Team lead
Dr. Andrea Belluati
Principal Investigator
Andrea’s academic journey began with a PhD from the University of Basel (2020). After a postdoctoral appointment in UCT Prague, he was awarded a MSCA Individual Fellowship, which he held between the University of Strathclyde and TU Darmstadt. In 2024, his independent potential was recognized through the Athene Young Investigator award at Darmstadt. In January 2025, Andrea established his independent research group through the prestigious Emmy Noether Programme of the German Research Foundation (DFG). He is currently designated for a transition to a W1 Professorship at TU Darmstadt, scheduled to commence in 2026.
Email: andrea.belluati(at)tu-darmstadt.de
Postdocs
Dr. Priyanka Dhakane
Coming soon! March 2026
Email:
PhDs
Lotta Tölke
Co-supervised with Prof. Nico Bruns
Lotta joined the group in 2024, within the DFG Priority Program “Engineered Living Materials with Adaptive Functions” (SPP 2451). Her work focuses on the precision modification of living cell surfaces using enzymatic radical polymerizations to create adaptive, bio-hybrid materials. By leveraging biocatalysis to graft functional polymers onto yeast cell membranes, she develops systems that interface synthetic materials with biological functionality. This research has expanded into a collaboration with the group of Prof. Ulrike Nuber (TU Darmstadt), where these surface-engineering strategies are translated to mammalian cell systems to explore their potential in steering tissue organization. Lotta holds a Master’s degree in Chemistry from Heidelberg University.
Email: lotta.toelke(at)tu-darmstadt.de
ORCID: 0009-0000-5672-9878
Gizem Cantörü
Co-supervised with Prof. Nico Bruns
Gizem is a doctoral researcher within the MSCA COFUND trainLSE program at the Graduate School of Life Science Engineering. Her research focuses on the development of artificial cells using biocatalytic Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly (bioPISA) to create functional synthetic compartments.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Yıldız Technical University and a Master’s degree in (Bio) Organic and Polymer Chemistry from Ghent University, where she specialized in gelatin-based hybrid hydrogels for 3D printing.
Email: gizem.cantoerue(at)tu-darmstadt.de
ORCID: 0009-0000-0652-0267
Ra’ana Naderi Ahranjani
Ra’ana joined the group in 2025. Her research explores the interface of chemistry and life through the design of polymer-based artificial cells and artificial symbionts. Her work focuses on crafting systems that can organize and respond to environmental stimuli, mimicking the emergence of life from matter.
She obtained her M.Sc. in Biotechnology Engineering from Sahand University of Technology, where she worked on liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) systems to detect viral genomes of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from aquatic environments. Later, she worked as a Quality Control Manager in the wet wipes industry and a Planning Expert in the polymer industry
Email: rana.naderi(at)tu-darmstadt.de
ORCID: 0009-0006-2014-4636
Ketan Deodatt Amita Kulkarni
Ketan is a doctoral researcher (DAAD) specializing in the design of stimuli-responsive materials for targeted drug delivery. By controlling the molecular dynamics of these responsive architectures, his work aims to improve the efficacy and selectivity of delivery systems in complex biological environments.
Ketan holds a Master’s degree in Biochemistry from Fergusson College, Pune. Before joining the group at TU Darmstadt, he held research positions at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay).
Email: ketan.kulkarni(at)tu-darmstadt.de
ORCID: 0009-0008-9573-9356
Thesis students
Elina Kim
MSc thesis student
In collaboration with Prof. Marcel Dann
Elina is currently conducting her Master’s thesis research on the development of cyanobacteria-yeast exosymbiosis. The project focuses on the design of bio-hybrid interfaces to establish stable, functional consortia between photosynthetic and heterotrophic organisms. A key aspect of this work involves the implementation of distance control mechanisms, where the spatial proximity between the cyanobacteria and the yeast cells is precisely modulated to optimize metabolic exchange and signaling.
Email:
Alumni
Dr. Alfredo Escribano Huesca
Postdoctoral researcher. Now: Teaching Lecturer at University of Oviedo
Alfredo Escribano Huesca was a postdoctoral researcher in the group, where he applied his background in biophysics to the study of complex synthetic architectures. His work focused on the engineering and characterization of multicompartment bioPISA vesicles, specifically investigating the physical mechanisms behind structural deformations and membrane dynamics in hierarchical artificial cells. His research provided key insights into the mechanical stability required for functional synthetic microreactors. Alfredo holds a PhD in Biophysics from the University of Granada and is currently continuing his academic career in Oviedo, Spain.
The Team (2024)
