Geoffrey Otim

Background

About Geoffrey Otim

Geoffrey Otim is a life scientist and synthetic biology leader with strong interests in biomanufacturing, biosecurity, and pandemic preparedness. He spent over eight years at the WHO Polio and Measles Regional Reference Laboratory in Uganda, working on disease surveillance, outbreak response, and vaccine-preventable diseases. During his MSc at Université Paris Cité, he worked on microbial secondary metabolite (natural product) discovery project. He later joined the National University of Singapore as a Research Associate at SynCTI, focusing on engineering the gut microbiome for therapeutic applications. A pioneer in synthetic biology in Africa, Geoffrey founded East Africa’s first iGEM team (2018), organized Africa’s first international synthetic biology and biosecurity conference (2021), and spearheaded SynBio Africa Global Catastrophic Biological Risks Initiative in Africa. He has spoken at high-profile events, including OECD Summit, UNODA-BWC conferences, SynBioBeta Global conference, EBRC Global Forum, ACS Publications Symposium, SynCell Global Summit, the UN Convention on Biodiversity, and the Global Health Security Conferences, among others. In recognition of his impact, he received the 2023 SynBioBeta Impact Award for advancing synthetic biology in Africa. Geoffrey served as a member of the United Nations Biodiversity’s Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Synthetic Biology, as an external Biosafety Expert with Elizabeth R. Griffin Program at Georgetown University, and as a rapporteur with WHO Geneva to support Uganda in piloting the implementation of the WHO framework for the governance of somatic human genome editing. He also contributed as a Member of OECD Global Forum on Technology (GFTech) expert focus group on synthetic biology. Geoffrey holds an MSc in Life Science (Université Paris Cité), a BSc in Medical Laboratory Science (Mbarara University), an Advanced Diploma in Health Management and Leadership (Uganda Institute of Allied Health and Management Sciences), and a Master in international Affairs and Diplomacy (UNITAR). He has also completed advanced training in synthetic biology (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY) and science policy & advocacy (UC Irvine). Currently pursuing a PhD in Bioengineering at The University of Queensland, Australia, his research focuses on developing gas fermentation technology by engineering microbial strains and optimizing bioprocesses for syngas and waste gas valorisation (CO₂, CO, H₂). His goal is to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and high-value biochemicals, contributing to a circular carbon economy.