Ethan Powell

External Investing Group (XIG)

Simplex Sciences, Inc. is an independent biotechnology venture founded by students at Yale. We specialise in the production of high-quality single-stranded DNA ladders for use in electrophoresis.

2026: Consumer Pod 2025: Healthcare Pod

Teaching first-generation investors at public high schools portfolio construction and the power of compound interest to build long-term financial independence.

At the Dr. Farren Isaacs Lab at the Yale Systems Biology Institute, I am advancing genetic code expansion research by pioneering a chloroplast-based protein expression system to incorporate non-standard amino acids into recombinant proteins. This research aims to present a novel and industrially scalable platform for manufacturing synthetically enhanced proteins, unlocking the transformative potential of nsAA-enhanced peptide therapeutics, biomaterials, and other cutting-edge biotechnological applications.

From ideation to international presentation, co-led a 2+ year project developing a novel platform to design, build, and test customizable therapeutic proteins, demonstrated through L-asparaginase. Presented at the 2025 World Expo of Synthetic Biology in Paris and earned a Gold Medal.

Through iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machines), I am collaborating with a select team of undergraduates to design and develop an innovation in therapeutics harnessing the power of synthetic biology, blending the worlds of biochemical research and engineering! We are working to develop a novel, more efficient, and optimized cancer therapeutic by recombinantly expressing the enzyme L-asparaginase with the incorporation of nonstandard amino acids, enabling unprecedented customizability of the therapeutic through click-chemistry. We will be presenting our innovation at a Paris Synthetic Biology conference in November 2025, where our research is expected to earn international recognition.

Business Development Internship — Amgen Ventures

2025 Summer Student Coursework in Finance, Alternative Investments

Yeshivat Orayta is a gap year program located in Jerusalem, Israel, for highly motivated high school graduates. The program features seminars and lectures from world-renowned experts on Jewish Philosophy, Law, History, Ethics, and Theology, as well as meaningful volunteering and community engagement opportunities throughout the year.

Completed Middle Years Programme (MYP1, MYP2, MYP3)