Cell division is a fundamentally important process and when cell division goes awry, pathologies such as cancers, impaired healing, infertility, and abnormal development occur. This project focuses on crucial cell division events at the outer part of the cell called the cell cortex. Synthetic proteins and artificial intelligence will be used to better understand these cell division events, what goes wrong in certain pathological states, and how to artificially promote cell division when it is compromised. In addition to these research outcomes, this work will help prepare our future scientific workforce by training high school and college students in synthetic biology, molecular biology, and AI assisted protein design. The cell cortex is the primary driver of cell shape changes. Such shape changes often arise due to Rho GTPases, which self-organize into cortical patterns that direct formation of corresponding patterns of the contractile machinery--actin filaments and myosin-2 (actomyosin). A prototypical example of such self-organization is provided by cytokinesis, during which Rho waves direct the formation of actomyosin waves at the equatorial cortex, thereby driving furrowing. Ect2, a Rho activator, and RGA-3/4, a Rho inactivator, drive Rho wave formation via coupled positive and negative feedback. Normally, Rho waves are focused and amplified at the equatorial cortex by the mitotic spindle, thereby driving furrowing and, ultimately, cytokinesis. However, synthetic prot