Sara Molinari

Assistant Professor, University of Maryland College Park

Dr. Sara Molinari graduated from the Systems, Synthetic and Physical Biology Ph.D. program at Rice University with a thesis on programming differentiation in bacteria. This work enabled the creation of a novel pattern formation by physically separating genetically distinct cells. As a postdoctoral researcher, 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 ELM mechanical and catalytic properties. In her laboratory in the Department of Bioengineering at The University of Maryland College Park, she investigates the design rules for engineering de novo ELMs from different bacteria to enable a wide array of applications. Sara is a full member of the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society, a 2022 Distinguished Young Scholar (UWDYSS), a 2022 BME Future Faculty, and a rising star at the SynBYSS seminar series.

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