the initial registration form is completed.

POST-EVENT SURVEY -- please give us your feedback!  https://gatech.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3Ota1AVUBuKDOyG

Contact us with questions.

Panel Topics

  •   Panel 1: Ensuring privacy and security of biological and health data 
  •   Panel 2: Identifying emerging vulnerabilities posed by health and biotech instruments 
  •   Panel 3: Developing assured software tools for synbio and pharmaceutical design 
  •   Panel 4: Applying cybersecurity principles to bio-based systems

Speakers

Dr. Kate Sixt, OUSD R&E

Dr. Kate Sixt

Principal Director for Biotechnology, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
Mike Steed, Paladin Capital

Mr. Mike Steed

Founder and Managing Partner, Paladin Capital Group; Chairman of Paladin Cyber & DigitalBio Funds

Schedule

730
Sign-In and Breakfast
800
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Dr. James Hudgens, GTRI Director
815
Keynote 1
Mr. Mike Steed, Paladin Capital
845
Keynote 2
Dr. Kate Sixt, OUSD R&E
915
Panel 1: Ensuring privacy and security of biological and health data
RADM (Ret) Mark Montgomery, CCTI
Dr. Shenita Freeman, GTRI and GA Dept Public Health
Dr. Joe Russell, MRI Global
Mr. Emil Lerch, AWS
1010
break
1025
Panel 2: Mitigating emerging vulnerabilities of health and biotech instruments
Dr. Kemper Talley, Raytheon BBN
Dr. James Diggans, Twist Bioscience
Dr. Cory Bernhards, Devcom CBC
Dr. Nicole Tensmeyer, Gryphon
1120
Panel 3: Developing assured software tools for synbio and pharmaceutical design
Mr. Matt Klusas, Amazon
Dr. David Markowitz, STR
Dr. Bin Hu, LANL
Mr. Alex Jordan, Raytheon BBN
1215
LUNCH + Workshop Discussion: Building a CBS community: Why and how to grow a research consortium
Ms. Elaine Sumera, ATI
1320
Panel 4: Applying cybersecurity principles to bio-based systems
Dr. Rachel Fezzie, Cristae Consulting
Dr. Shannon Greene, DARPA BTO
Dr. Alex Voorhies, Ginkgo Bioworks
Dr. Chris Vaiana, Draper
Dr. Cassie Huang, MIT Lincoln Lab
1415
break
1430
Small Group Workshops: Session A1
CRB: Classifed Breakout Session; Workshop Lead: Kate Sixt, OUSD R&E
1430
Small Group Workshops: Session A2
Room 119C: Bio-threat detection at the intent stage; e.g. DNA synthesis order screening; Workshop Lead: James Diggans, Twist Bioscience
1430
Small Group Workshops: Session A3
Room 119B: Deep dive on DNA sequencing: vulnerabilities, security, data considerations; Workshop Lead: Roman Aranda, GTRI
1430
Small Group Workshops: Session A4
Room 119A: Data security solutions: How can we protect bio and health related data? Workshop Lead: Denzil Wessels, Dymium
1530
break
1545
Small Group Workshops: Session B1
119 Auditorium: What's next? What should the next CBS summit look like? Workshop Lead: Tim Richardson, GTRI
1545
Small Group Workshops: Session B2
Room 119C: Trojan Horse and other vulnerabilities related to engineered organisms; Workshop Lead: Rebecca Hutchins, GTRI
1545
Small Group Workshops: Session B3
Room 119B: CBS for biomanufacturing: e.g. cybersecurity of automated control systems; Workshop Lead: David Pattie, GTRI
1545
Small Group Workshops: Session B4
Room 119A: Challenges and opportunities for advanced software assurance in healthcare; Workshop Lead: Adonis Bovell, GTRI
1645
Hotwash and Concluding Remarks
Dr. Nicholas Guise, GTRI
1700
Post-Event Reception and Refreshments

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