Firas D Khatib, PhD

If we want to address the many challenges facing this world, we’ll need to tackle them from many different angles—not just using traditional means. For example, can the brainpower of video game playing citizen scientists tackle critical problems in computational biology? Yes! Players of the worldwide online protein-folding video game Foldit—most of whom with little or no prior biochemistry experience—have uncovered knowledge that eluded scientists for years, contributing to several scientific discoveries through gameplay. Rather than solving problems with a purely computational approach, combining humans and computers can provide a means for solving problems neither could solve alone. You will be given an opportunity to learn and train your Foldit skills before the conference, where a special Biohacking Village Foldit Competition will take place!

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 Click for the Pre-conference Foldit Challenge

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• Principal Investigator on the Foldit Project: a free worldwide video game where citizen scientists help solve challenging protein-folding problems (www.fold.it) 

• Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, in the Department of Computer and Information Science 

• My favorite courses to teach include Computer Game Design, Advanced Bioinformatics, Gamification Design, and Social and Ethical Aspects of Computing 

• Received Ph.D. in Bioinformatics at UC Santa Cruz in 2008 • Received bachelor's degree in Applied Math at UC Berkeley in 2001 

• Big fan of all kinds of games: board games, card games, video games, escape rooms, etc. 

• U2 fanatic, will be back in Vegas 3 more times this fall to see them play The Sphere :-)

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