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Steph Batalis

@stephbatalis.bsky.social
185 followers 154 following 26 posts

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.

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Reposted by Steph Batalis
Vikram Venkatram @vikramvenkatram.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
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
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Steph Batalis @stephbatalis.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
It was a pleasure to work on this article with @cat-aiken.bsky.social and Greg Tananbaum!
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Reposted by Steph Batalis
Mina Narayanan @minanrn.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
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...
cset.georgetown.edu
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.
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Reposted by Steph Batalis
Vikram Venkatram @vikramvenkatram.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
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...
transformernews.ai
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
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Steph Batalis @stephbatalis.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
So glad to have gotten to work with Matt and the Bulletin team again - looking forward to hearing folks’ thoughts!
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Reposted by Steph Batalis
CSET @csetgeorgetown.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
📊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/...
cset.georgetown.edu
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...
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Reposted by Steph Batalis
Vikram Venkatram @vikramvenkatram.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
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.georgetown.edu
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...
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Reposted by Steph Batalis
Vikram Venkatram @vikramvenkatram.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
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-...
thebulletin.org
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.
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Reposted by Steph Batalis
NPR @npr.org · 09/07/2025
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
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.
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Reposted by Steph Batalis
Vikram Venkatram @vikramvenkatram.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
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.
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Reposted by Steph Batalis
Vikram Venkatram @vikramvenkatram.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
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!
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Steph Batalis @stephbatalis.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
"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! ⬇️
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Steph Batalis @stephbatalis.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
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.
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Reposted by Steph Batalis
MedPage Today @medpagetoday.com · 12/05/2025
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...
medpagetoday.com
Trump's Gain-of-Function Order Prompts Questions
It comes as another guidance was set to take effect
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Steph Batalis @stephbatalis.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
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
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Steph Batalis @stephbatalis.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
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.
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Steph Batalis @stephbatalis.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
🚨 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...
defenseone.com
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.
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Reposted by Steph Batalis
CSET @csetgeorgetown.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
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-...
thebulletin.org
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.
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Steph Batalis @stephbatalis.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
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.⬇️
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Steph Batalis @stephbatalis.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
"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...
docs.google.com
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...
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Reposted by Steph Batalis
Ellen Nakashima @ellenwapo.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
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
shorturl.at
Opinion | Funding for R&D isn’t a gift to academia
Investing in scientific research and development is vital to U.S. security.
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Steph Batalis @stephbatalis.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
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.
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Reposted by Steph Batalis
Bethany Brookshire @beebrookshire.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
A beautiful day and the scientists just wanna science, man.
A white man in a blue jacket holds a sign that reads “I’d rather be in lab”
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Steph Batalis @stephbatalis.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
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...
eto.tech
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
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Steph Batalis @stephbatalis.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
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.
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Steph Batalis @stephbatalis.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
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👇
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Steph Batalis @stephbatalis.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
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:
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Steph Batalis @stephbatalis.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
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...
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Reposted by Steph Batalis
MWilson in DC @mattiewilsondc.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
The dogs of Dupont Circle in the snow this morning! @capitalweather.bsky.social #dcsnow #dmvsnow #dcsnow2025 a
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Steph Batalis @stephbatalis.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
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!⬇️
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Steph Batalis @stephbatalis.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
🤖🧬 How does AI plug into harmful biological outcomes, and what options do we have to make things safer? My new report for @csetgeorgetown.bsky.social maps biorisk pathways and the toolkit of corresponding safeguards. Check it out and let me hear your thoughts!⬇️ cset.georgetown.edu/publication/...
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Steph Batalis @stephbatalis.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
Excited to share my newest report for @csetgeorgetown.bsky.social, where I dive deeper into governance tools to mitigate biological risks (with and without AI). Biosecurity and Biodefense are wide-ranging endeavors, and it's worth looking at the end-to-end landscape for solutions🔬
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Vikram Venkatram @vikramvenkatram.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
Chemical and biological AI models vary in type, with different users, use cases, outputs, and capabilities. Each needs targeted safety evaluations. Check out my and @stephbatalis.bsky.social's new response to a NIST/AISI RFI on chem-bio models! cset.georgetown.edu/publication/...
cset.georgetown.edu
RFI Response: Safety Considerations for Chemical and/or Biological AI Models | Center for Security and Emerging Technology
Dr. Steph Batalis and Vikram Venkatram offered the following comment in response to the National Institute of Standards and Technology's request for information on safety considerations for chemical a...
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Steph Batalis @stephbatalis.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
The real souvenir from my trip to Iceland last month? What it did to my Spotify algorithm:
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