About the Talk:
AI is opening new possibilities in biology while raising important questions about how the United States should prepare for increasingly capable systems. OpenAI will convene congressional policy leaders and staff, scientists, biosecurity experts, advocates, and practitioners in Washington for a discussion on responsible U.S. leadership in AI and biotechnology.
The program will examine how we can improve understanding of AI’s biological capabilities and risks; how safeguards such as gene-synthesis screening, trusted access, and model-level protections can work together; and how federal policy, legislation, investment, and public-private collaboration can prevent misuse while accelerating benefits for medicine and science.
The event will begin with a brief presentation on OpenAI’s latest work on bio capabilities and risks, followed by a moderated panel on the legislative landscape and the practical steps needed to strengthen U.S. biodefense and preparedness. Audience questions and a networking reception will follow.
About the Speakers:
Olivia Scharfman is a Biotechnology Fellow at IFP, focused on biosecurity and biotechnology innovation policy. Olivia also does biosecurity strategy and special projects work for BlueDot Impact.Prior to joining IFP, Olivia co-founded LincSwitch Therapeutics, a lncRNA epigenetic editing company. Before that, she was a Principal at The SALT Fund, investing in biotechnology and deep tech startups such as General Biological and Northwood Space. Olivia holds a B.S. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale.
Elizabeth (Beth) Cameron, Ph.D., is a senior advisor to the Brown Pandemic Center and a global leader in health security and biodefense. She has served more than two decades, within and outside of government, to facilitate change. She spent two tours on the White House National Security Council staff, twice helping establish and lead the Directorate on Global Health Security and Biodefense, and has held senior posts at the Departments of State and Defense, where she created and oversaw biological and chemical security efforts. She also served as a global health security adviser at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a nonresident senior advisor to the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She holds a PhD in biology from the Johns Hopkins University
Richard Johnson is the National Security Risk Mitigation Lead on OpenAI's Global Affairs team, where he works on reducing risks from advanced AI and strengthening national security and societal resilience. His portfolio includes biosecurity and nuclear risks, as well as partnerships with AI safety and security institutions. He previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Policy and as Director for Nonproliferation at the National Security Council. He also held roles at the State Department and the Nuclear Threat Initiative. He holds a bachelor's degree from Claremont McKenna College, where he is also a visiting lecturer, and a Master in Public Affairs from Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs.
Hannu Rajaniemi is cofounder and President of Red Queen Bio, an AI biosecurity company building the countermeasures needed to keep biological defenses ahead of rapidly advancing AI-enabled biothreats. He is also cofounder and CEO of HelixNano, a clinical-stage mRNA therapeutics company pioneering the integration of machine learning into therapeutic design. Hannu previously cofounded ThinkTank Maths, an applied mathematics and AI consultancy whose clients included the European Space Agency and the UK Ministry of Defense. He holds a PhD in Mathematical Physics from the University of Edinburgh and is the author of five science fiction novels.
Jenn Beddor is the Policy and Legislative Director for the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB), where she leads the commission’s legislative strategy. She played a key role in advancing 17 biotech-related provisions in last year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Prior to joining the NSCEB, Jenn worked for the Government Accountability Office, leading teams in science and technology policy work. Jenn also worked on the House Armed Services Committee overseeing the defense department’s science and technology enterprise. Jenn has a M.S.E.in Systems Engineering and a B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
Shankar Sundaram serves as Deputy Principal Associate Director for Mission Engineering and Director of the Bioresilience Incubator at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), where he leads efforts to harness AI and biotechnology to strengthen bioresilience and national preparedness. His work encompasses secure compute, trusted biological data resources, foundational AI capabilities, and public-private partnerships to accelerate pathogen detection and characterization, as well as the rapid design of medical countermeasures. He returned to LLNL after serving as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Global Health Security and Biodefense at the National Security Council during the Biden Administration. In that role, he advised senior officials on global health security and biodefense, including outbreak response, AI and biotechnology policy, and biosafety. Previously at LLNL, as Director of the Center for Bioengineering, he led interdisciplinary research spanning engineering, computing, and biology, and held senior leadership roles advancing national biosecurity through scientific and technological innovation. Earlier in his career, he worked at Draper Laboratory and in the private sector on microfluidics, microfabrication, and computational multiphysics. Shankar holds a doctorate in Chemical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University and a bachelor's degree also in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
