Paul Rubery
EXECUTIVE Director

Paul (he/him) is the Executive Director of Biodesign Challenge. He studied Art History with an emphasis on Visual Cultural Studies at the University of Rochester before pursuing a Ph.D. in Art History, Theory & Criticism at Stony Brook University. He has occupied various roles in cultural nonprofits, serving most recently as the chief curator of a historic natural history museum on Long Island. His research interests include the history of photography, artistic responses to anthropogenic climate change, and the phenomenology of science. As a nonprofit administrator, Paul aims to extend access to STEAM education and to advance the critical discourse around biotechnology. His published writings can be found in the Journal of Visual Culture, Media-N: The Journal of the New Media Caucus of the CAA, and Continental Philosophy Review.

Fun Fact: Paul canoed the Moose River up to Moosonee, Ontario, the “Gateway to the Arctic” and the only saltwater port in that province. As an active paddler, he takes his canoe to the riverways of Long Island, where excursions through the saltmarshes make for great birdwatching.

Michael Balangue
Program Director

Michael (he/they) is the Program Director of Biodesign Challenge. He studied Chemical Engineering with an emphasis in Biotechnology at the University of Oklahoma and received an MS in Translational Medicine from the City College of New York, a biodesign-focused medical technology development program. His work experience includes serving as an Adjunct Instructor for the CCNY Master’s in Translational Medicine capstone course, product management for an AI health tech startup, and wet lab research with an opthalmological contract research organization. His ambitions have expanded to supporting advocacy and community-building for a more sustainable future.

Fun Fact: Michael has a creative practice under the artist name Anito Soul. He also built an off-grid A-frame cabin in rural Oklahoma during the pandemic.

Orkan Telhan
President

Orkan’s work focuses on critical issues in social, cultural, and environmental responsibility. He holds a PhD in Design and Computation from MIT's Department of Architecture. He is the Chief Information and Data Officer at Ecovative.

NIKHIL KUMAr
TREASURER

Nikhil is a multidisciplinary artist and technologist whose work explores living systems, computation, and translation across media forms. His path into biodesign began in the professional kitchen and extended into the art studio, where he's explored live microscopy performance, biomaterials, and sculpture that translates poetry into protein forms. He was a 2020 BDC alum and Citizen Science track winner prior to joining the board. He is the co-founder of 5x5 Collective, a product studio and seed fund, has been an early employee focused on Product and Business Development at Coursera, Palantir, and Solana Foundation. He holds a BS in economics from Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania and an MPS from NYU Tisch's ITP.

Daniel Grushkin
Founder

Dan (he/him) is founder and Executive Director of Biodesign Challenge. He is co-founder of Genspace, a nonprofit community laboratory dedicated to promoting citizen science and access to biotechnology. Daniel has been a Fellow at Data & Society, a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and an Emerging Leader in Biosecurity at the John Hopkins Center of Health Security. As a journalist, he has reported on the intersection of biotechnology, culture, and business for publications including Bloomberg Businessweek, Fast Company, Scientific American and Popular Science.