Tal Danino

Tal Danino

Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Tal Danino is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University.

His laboratory focuses on engineering bacteria for biomedical applications, with a particular emphasis on developing bacteria as cancer therapeutics. Danino received his Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of California, San Diego, and completed postdoctoral training at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT. His honors include the NSF CAREER Award, DOD Era of Hope Scholar Award, CRI Lloyd J. Old STAR Award, Pershing Prize, and Lotus Award. He is also an AIMBE Fellow, TED Fellow, and CZI Biohub Investigator. Beyond the lab, he communicates science visually through art made with bacteria and cells and is the author of Beautiful Bacteria. Dr. Danino directs the Synthetic Biological Systems Laboratory and is a member of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Data Science Institute at Columbia University.

Research Areas

  • Cell & Tissue Engineering
  • Drug Delivery
  • Microfluidics and Lab-on-a-Chip Technology
  • Systems Biology and Synthetic Biology

Additional information

  • Professional Experience
    • Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University (with tenure), 2023-present
    • Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University (tenure track), 2020-2023
    • Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Columbi University, 2016-2020
  • Professional Affiliations
    • Member, Data Science Institute, Columbia University, 2016 - present  
    • Member, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University, 2016 - present  
  • Honors & Awards
    • CZI Biohub Investigator, 2025
    • AIMBE Fellow, 2025
    • Research Rebel Award, Charlie Teo Foundation, 2024
    • Pershing Square Sohn Prize, 2020
    • Lloyd J. Old STARs Award from Cancer Research Institute (CRI), 2020
    • NSF CAREER Award, 2019
    • ALCF Young Innovators Team Awards (YITA) with Dr. Arpaia, 2018
    • Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR Career Development Award, 2017
    • Department of Defense Era of Hope Scholar Award, 2016
    • NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00), 2015
    • TED Fellow, 2015
    • New England Biolabs Passion in Science Award, 2014
    • NIH Research Service Award (F32/NRSA), 2012
    • Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (DoE CSGF), 2006
    • Arnold and Mabel Beckman Undergraduate Research Scholar, 2002
    • California Governor's Math and Science Scholar, 2001

  • Education
    • PhD, Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego
    • BS, Physics, University of California, Los Angeles
    • BS, Mathematics, University of California, Los Angeles
    • BS, Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles

Tal Danino in the News

Research
Using Bacteria to Sneak Viruses into Tumors
Aug 15, 2025
Faculty & Staff
Tal Danino Named Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator to Advance Living Therapeutics
Apr 18, 2025
Faculty & Staff
Two Columbia Engineering Faculty Members Join AIMBE College of Fellows
Mar 31, 2025