Like many of his colleagues in the Department of Biological Engineering, graduate student Tzu-Chieh “Zijay” Tang employs microbes and synthetic biology — redesigning the genetic systems of organisms — in his research. However, his research goals are something of an outlier in his department: water quality applications. “I feel like there’s a huge imbalance of talent, at least at MIT,” says Tang, a fifth-year doctoral student. “A lot of people go into the biomedical field, and very few take on environmental issues.” To him, problems like climate change or food…
