EMBRIO institute comes to High Alpha in Indianapolis

Members of the Emergent Mechanisms in Biology of Robustness Integration and Organization Institute (EMBRIO) spent their winter retreat at High Alpha on Feb. 6 and 7, bringing Purdue President Mung Chiang’s vision to life of making the Indianapolis location a hub for Purdue’s innovative partnerships.

Purdue announced the connection with High Alpha in June 2023, making the venture studio’s cutting-edge spaces budget-friendly for university affiliates.

“The tech looks amazing,” EMBRIO Managing Director Brent Ladd said. “I’m always trying to make sure we’re leveraging our research dollars the best that we can and supporting our graduate students and postdocs.”

The proximity to Indianapolis International Airport, 14 miles by car, is especially helpful for out-of-state members. EMBRIO members represent six universities: Indiana University, Morehouse College, Notre Dame, University of Pennsylvania, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez and Purdue University. All except the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez were represented at this conference.

“We’re all together, and everything is in a two-block radius,” Ladd said. “We’re staying at the Bottleworks Hotel, which is amazing, and then there are a number of restaurants just down the street.”

The day before the retreat, members were invited to collaborate on duckpin bowling and pinball at the nearby Pins Mechanical Co. before digging into more complicated discussions.

Purdue University in Indianapolis’s tech-filled conference spaces at High Alpha welcome innovation and innovators such as researchers from the EMBRIO institute, who held a winter retreat there Feb. 6-7. Download image

EMBRIO’s membership comprises approximately 80 researchers and engineers, including more than 40 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, a number of senior research scientists and approximately 25 faculty researchers, according to Ladd. The institute is tied closely to the Purdue University in Indianapolis campus, as David Umulis, senior vice provost, is also director of EMBRIO and its principal investigator.  

“The vision for the institute grew out of our desire to use simulation and artificial intelligence to address long-standing questions in biology regarding how damage to cells and wounds is repaired,” said Umulis. “The basic building blocks are the same in animals and plants! We are a team that wants to know how the process works so that it can one day be improved.”

The group has held a number of events since its inception in September 2021, but this is the first time members have met at High Alpha, which Ladd calls ideal for the smaller winter retreat. A total of 21 researchers and engineers attended this retreat. Graduate students and postdocs will attend the summer retreat with the senior members.

Funded by a five-year grant by the National Science Foundation, EMBRIO is an interdisciplinary institute that integrates experimental biology across a number of systems, including engineering, computational modeling, AI and machine learning in order to search for the fundamental mechanical and chemical signals inherent to life in its many forms.

“We’re studying the single cell all the way up to the organism across different biological systems,” Ladd said. “It’s a pretty amazing opportunity; there are not very many of these institutes.”

The researchers plan to seek funding beyond 2026.

“Hopefully we’ll have 10 years to attempt to answer these questions,” Ladd said.

Members attending the retreat are impressed with the High Alpha facilities, finding them conducive to their collaborative processes, a necessity in modern research.

“Purdue’s presence throughout Indianapolis increases our opportunities to engage in innovative research, pursue new areas of academic excellence, and train the next generation of creative thinkers and tech leaders,” Umulis said. “Convening all members in Indianapolis at High Alpha in the Bottleworks District also makes it very fun. This environment spurs more collaboration and discussions that ultimately contribute to the next big idea.”