Martin Hanczyc is developing novel synthetic chemical systems based on the properties of living systems, in a quest to understand how life forms. These synthetic systems, or “protocells,” are model systems of primitive living cells and chemical examples of artificial life. As Rachel Armstrong puts it: “Although the protocell model system is just a chemically modified oil droplet, its dynamics are astonishingly varied and complex.”
He’s based at the Institute of Physics and Chemistry and the Center for Fundamental Living Technology (FLinT) in Denmark. He is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London.
Gutierrez founded the BIOMSgroup (Bio Input Onto Material Systems) at UC Berkeley in 2008. Her collaboration with Slawomir Hermanowicz (civil and environmental engineering) and Luke Lee (bio-engineering) of UC Berkeley is funded by a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for its Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) Science in Energy and Environmental Design (SEED) program.
The BIOMS group works on development of a new building technology for water recycling and thermal control based on micro-engineering principles for architecture.
The Living, a first-of-its-kind Autodesk Studio, explores the future by building full-scale functioning prototypes today. Our projects apply generative design, biology, and new materials to real built projects in the context of technology, culture, and the environment. Recently, The Living was ranked third by Fast Company in its list of World’s Most Innovative Companies in Architecture.