Jon Judd, Ph.D. —
Science Policy Postdoctoral Scholar
Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC)
Jon Judd is a science policy postdoctoral scholar at the Engineering Biology Research Consortium working on biological data governance, biosecurity oversight, and international research policy. His current projects include building managed access frameworks for federal biological datasets, producing gain-of-function oversight guidance for international audiences, and organizing a Congressional briefing on biological data governance scheduled for June 2026.
His policy work is grounded in a technical foundation most policy researchers don't have: a Ph.D. in Genetics from Stanford and a B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Johns Hopkins. Before EBRC, he served as a White House intern at OSTP, staffing four PCAST working groups and contributing to three published federal reports. He has published policy analysis through the Federation of American Scientists and the Journal of Science Policy and Governance, and has engaged legislators at state and federal levels through the ASHG Government and Public Advocacy Committee. His current work focuses on how biological data governance frameworks can enable bioeconomy growth while protecting against dual-use risk and foreign exploitation.
Scientific Background
Jon's doctoral research in computational genetics at Stanford grounds his broader policy focus on the governance of emerging biotechnologies, including who can participate in biotech innovation, who bears its risks, and whether its benefits reach everyone equitably.
Polygenic Scores, Socioeconomic Status, & Prostate Cancer
Examines how neighborhood environment and genetic variation jointly shape prostate cancer risk across diverse populations, a question with direct implications for whether precision medicine delivers equitably or amplifies existing health disparities.
Recessive Disorders & Natural Selection
Uses natural selection to investigate whether genes associated with severe recessive disorders have broader effects across populations, with implications for how genetic risk is distributed and how biotechnology interventions should account for population diversity.