Peter A. Carr

Peter A. Carr is a senior principal engineer at RTX BBN Technologies, where he leads research and development at the intersection of synthetic biology and national security. Prior to joining BBN, Carr worked from 2001-2023 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), first as a research scientist at the MIT Media Lab and then as a senior staff scientist at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. His research interests include genome engineering, combatting infectious disease, DNA synthesis and error correction, biomanufacturing, biocontainment, and biodefense. His research efforts have included developing new technologies for DNA synthesis and assembly, the engineering of an organism with a new genetic code, and advances in cell-free measurement. He has advised the US government on the promise and perils of synthetic biology in various capacities and was a founding member of the Synthetic Biology Center at MIT. He has served many roles with the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition. Carr received his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Harvard University, and his Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biophysics from Columbia University. He was co-chair of the National Academies study committee producing the 2026 report Supporting Responsible Innovation of Synthetic Cells: Biosafety, Biosecurity, and Environmental Considerations.