About the Protein Design Week
MAKE Initiative · DLAI · SV Industry
The Protein Design Week is a student-led initiative that aims to explore the newest advancements in computational protein design, bringing together academia, industry, and hands-on engineering challenges. During the full week, we propose workshops to teach you the basics of protein design, helping you develop bioengineering skills based on the latest research on neural networks applied to protein folding prediction.
Alongside practical work, we propose a series of events related to protein design, including panels with relevant keynote speakers in the world of protein design, as well as meeting with startups and industry partners involved in protein enginering domain.
Hackathon
During the weekend, industry partners and collaborating labs come together to guide the students in a Hackathon, where the students are faced with several bioengineering challenges, and try to come up with innovative bioengineering solutions to fix the proposed issues.
The teams who participate in the hackathon will have access to state-of-the-art computational resources, as well as mentorship from experts in the field of protein design and bioengineering. Moreover, the winners of the hackaton will have the opportunity to continue perfecting their designs and even testing the solutions in the lab.
Discover the previous editions of the PDW!
What's on the agenda?
The Protein Design Week features a series of workshops, keynote talks, and panel discussions focused on the latest advancements in computational protein design, with insights both from Academia and The Industry. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from experts in the field, engage in hands-on activities, and collaborate on innovative projects with our Hackathon program.
Here's an overview of the program. A highlight is the Lab visit to the HQ of Adaptyv Bio - leading startup in the field of experimental validation of AI-driven protein design - and our Discussion Panel on regulations and ethical concerns around AI-designed proteins, featuring prominent experts from academia and industry.
Stay tuned for the detailed program time schedule, which will be announced soon!
Hackathon
During the weekend (6th-8th March 2026), participants will engage in a hands-on hackathon where they will tackle real-world protein design challenges proposed by our industry partners and collaborating labs. Selected teams of students will work together to develop innovative solutions using computational tools and AI techniques learned during the week.
More Info coming soon!
Ai Protein Design - Innovation Unleashed, or BioSafety Nightmare?
Join us for a bold conversation on the ethical frontiers of AI-powered bioengineering and open‑source models. We’re bringing together sharp minds from synthetic biology, AI, and policy to explore not only the risks and biosecurity pitfalls, but also the radical potential for innovation and impact. Adding a practical twist, the roundtable will feature startup founders and IP experts from EPFL, sharing how they navigate ownership, responsibility, and success in this new era of protein design.
This year, we're thrilled to host visionary leaders: Lucien Krapp, Co-Founder & CTO of LemnaBio; Adam Swetloff, IP regulation expert from EPFL's TTO; and representing academia, Shuhao Zang, PhD student in Computational Bioengineering from Patrik Barth's lab.
This year, the panel is hosted on Friday 6th of March in Hall BC 03.
Stay connected
Follow our activities, events and project updates on social media and EPFL channels.
Meet the Team
The Protein Design Week is organized by a dedicated team of students, engineers and academics from EPFL. Our team is committed to advancing the field of computational protein design through education, collaboration, and innovation. We are passionate about protein design and synthetic biology, and have the goal to popularise these amazing disciplines for biohackers coming from all backgrounds.
We all come from the Life Science Engineering (SV) faculty at EPFL. We are proud to be part of the MAKE initiative, which supports open science and innovation in synthetic biology and bioengineering.
Follow us on social media to stay updated on team member profiles and activities!
Our Partners
We are grateful for the support of our partners, whose contributions have been instrumental in making the Protein Design Week a reality. Their expertise, resources, and commitment to advancing the field of protein design have been invaluable to our success.
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