Editor-in-Chief: Professor Martyn Dade-Robertson, Northumbria University | UK

Biotechnology Design is a question driven, cross-disciplinary, modular and iterative research field. Characteristics that are hampered by traditional publishing, as researchers want to explore speculative, not yet perfected models and use tools and collaborators from fields they may not be familiar with and may not traditionally work with. These researchers need a forum where biologists, engineers, AI experts and designers can come together and experiment to find the solutions that the 21st century requires -be that to find answers for food production, to build materials (for clothing, housing, everyday objects), to facilitate travel or to address health issues. Research Directions: Biotechnology Design is a fantastic opportunity to push the boundaries of research in the area to ensure smarter, more sophisticated solutions to intrinsically difficult research questions and challenges.