Sara Molinari

Dr. Sara Molinari started her studies in Italy with a B.Sc. in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and a M.Sc. in Bioinformatics. She then joined the System, Synthetic and Physical Biology Ph.D. program at Rice University and graduated from Matthew Bennett’s Lab with a thesis on programming differentiation in bacteria. This work allowed the 2D patterning of genetically distinct cells. As a postdoctoral researcher in Caroline Ajo-Franklin’s lab, she created the first de novo macroscopic living material that grows from engineered bacteria. This work presents the only genetically encoded synthetic matrix that hierarchically assembles cells over four orders of magnitude and allows the genetic control of mechanical and catalytic properties. Leveraging her expertise in cell and matrix engineering, as a future professor, she will develop living materials with tailored biological and mechanical properties able to interface with complex environments.