BUILT ENVIRONMENT - Key Persons
Ahmet is an interior designer and researcher interested in biomaterial applications in the interior design and architecture context. He holds a bachelor's degree in Interior Architecture from Karadeniz Technical University and a master's degree in Interior Design from the University of Portsmouth. Currently, he is a PhD candidate at Newcastle University in the School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape. His research investigates fungal-fungal interactions and mycelial growth to develop a novel biological form-making and fabrication strategy.
Job Titles:
- Research Associate
- Research Associate - Thinking Soils Project
Akram obtained her B.Sc. degree in Civil Engineering from University of Guilan in 2007, her M.Sc. degree in Geotechnical Engineering from University of Guilan in 2011, and her Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering from Imam Khomeini International Univeristy in 2019. Her Ph.D. project investigates the Microbially Induced Carbon Precipitation (MICP) process to treat silt-sand mixtures and improve their properties for civil engineering purposes. she is currently a research associate (postdoctoral researcher) in the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment (HBBE) at Newcastle University. Her current research is focused on Thinking Soil, using engineered pressure-sensitive bacteria to bind soil particles together.
Job Titles:
- Polly Noble Newcastle University - Research Ass Ociate
- Postdoctoral Senior Research Assistant
Amias obtained his PhD in Microbiology from the University of Kent in 2018.
Amias' previous work aimed to develop more robust chassis strains for industrial use. This included the development and optimisation of whole-cell biocatalysts while helping to develop novel methods based on multi-omic analyses. Most recently, Amias worked on better understanding and characterising novel single subunit RNA polymerases with the intent of building new orthogonal expression systems for gram-positive bacteria.
Currently, Amias is part of the hub for biotechnology in the built environment, where he is developing strains able to grow on and convert urban waste to useful products. He is passionate about using biotechnology to develop sustainable solutions to societal challenges.
Anne-Sofie is a PhD candidate with the School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape at Newcastle University. She has a background in speculative, practice-based design research with published research on exploring the somaesthetics of posthuman relations with technology.
Originally from Copenhagen, Denmark, she obtained a BSc in Digital Media and Design at the IT University of Copenhagen. Following the completion of her undergraduate, she went on to complete a MSc in Creative Technology from the University of the West of England.
Her research as a PhD candidate with the HBBE explores more-than-human stories within transplanetary imaginaries as a way of designing more equitable worlds that elicit relationships of care between human and nonhuman, regarding such relationships of care as essential to the process of sustaining life in space - as well as on Earth. Supervisors at the HBBE are Dr. Carmen McLeod and Dr. Martyn Dade-Robertson.
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant - Responsible Interaction
Beatriz Delgado is an environmental microbiologist with a background in biotechnology and bioinformatics. During her research career she has focused on characterizing microbial communities in different environments using DNA sequencing and bioinformatic tools. She obtained her BSc in Biotechnology from the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM), in Spain in 2017, followed by a MSc in Environmental Microbiology from Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (UAM) in 2018. Since October 2020, she is working on her PhD at the HBBE. In both her BSc and MSc theses, she analysed the composition of the rumen microbiome using whole-genome sequencing with Oxford Nanopore's MinION. During her PhD at the HBBE she will explore the bacterial, fungal and viral composition of the Built Environment (BE), with a focus on indoor air and its impact on human health. This project will also focus on the variations of the microbial composition over time and on different types of surfaces found on the BE.
Job Titles:
- Hub Co - Director & Professor of Regenerative Architecture
- Professor of Regenerative Architecture
Ben Bridgens is Professor of Regenerative Architecture in the School of Architecture, Planning & Landscape at Newcastle University, and Co-Director of the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment (HBBE, www.bbe.ac.uk). Ben's work is driven by the question: "Can we move beyond ‘sustainability' and create a built environment which has positive impacts: that is beneficial and enriching to the natural environment, that does not degrade but performs better as it ages, that is a pleasure to construct, and is delightful to inhabit?"
Ben works at the interface of structural engineering, architecture and design, critically examining ‘sustainable' technologies and exploring the potential for combining traditional construction practices with biotechnology and natural systems to go beyond sustainability and create a regenerative built environment.
Recent projects include The Living Room, a large-scale freestanding structure made from mycelium, waste materials and wool which is on display in the Farrell Centre in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (http://bbe.ac.uk/a-poetic-marvel/) and RESPIRE, a research project funded by the Leverhulme Trust which aims to develop passive, responsive breathable building skins (http://bbe.ac.uk/respire-project/).
Ben led the design and construction of an experimental house on the Newcastle University campus called 'The OME', and co-leads the HBBE's ‘Responsible Interactions' theme which seeks to ensure that HBBE research is ethical and responsible, developed through extensive interaction and collaboration, and can be scaled up and applied beneficially in the built environment.
Job Titles:
- Fellow
- University Academic Track ( NUAcT ) Fellow
Job Titles:
- Hub Manager
- HBBE Project Manager
My background is in research administration and programme management and I manage the HBBE. I have led projects in a range of environments including higher education, local and national government, the NHS and the charity sector and I specialise in delivering multi-stakeholder initiatives in complex settings. With degrees in International Business and Strategic Management and an advanced qualification in Leadership and Performance Coaching, my professional and academic interest is in the dynamics of human relationships within projects and the impact of organisational structures on project outcomes. I am due to complete my PhD in this field in 2021.
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant
- Peter Style Hub Co - Ordinator
Dilan Ozkan is an architect and researcher who focuses on working with living systems. She aims to push the limits of traditional architectural production and bring different approaches by discovering new material making processes. She is integrating other fields' findings into her experimental architecture, particularly computation and biology. Dilan completed an architectural design masters at Pratt Institute in New York, where she was first inspired by the strange aesthetics of living organisms. After this, she worked for the nonprofit architecture and urban design group Terreform One. Currently, she is a PhD student at Newcastle University. Within her research, she is investigating fungi and adapting its divergent qualities to the field of architecture by demonstrating a material making principal. She formed a study group called Mycology for Architecture to collaborate with other disciplines and share knowledge about fungi.
Job Titles:
- Vice - Chancellor 's Senior Research Fellow
Job Titles:
- Lecturer
- Lecturer in Civil Engineering
Dr Helen Mitrani is a Lecturer in Civil Engineering in the School of Engineering at Newcastle University and a Chartered Civil Engineer. Her current research crosses between structural and geotechnical engineering and is in two main areas: application in the built environment of (i) microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation and (ii) organic, responsive materials. Helen is also interested in circular economy principles and promoting sustainable and circular design.
Job Titles:
- Newcastle University Academic Track Fellow
Dr Jane Scott is a Newcastle University Academic Track Fellow (NUAcT) in Living Textiles. Her research is located at the intersection of programmable materials, knitted fabric design, textile technology and biology. As a textile specialist her research challenges the established understanding of smart materials for architecture; applying principles derived from biology to the development of environmentally responsive textile systems composed of natural and sustainable materials.
Before joining Newcastle University, Jane was a Senior Teaching Fellow in The School of Design at The University of Leeds and held a Visiting Research Fellowship in biomimicry at Central Saint Martins (2016-2020). She completed PhD through the Textiles Futures Research Centre at Central Saint Martins, where she developed Programmable Knitting. In 2016 this work was awarded the Autodesk ACADIA Emerging Research Award by the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA).
Her work has been exhibited internationally; in 2019 Bioknit Pavilion (in collaboration with MuDD Architects) formed part of the public interventions at Design Junction, (London Design Festival) and in 2018 Growing Medium was exhibited as part of Material Innovation in the North at The Baltic (Gateshead). She has presented research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Pompidou Centre, The Design Museum, London, The University of Michigan, and the Microsoft Research Centre, Cambridge.
During the NUAcT fellowship Jane's research will focus on the potential to design with biology using textile fabrication processes. She will develop a new generation of living textiles for architecture; knitted fabrics that adapt their properties in response to environmental stimuli, acting as a programmable interface to maintain a healthy environment in buildings.
Job Titles:
- Research Associate
- Postdoctoral Researcher - Building Metabolism Research Group
I am from a molecular microbiology background, coming from an undergraduate degree in Microbiology from the University of Dundee where I started a continued involvement in the iGEM competition. Interest in synthetic biology led me to pursue a PhD under the supervision of Prof Frank Sargent, completed at Newcastle University. My PhD involved the design and development of novel synthetic regulatory mechanisms in E. coli. I am now excited to be working on the HBBE project in Prof Gary Black's group on the Building Metabolism theme.
I am interested in sustainable biotechnology. For my undergraduate degree, I studied BSc Biochemistry in the University of Wolverhampton and worked on antimicrobial bacterial cellulose as a dissertation project with Prof Radecka. For my PhD, I explored the pathway for alkane biosynthesis in the fungus Ascocoryne sarcoides and was supervised by Dr Howard at Newcastle University.
I am currently a PDRA at Northumbria University. My research focuses on functionalising bacterial cellulose for the built environment. This includes material characterisation and engineering patterns, shapes and material specification in bacterial cellulose.
Job Titles:
- Professor in Microbial Biotechnolog Y
- Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences
Job Titles:
- Technical Support Officer
I graduated from Newcastle University's Fine Art programme in 2014, and since then have worked in a number of technical and fabrication-led roles, including working on large scale gallery installations as well as being a studio assistant to a number of established artists. Specialising in sculpture, my interest in material qualities and lifecycles was what drew me to apply for this role.
For the past two years, I have worked mainly as a Technician in the Architecture School and as a freelance contractor in the construction and landscape design industry. I was appointed as the Technical Support Officer in August 2019. I am currently training to become a permaculture designer and instructor, which I intend to complete by 2021.
Job Titles:
- Postdoctoral Researcher - Living Construction Research Group / Mycelium Leather
PhD student specialising in protein biochemistry with Northumbria University and Procter and Gamble. Ellie's research involves studying novel enzyme function under dry conditions for stain removal on fabrics. This work aims to reduce the desire for long wash cycles and therefore provides a more sustainable and efficient laundry process. Her BSc in biochemistry involved research into the atmospheric microbiome and identified optimal methods of obtaining and culturing airborne bacteria.
Emily is a current PhD candidate at Newcastle University in the School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape, where she is investigating the potential for application of biological hygromorphs in the built environment.
She earnt a Bachelor's Degree in Architecture from Newcastle University and her dissertation explored the fundamental concepts of bacterial hygromorphs as active biomaterials through a project called Active Origami.
Job Titles:
- Hub Co - Director & Professor of Protein Biochemistry
Greg is a post-doctoral researcher at Northumbria University with a background in clinical microbiology. He completed a BSc in Biomedical Science in 2014, during which time he gained experience working in an NHS lab. Greg achieved his PhD in molecular microbial ecology in 2017, focusing on utilising molecular, genomic, microbiological and bioinformatic methods to investigate the acquisition and longitudinal development of microbial communities in clinical settings.
Since then the scope of Greg's research has expanded to include several projects investigating host-associated and environmental microbiota and how specific interventions can shape or manipulate microbial communities for desired outcomes.
Greg has shared his research by publishing in peer-reviewed journals, contributing to chapters in text-books and presenting at international conference events.
Henry is a PhD candidate at Northumbria University, working to discover novel biocatalysts for production of useful metabolites for industrial processes.
In 2019 he finished his Master's Degree at Durham University, where he was synthesizing and analysing the anti-cancer properties of natural products. Then, having gone on to work in the field of protein chromatography, he moved into working with viral vector therapies before getting offered the position at Northumbria University.
He aims to put his broad range of experience to use in his search for biocatalysts that will allow for greener production of high value chemicals.
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant
- Building Technologist
- Research Assistant Responsible Interaction S
Heran Yang is a building technologist with an interdisciplinary background that combines design, engineering and manufacturing. After setting his foot on an architecture track, Heran has been pushing his limits to rethink architecture from the rudimental elements, material and techniques. Within the innovative context of the built environment, he found his interest in using unexplored technologies for the scope of sustainability. After obtaining his BSc with distinction from Politecnico di Milano in the track of Building Architecture, he went on in pursuit of a more innovation-driven path in Technische Universiteit Delft where he accomplished his MSc cum Laude degree in Building Technology. Over the years, he has been working on a multitude of projects that challenges the conventional building system. He believes that having a broad knowledge over existing building system and holding an inclusive attitude over undiscovered technologies will unlock the possibilities in innovation and sustainability. Therefore, in Delft, he has not only investigated and tested a dry-stacking interlocking cast glass facade system but also dived into programming for digital fabrication and computational design. His expertise covers a wide range of fields, such as facade engineering, structural design, material testing and generative algorithm. Heran has a keen eye on finding a fit for alternative technologies in the built environment. Also, having been closely working with manufacturing companies, he sees his value in prototyping and material testing will best serve the cause of the HBBE. Heran has joined HBBE as a research assistant since August 2020.
Jamie is a PhD candidate with the Department of Applied Sciences at Northumbria University. He has a Bachelor of Sciences in Biology and a Master of Sciences in Microbiology, both from Northumbria University. Jamie focuses on research into the optimisation of microbial induced calcium carbonate precipitation for soil improvement, with a focus towards addressing biological data gaps in computational models.
Job Titles:
- Research Associate
- Researcher at Newcastle University
Jennifer is a researcher at Newcastle University in Microbial Molecular Biology for Biomaterials. Her PhD was undertaken in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at Northumbria University and is near submission.
Jennifer is a trained Microbiologist and has a wealth of experience working in microbiology diagnostics, teaching and research laboratories, working with a variety of microrganisms. Her expertise covers a range of areas including molecular biology techniques, microbial cultivation, working with mixed cultures, proteomics methods and working with fermentation systems. She has managed small scale to large scale biomedical science laboratories and been instrumental in project design and running of various teaching modules. She has a multi disciplinary background advising various projects and departments in her areas of expertise.
Her current research investigates the activation of urease in the bacterium Bacillus subtilis understanding the molecular importance of the enzyme and the applications of urease producing bacteria.
She is also a member of the Microbiology Society and the American Society for Microbiology.
Dr. Munoz-Munoz is a Lecturer in the Department of Applied Sciences at Northumbria University (UK) with more than 18 years' experience investigating bacterial enzymology and microbe-microbe interactions in gut microbiota environments and agricultural ecosystems.
He has a strong background in enzyme characterization of plant-glycan degrading bacteria; microbial systematic; structural biology; functional and comparative genomics ((meta)genome analysis and (meta)transcriptomics). His research interests and trajectory are focused on agroindustrial plant glycan metabolism by human gut microbiota, microbe-microbe interactions, discovery of new prebiotics, characterization of biotechnological enzymes and management of agro-industrial waste materials and employment of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria for the bioenergy conversion.
His international career has fostered the authorship of scientific publications on the enzymes degrading food waste polysaccharides and the protein engineering of those enzymes to enhance the activity/affinity through structure-guided directed evolution.
My role in the HBBE would be the characterization of key enzymes that represent the bottleneck of metabolic pathways to degrade recalcitrant polymers from waste streams, including polyethylene, PET or lignocellulose, and characterize the structural mechanism of those enzymes to maximize the yield of high value molecules, such as bioethanol or pigments as end products. In addition, he is interested to design new metabolic pathways through biocatalytic cascades for the generation, from waste materials, of high value products in the pharmaceutical industry. He has worked with multiple companies such as Quorn Foods, P&G or Sterling Biopharma.
Job Titles:
- Newcastle University - Research Assistant Responsible Interactions
- Research Assistant in Engagement for Biological Architecture
Kaajal (she/they) is a multidisciplinary designer and Research Associate in the Responsible Interactions theme at the HBBE. Working on public engagement, Kaajal is interested in building a culture of curiosity around the work of the team by creating interactions, exhibitions, workshops and other modes that can bring together people from diverse communities, cultures and industries in order to create reciprocal conversations about how we might live with biological systems in the future.
Prior to joining HBBE, Kaajal was studying an interdisciplinary practice-based PhD in design and science communication at UWE, Bristol, partly funded through a partnership with the Eden Project's Invisible Worlds exhibition. Working with migrant women from the global majority, Kaajal developed fermentation (and other preservation) recipes to reduce food waste in the home, through an experimental practice of intercultural citizen science in the kitchen as a form of human and more-than-human participatory design.
Kaajal's training is in Design Innovation from the Glasgow School of Art and The Open University, however she has also worked as an artist, illustrator and graphic designer with organisations including The Labour Party, Arts Catalyst, The Social ARTery, PROJECT, Julie's Bicycle, Arts Admin, Decolonising Economics, and many others.
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant
- Research Assistant in Prototyping Biological Architecture at the HBBE
Karolina is a research assistant in prototyping biological architecture at the HBBE, Newcastle University. Within the Responsible Interactions theme, she is involved in development of the prototypes for an experimental building - the OME, currently working on the two prototypes - Bacterial Cellulose Façade and Bio-Cellular Concrete Prototype. In her work, she is investigating the potential of full-scale prototyping as a method for exploration, testing and understanding the properties of biological materials, with a strong focus on the potential applications of Bacterial Cellulose in the built environment.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Assistant, HBBE
I am interested in sustainable research with interdisciplinary themes around microbiology. I graduated from the University of Dundee with a BSc (Hons) in Microbiology having worked on copper recovery using fungi for my honours project. I recently completed my PhD at Newcastle University, which was a collaboration between geomicrobiology and geotechnical engineering. I investigated the presence, activity, and survivability of microbes in clay intended for use in nuclear waste repositories. I am currently thoroughly enjoying working on a range of projects within The HBBE at Northumbria University including the bacterial cellulose project.
Job Titles:
- Research Associate in Passive Building Design
I am a Research Associate in Passive Building Design with the School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape. I am an architect interested in bio-integrated (and bio-climatic) passive building design for climate change adaptation. I have extensive experience in biomimetic design, building physics modelling and simulation, and particularly interested in passive building design and architectural engineering. Also, I am highly interested and motivated in decarbonisation and climate change especially within the built environments in developing countries. My new research (for the Respire project) within the HBBE sits within the Responsible Interactions theme and aims to explore the use of natural moisture-responsiveness of (selected) organic materials -such as Wood, hydrogel (made from seaweed), wool and flax fibres- in response to moisture to produce novel breathing building skins with minimal cost and environmental impact. I am researching the operational requirements for the variable porosity building skins and developing strategies for the integration of bio-based materials in low-energy buildings which involves prototyping and testing. I got my Bachelor in Architecture (BArch) and Masters in Architecture (MArch) from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in 2012 and 2014, respectively, and the PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cardiff University in 2018. I have two years of experience working as a Lecturer (in Southeast University, Bangladesh), three years of experience as a teaching and research assistant (in Cardiff University), and three years of experience working as a Research Associate (with predominantly research, some teaching and supervision responsibilities) in Heriot-Watt University in 2018-2021. I have been working on multiple research projects as Principal Investigator, Researcher Co-Investigator, Research Associate and Research Assistant for the past 10 years.
Job Titles:
- Research Associate
- Artist
Louise Mackenzie is an artist, filmmaker, curator and researcher. Her practice explores human relationships with the non-human world using methodologies based in process, chance, appropriation and translation. With an interest in experimental and experiential practices, sound and new/found media play an important role in her work. At the HBBE, Louise's research will explore relationships between the researchers in the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment (HBBE), members of the public and non-human life in the home.
Louise holds a PhD in Fine Art from BxNU Institute of Contemporary Art, is a member of the Cultural Negotiation of Science Research Group and the Hybrid Lab Network. Through her post-doctoral research at the University of Porto and Northumbria University, she has developed a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to critical engagement with scientific practice. She is founder and curator of interdisciplinary pop-up cinema, Black Box and interdisciplinary community for research in human/animal relationships, Alive Together.
Louise's work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including FACTT Arte Institute (Lisbon), Ars Electronica (Linz), ISEA Montreal (Canada), Pomona Museum of Art, California (USA), National Library of Spain, Madrid (Spain), BALTIC CCA, Newcastle (UK), Charles Darwin House, London (UK), Basement 6 Collective, Shanghai (China), Summerhall, Edinburgh (UK), Hatton Gallery, Newcastle (UK), Lumiere Durham (UK) and Fort Process, Newhaven (UK). Current projects include BE THE SEA, with Seascapes, Sunderland University and Durham Wildlife Trust and Offering the Body.
Mandy is a PhD candidate at Northumbria University in the School of Health and Life Sciences. She obtained a Masters of Science in Chemistry from Newcastle University and has participated in poster presentations at national and international conferences in Japan as an undergraduate. Her PhD is based on developing biohybrid systems (combining microbes and inorganic components) to produce solar chemicals and fuels from waste carbon.
Job Titles:
- Technical Support Officer
Job Titles:
- Peter Style Hub Co - Ordinator
Job Titles:
- Professor in Bacteriophage Biology
- Professor in Bacteriophage Biology - BBE Theme Lead 'Microbial Environments'
Prof. Smith is a Professor in Bacteriophage Biology at Northumbria University and the HBBE 'Microbial Environments' theme lead.
His Groups focus in the HBBE is studying the development of microbiomes in the built environment, between different spaces and how they can be sampled in real time using DNA sequencing. With increasing knowledge of the diversity of microbial environments in our surroundings whether at work or at home, we will be offered ways to modulate or augment our microbial environments. His wider groups research interests relate to how bacteriophages alter bacterial physiology, phenotype and bacterial community structure through chromosomal integration, subversion of cell function, or during active infection and cell lysis. His group uses lab, multi-omic and bioinformatics-based approaches to determine the physiological impact of lysogeny or lytic infection on the host bacterium and the surrounding microbiota in clinical and environmental settings. His groups research aims are to offer an insight into the modulation of microbial communities and how phages play a role in bacterial/community selection and evolution.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Emerging Technology
Job Titles:
- Professor of Experimental Architecture
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant - Living Textiles
Job Titles:
- Professor of Biological Architecture