Research

Complex materials inspired or enabled by biology are in the core of our research. Biological inspiration is motivated by the fact that living organisms are able to grow materials with remarkable properties through the controlled self-assembly of building blocks at multiple length scales. Notably, living organisms achieve this feat using widely available, sustainable chemistries under mild temperatures and pressures in water.

The goal of our research is to devise and study experimental platforms to create complex materials that replicate design principles of biological systems or harness the metabolic activity of microorganisms to generate structures and properties that are not accessible via conventional manufacturing approaches. To achieve this goal, we have focused our research on three main themes: Living Materials, 3D Printing and Adaptive Molecular Materials.

In addition to fundamental research, our group is also strongly engaged in translating scientific findings to society by supporting spin-offs driven by passionate young entrepreneurs (Materials for Society).