Steph Batalis
@stephbatalis.bsky.social
Biotech/Biosecurity Research Fellow at CSET Georgetown, PhD in biochem from Wake Forest. Lover of science storytelling and watermelon Jolly Ranchers. Views are my own.
I'm honored to have had the opportunity to appear on BBC News last Thursday to discuss the biosecurity implications of the recent Anthropic report on detecting and countering misuse of AI! A clip from my appearance is below: give it a watch! @csetgeorgetown.bsky.social
It was a pleasure to work on this article with @cat-aiken.bsky.social and Greg Tananbaum!
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine@nationalacademies.org · 3mo agoThe future of science won't be shaped by AI alone — it will be shaped by the choices researchers make about using it. A new @issuesinst.bsky.social article explores how researchers can integrate AI into the scientific process while preserving the principles that make science trustworthy. 🧵
The WH Nat'l AI Policy Framework extends efforts to preempt state laws while pushing federal action on topics including child safety. In our new @csetgeorgetown.bsky.social piece, we break down key features & potential impact cset.georgetown.edu/article/unpa...
Unpacking the White House National Policy Framework for AI | Center for Security and Emerging Technology
CSET researchers share their early analysis of the White House's AI Policy Framework and what the prospects are for near-term legislative action on AI.
cset.georgetown.edu
This is an excellent piece discussing AI's impact on biorisk, offering a great distillation of key topics. Definitely worth a read! (And I'm not surprised it's great, given that @csetgeorgetown.bsky.social's own @stephbatalis.bsky.social is quoted!) www.transformernews.ai/p/ai-biorisk...
How worried should we be about AI biorisk?
The barriers to bioattacks are hard to identify — and it's even harder to know whether AI is reducing them
transformernews.ai
So glad to have gotten to work with Matt and the Bulletin team again - looking forward to hearing folks’ thoughts!
@mattyfield.bsky.social · 10mo agoSome great stuff in the @thebulletin.org's 80th anniversary issue. @stephbatalis.bsky.social and @vikramvenkatram.bsky.social, for starters, write about the future of biosecurity governance. thebulletin.org/premium/2025...
📊New Data Snapshot NIH funding helps fuel innovation directly — resulting in 84,000 U.S. patents — but its impact is felt much more broadly. Almost half of all research areas in the global patent landscape contain NIH-funded research. cset.georgetown.edu/publication/...
The NIH's Impact on Research and Innovation | Center for Security and Emerging Technology
Data Snapshots are informative descriptions and quick analyses that dig into CSET’s unique data resources. This three-part series introduces CSET’s patent clusters, which connect related patents throu...
cset.georgetown.edu
The plan also promotes and emphasizes the importance of scientific, including biological, datasets- in line with @csetgeorgetown.bsky.social recommendations for the plan, which you can read here: cset.georgetown.edu/publication/..., and with other CSET work: cset.georgetown.edu/publication/....
CSET's Recommendations for an AI Action Plan | Center for Security and Emerging Technology
In response to the Office of Science and Technology Policy's request for input on an AI Action Plan, CSET provides key recommendations for advancing AI research, ensuring U.S. competitiveness, and max...
cset.georgetown.edu
Focusing on bio, one provision is a federal funding requirement for DNA synthesis screening- a useful tool in the toolbox for limiting biological risk. Check out @stephbatalis.bsky.social and I's piece breaking down the kind of decisions screeners have to make: thebulletin.org/2025/04/how-...
How to stop bioterrorists from buying dangerous DNA
The companies that sell synthesized DNA to scientists need to screen their customers, lest dangerous sequences for pathogens or toxins fall into the wrong hands.
thebulletin.org
On Tuesday, scientists held an event organized by House Democrats in which they stood in front of posters outlining their work — and the federal cuts that now threaten it.
Canceled grants get the spotlight at a Capitol Hill 'science fair'
On Tuesday, scientists held an event organized by House Democrats in which they stood in front of posters outlining their work — and the federal cuts that now threaten it.
n.pr
Antimicrobial resistance is a huge issue and an oft-forgotten killer. It kills more people each year than HIV/AIDS or malaria. This article is fascinating- it points out that while much of the AMR prevention discussion focuses on overuse of antimicrobials, underuse can also be a major issue.
Amidst all the discussion about AI safety, how exactly do we figure out whether a model is safe? There's no perfect method, but safety evaluations are the best tool we have. That said, different evals answer different questions about a model!
CSET@csetgeorgetown.bsky.social · last yr.⚖️ New Explainer! Effectively evaluating AI models is more crucial than ever. But how do AI evaluations actually work? In their new explainer, @jessicaji.bsky.social, @vikramvenkatram.bsky.social & @stephbatalis.bsky.social break down the different fundamental types of AI safety evaluations.
"Red-teaming" isn't a catch-all term (or methodology!) to evaluate AI safety. So, what else do we have in the toolbox? In our recent blog post, we explore the different questions we can ask about safety, how we can start to measure them, and what it means for AIxBio. Check it out! ⬇️
CSET@csetgeorgetown.bsky.social · last yr.⚖️ New Explainer! Effectively evaluating AI models is more crucial than ever. But how do AI evaluations actually work? In their new explainer, @jessicaji.bsky.social, @vikramvenkatram.bsky.social & @stephbatalis.bsky.social break down the different fundamental types of AI safety evaluations.
News like this isn't just a concern for public health practitioners - it should also be a big red flag for U.S. national security folks. America's biodefense strategy uses robust health infrastructure to deter bad actors. Right now, we're tearing down our own defenses so adversaries don't have to.
Helen Branswell 🇨🇦@helenbranswell.bsky.social · last yr.It appears Sec. Kennedy is getting ready to over-ride vaccine policy experts & scrub Covid shot recommendations for children, teens & pregnant people. Having a HHS secretary reset vaccine policy without hearings or expert advice is unprecedented, experts tell STAT. www.statnews.com/2025/05/15/c...
A Trump executive order calls for putting an end to "dangerous gain-of-function research" -- prompting experts to share concerns about its potential impact on infectious disease research. @stephbatalis.bsky.social @raz524.bsky.social www.medpagetoday.com/special-repo...
Trump's Gain-of-Function Order Prompts Questions
It comes as another guidance was set to take effect
medpagetoday.com
This has only become more relevant in the past week. Research cuts, new hurdles for vaccine trials, and tariffs on key medical countermeasures aren’t just risking Americans' health—they’re dismantling U.S. biodefense so our adversaries don’t have to. @defenseone.bsky.social
Steph Batalis@stephbatalis.bsky.social · last yr.🚨 Latest op-ed is out in Defense One! “Dismantling critical preparedness offices, cutting infrastructure and funding, and allowing misinformation to derail the response are not just bad for healthcare—they’re dangerous national security signals.” www.defenseone.com/ideas/2025/0...
The Pandora Report is easily one of my favorite newsletters right now. A great one-stop shop for timely health + biosecurity policy news, especially with too many “Breaking News” alerts flying around fight now to follow. Plus, it always sends me down rabbit holes with great links. Highly recommend.
Gregory Koblentz@gregkoblentz.bsky.social · last yr.Pandora Report 5.2.2025 This week's Pandora Report includes a new opportunity to learn about GMU's Biodefense MS program, publication of a new PRC whitepaper on COVID-19 origins, discussion of the impact of Trump administration's second first 100 days on public health, and more. pandorareport.org
🚨 Latest op-ed is out in Defense One! “Dismantling critical preparedness offices, cutting infrastructure and funding, and allowing misinformation to derail the response are not just bad for healthcare—they’re dangerous national security signals.” www.defenseone.com/ideas/2025/0...
America’s response to measles is eroding its ability to deter biological attacks
The rising death toll for a preventable disease reveals just how ill-prepared the country is to handle a malicious bioweapon.
defenseone.com
When customers order synthesized DNA, how do companies know whether it's safe to send? For @thebulletin.org, CSET's @stephbatalis.bsky.social & @vikramvenkatram.bsky.social explore what it takes to keep things safe. thebulletin.org/2025/04/how-...
How to stop bioterrorists from buying dangerous DNA
The companies that sell synthesized DNA to scientists need to screen their customers, lest dangerous sequences for pathogens or toxins fall into the wrong hands.
thebulletin.org
In our latest piece for @thebulletin.org, @vikramvenkatram.bsky.social and I put YOU, the reader, in the shoes of a 🧬DNA synthesis provider🧬 to demonstrate how much tougher customer screening is than it may seem, and why guidance would be helpful for providers trying to make tricky decisions.⬇️
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists@thebulletin.org · 2y agoCompanies that sell synthesized DNA need to screen their customers, lest sequences for pathogens or toxins fall into the wrong hands. How? Here are three recommendations. "How to stop bioterrorists from buying dangerous DNA," by @stephbatalis.bsky.social and @vikramvenkatram.bsky.social. ⬇️
"We all rely on science [...] Businesses and farmers rely on science and engineering for product innovation, technological advances, and weather forecasting. Science helps humanity protect the planet and keeps pollutants and toxins out of our air, water, and food." docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Public Statement on Supporting Science for the Benefit of All Citizens
TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE We all rely on science. Science gave us the smartphones in our pockets, the navigation systems in our cars, and life-saving medical care. We count on engineers when we drive acr...
docs.google.com
NEW: Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.)& Trump's former NatSec Advisor Matt Pottinger make the case that funding for scientific R&D isn't a gift to academia. It's vital to U.S. national security, as China, the United States' primary strategic adversary, is already investing heavily in R&D. shorturl.at/PgUK0
Opinion | Funding for R&D isn’t a gift to academia
Investing in scientific research and development is vital to U.S. security.
shorturl.at
Not only this, but most of the NIH research was to ID biological targets/causes of disease rather than direct drug development—work that often isn't in the domain of the private sector. Cutting federal funding would mean less of the foundational science that makes future breakthroughs possible.
Scott Horton@robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 2y agoThis report shows that NIH funding contributed to published research associated with every one of the 210 new drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration from 2010–2016. Collectively, this research involved >200,000 years of grant funding totaling more than $100 billion.
A beautiful day and the scientists just wanna science, man.
TLDR: We can’t try to gain global leadership *and* destabilize our NIH/NSF funding edge. We aren’t just at risk of losing out on essential scientific advances. The global leader also gets to set global norms, shape future tech, and a HUGE economic advantage. eto.tech/blog/federal...
Federal funding underpins American research across 'hot' AI + bio research clusters – Emerging Technology Observatory
As China challenges, NIH and NSF funds play a key role in U.S. research efforts
eto.tech
I was asked on a panel yesterday what keeps me up at night: It’s this.👇 Even though my day job is to think about bioweapons + bad actors, THIS is what has me fearful. The long tail of this could undermine bio/med innovation, public health infrastructure, and the economies built on them for decades.
Max Kozlov@maxkozlov.bsky.social · 2y agoNEW: The Trump administration is exploiting a loophole to keep funding frozen at the NIH - a move that some legal scholars say is illegal. Federal Register notices are blocked, so no grant-review sessions can be scheduled. All the gritty details here, and a short 🧵: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
At a time of intense global competition, reducing funding to NIH and NSF isn’t just a budget issue. It’s a strategic misstep that could undermine U.S. influence in biotech and AI for decades. Read more in my recent post with CSET's ETO👇
Emerging Technology Observatory@emergingtechobs.bsky.social · 2y ago🧪✨New blog post✨🧪 How NIH and NSF funding powers American research at the leading edge of AI and bio, as China challenges for leadership - a guest analysis from CSET's very own @stephbatalis.bsky.social using Map of Science data eto.tech/blog/federal...
Evo 2's release yesterday isn’t just impressive (though it is!)—it’s also making waves in the AIxBio policy space as the largest fully-open biological AI model to date. 🧬 ⬇️Here are a few policy implications I’ll be keeping an eye on:
Arc Institute@arcinstitute.org · 2y agoAnnouncing Evo 2: The largest publicly available, AI model for biology to date, capable of understanding and designing genetic code across all three domains of life. t.co/1Zt6gQ74SA
My favorite thing about working at @csetgeorgetown.bsky.social? Learning something new every day from the experts I'm lucky enough to sit next to - from cybersecurity to AI evals to export controls (and more!) Don’t take it from me - join the virtual CSET water cooler here: bsky.app/starter-pack...
The dogs of Dupont Circle in the snow this morning! @capitalweather.bsky.social #dcsnow #dmvsnow #dcsnow2025 a
The US has work to do to get ahead in biotech and AI - and building a safe and resilient innovation ecosystem will also require us to balance advances with safeguards. Glad for the opportunity to put together a starting point in my new report for CSET, below!⬇️
CSET@csetgeorgetown.bsky.social · 2y agoBiological threats from pathogens and toxins can cause significant and widespread harm, regardless of whether they are natural, engineered, intentional, or unintentional. Our new report by CSET's @stephbatalis.bsky.social explains more 🧬🧪 cset.georgetown.edu/publication/...