Zachary C. Stevenson

Zachary C. Stevenson

SeaBridge Postdoctoral Fellow, Shendure Lab, Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington

I build highly multiplexed systems for experiments in synthetic circuits and experimental evolution.

Research

Networked and multiplexed synthetic circuits

Highly multiplexed mammalian synthetic circuits built from synthetic transcription factors and promoters, designed to produce novel interactions and implement logic-gate control.

Surface plot of expression across combinations of two circuit configurations.

Library transgenesis at scale

TARDIS splits transgenesis into two steps: a diverse synthesized library is carried as a heritable array, then individual sequences integrate at random. One injection yields thousands of distinct lines, raising transgenic throughput over a thousandfold. That throughput is what makes highly multiplexed experiments possible in an animal model.

Side-by-side comparison: conventional transformation delivers one plasmid per cell, while TARDIS delivers a whole library as a heritable array that resolves to one integrated sequence per animal.

Design automation for libraries at scale

PlasmidForge, an agentic system that designs and validates plasmids in bulk in silico while controlling for common LLM errors such as DNA sequence hallucination, developed at the Allen Institute.

Design, build, test and learn cycle for plasmid library construction.

Publications

  1. Precise lineage tracking using molecular barcodes demonstrates fitness trade-offs for ivermectin resistance in nematodes Stevenson ZC, Laufer E, Estevez AO, Robinson K, Phillips PC G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics 15(6):jkaf081, 2025. doi:10.1093/g3journal/jkaf081
  2. High-throughput library transgenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans via Transgenic Arrays Resulting in Diversity of Integrated Sequences (TARDIS) Stevenson ZC, Moerdyk-Schauwecker MJ, Banse SA, Patel DS, Lu H, Phillips PC eLife 12:RP84831, 2023. doi:10.7554/eLife.84831
  3. Sexual dimorphism through the lens of genome manipulation, forward genetics, and spatiotemporal sequencing Kasimatis KR, Sánchez-Ramírez S, Stevenson ZC Genome Biology and Evolution 13(2):evaa243, 2021. doi:10.1093/gbe/evaa243
  4. Rapid self-selecting and clone-free integration of transgenes into engineered CRISPR safe harbor locations in Caenorhabditis elegans Stevenson ZC, Moerdyk-Schauwecker MJ, Jamison B, Phillips PC G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics 10(10):3775–3782, 2020. doi:10.1534/g3.120.401400

Patents

  1. Genetic data compression and methods of use Stevenson ZC, Banse SA, Phillips PC U.S. Patent 12,371,712, issued 29 July 2025. Assignee: University of Oregon.
  2. Homologous recombination reporter construct and uses thereof Hopkins CE, Brock T, Marshall T, Colasanto M, Stevenson ZC U.S. Patent Application US 2021/0277421 A1, published 2021. Applicant: NemaMetrix, Inc.

Experience

2026 – present
Allen InstituteVisiting scientist — plasmid design automation
2024 – present
University of WashingtonSeaBridge Postdoctoral Fellow, Shendure Lab — Genome Sciences
2017 – 2024
University of OregonPhD in Biology, postdoctoral scholar — Phillips Lab
2013 – 2017
Knudra TransgenicsCRISPR methods, biosensors and high-throughput compound testing
2010 – 2013
University of UtahBS in Biology — Jorgensen Lab

Contact

zachcs@uw.edu

Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Foege Building S-250, 3720 15th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98195.