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Principles and methods for the design and optimization of new biological systems, from a molecular perspective. Topics include: introduction to genetic parts and modern methods for their assembly; synthesis and incorporation of nucleic acids at the level of nucleotides, genes, and genomes; design of genetic programs; library generation and screening; directed evolution and its application to create new proteins and metabolic pathways; computational design of protein and RNA​using physical and bioinformatic approaches; non-canonical amino acids and genetic code expansion. This course will also feature critical evaluation of the primary literature in this fast-paced field, and practical experience with relevant software and computational tools.