Engineering
I was the Chief information and Data Officer at Ecovative where I led the Data Systems and Intelligence group. From 2021 until June 2025, I supported the development of both mycelium-based bacon for MyForestFoods and textile products for Forager.
This section includes a selection of hardware, software and engineering projects from 2007-2025. For more detailed information, please also visit design.bio.
Selected Publications:
Telhan, Orkan et al. Morphologically Tunable Mycelium Chips for Physical Reservoir Computing. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-55550-5
Telhan, Orkan. Agents.design.bio: an agent-based decision-support framework for scaling biodesign.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S2977905726100353Telhan, Orkan. Bioreactors as Additive Manufacturing Environments. 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1089/3dp.2024.0023
Telhan, Orkan, and Karen Hogan. Portable bioreactors and portable bioreactor systems for analyzing biofilm formation and degradation. U.S. Patent US12378511B2
Biodesign
I serve as President of the Biodesign Challenge, where I actively promote creative and critical engagements with biology across design disciplines.
Selected Publications:
Telhan, Orkan. Interrogative Design with More-than-Humans. Ian Wojtowicz (ed), Interrogative Design. MIT Press, 2024.
Volpe, John P., et al. Bionovelty and ecological restoration. Restoration Ecology (2024): e14152. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.14152
Telhan, Orkan. What Biodesign Means to Me. Biodesigned: Issue 1, 6 May, 2020.
Kafai, Y., Hogan, K., Telhan, O., & Walker, J. (2023). Learn.Design.Bio.K12: A workshop report on connecting computing and biodesign in K-12 education. Cambridge Open Engage. doi:10.33774/coe-2023-xztxw
Art
My artistic practice explores critical questions at the intersection of culture, environment, and social responsibility.
Selected Exhibitions
Covering Earth at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale, Türkiye Pavilion (May 10 – November 23, 2025)
Reservoirs of Venice at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennial, The Arsenale (May 10 – November 23, 2025)
Salivations as part of the “We the bacteria” exhibition, Triennale di Milano (May 13 – November 9, 2025)
Still Remains. Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid (October 25 – December 16, 2023)