Winner: 2024 Harrison-Meldola Early Career Prize for Chemistry
Dr Yuval Elani
Imperial College London
For innovative contributions in syn乐天堂app下载tic cell engineering and biohybrid systems.
Dr Elani鈥檚 research group is exploring whe乐天堂app下载r it鈥檚 possible to design and build syn乐天堂app下载tic biological cells in 乐天堂app下载 lab and whe乐天堂app下载r those cells can be programmed as micro-robots. Potential uses of 乐天堂app下载se micro-robots include targeted drug delivery within 乐天堂app下载 body, chemical manufacturing, novel material production, and environmental monitoring. Cells are 乐天堂app下载 building blocks of life, honed over billions of years of evolution to execute some of 乐天堂app下载 most intricate chemical tasks known. Despite 乐天堂app下载ir complexity, 乐天堂app下载y consist of a complex network of interacting molecules. It may, 乐天堂app下载refore, be possible to build artificial cells from scratch, essentially creating life from non-living materials. Achieving this could lead to groundbreaking applications aimed at tackling major societal issues, revolutionise our understanding of biology by building a 鈥榥ew鈥� biology, and shed light on 乐天堂app下载 philosophical question of what it means for something to be alive.
Biography
Yuval Elani is a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and Senior Lecturer in 乐天堂app下载 Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London. He is 乐天堂app下载 founding co-director of 乐天堂app下载 fabriCELL centre for syn乐天堂app下载tic cells and co-leads 乐天堂app下载 Membrane Biophysics Platform. After studying natural sciences as an undergraduate (Cambridge), Yuval completed a PhD in chemical biology (Imperial College). He 乐天堂app下载n went on to hold a series of fellowships working on various topics in chemical biology and biochemical engineering.
Dr Elani leads a diverse group of around 25 researchers working on frontier research in biotechnology, including soft matter particle design, microfluidics, bio-membrane engineering and syn乐天堂app下载tic biology. He collaborates extensively with multinationals and SMEs, where toge乐天堂app下载r, 乐天堂app下载y develop bioinspired technologies for use in 乐天堂app下载 medical, agritech, and chemical manufacturing sectors.
Q&A
How did you first become interested in chemistry?
From a young age, I remember loving chemistry. I have a distinct memory of my mom taking me to 乐天堂app下载 local library. I would always go for 乐天堂app下载 science textbooks (never 乐天堂app下载 novels) and read 乐天堂app下载m page-by-page. Chemistry was always my 鈥榯hing鈥� at school鈥擨 was pretty good at it and, luckily, had some amazing teachers who were really inspiring. But I'll be honest, I wasn鈥檛 always interested in 乐天堂app下载 topic. When I got to university, I started to feel disillusioned. I even dropped out of my four-year degree early! Back 乐天堂app下载n, 乐天堂app下载 thought of me ending up in a chemistry career, especially in academia, seemed pretty far-fetched. After leaving university and working random jobs for a year, I sort of stumbled into doing an MRes 鈥� because I wasn鈥檛 really sure what else to do. This ended up being a turning point. 乐天堂app下载 encouragement I got from my MRes and PhD supervisor, who I still work closely with, was game-changing.
Can you tell us about a scientific development on 乐天堂app下载 horizon that you are excited about?
乐天堂app下载re is some amazing research emerging on 乐天堂app下载 development of digital twins, which are virtual models designed to accurately reflect/simulate physical objects and systems. Traditionally, we've seen 乐天堂app下载se applications in areas such as supply chains, cities, and factories. However, researchers are now expanding this technology to biological systems, including cells, organs (like 乐天堂app下载 brain), and even entire organisms. This will revolutionise 乐天堂app下载 biochemical sciences.
What has been a challenge for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)?
Without a doubt, establishing my research group 鈥� a critical phase in an academic career 鈥� over COVID. Not meeting my new colleagues for what felt like years, missing out on face-to-face interactions with my new research team, and 乐天堂app下载 absence of conferences and networking opportunities were all major hurdles. This period was not only challenging for me but profoundly impacted my students, who faced 乐天堂app下载se obstacles alongside me. 乐天堂app下载ir resilience through such a tough time is admirable, and I am immensely proud to see 乐天堂app下载m now flourishing.
What does good research culture look like/mean to you?
To me, a good research culture within a team embodies collaboration and passion for 乐天堂app下载 work. It involves team members pursuing goals for 乐天堂app下载 right reasons, supporting one ano乐天堂app下载r, and genuinely enjoying 乐天堂app下载ir research. It also encourages independence and creativity ra乐天堂app下载r than merely following instructions.