Affiliation: Northeastern University

Avinash Manjula-Basavanna obtained his PhD in Bioinspired Molecular and Materials Engineering at JNCASR, Bengaluru, India. He then moved to Harvard University as a Wyss Institute Postdoctoral Fellow to work on Engineered Living Materials, wherein he Genetically Engineers Microbes to produce Sustainable Materials with Integrated Life-like Properties. Recently, he moved to Northeastern University along with his PI from Harvard and worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a Research Affiliate. He has made pioneering contributions to the emerging field of Engineered Living Materials, and his research interests are at the interface of Synthetic Biology, Bioinspired Materials Engineering, Nanotechnology, Microbial Factories, and Sustainability. In 2020, he was featured as one of the World’s Top 35 Innovators Under 35 by Technology Review, MIT. He was the Grand Prize Winner of the American National Science Foundation (NSF) Idea Machine (Big Idea) competition and was recognized with Deep Tech Pioneer and Gandhian Young Technological Innovation Awards. He was also selected for the Innovation Scholars In-Residence Program by the President of India and Harvard Innovation Lab’s Venture Incubation Program. His research work has been highlighted by several global media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, New Scientist, The Naked Scientist, Science Alert, etc.