BiTS Fellows

Roslyn Bill is Aston University's 50th Anniversary Professor of Biotechnology. She obtained her degrees in Chemistry from Oxford University and is an international authority on aquaporin (AQP) water channels. Her team discovered how water enters the brain after injury through AQP4 and identified a licensed medicine that can prevent it. She was awarded an ERC Advanced Grant in 2023 and is a founding member of the AQP sub-committee of IUPHAR/Guide to Pharmacology.

Jonathan “Jo” Melville was a Fellow at ARPA-E in the US Department of Energy from 2022–2024, where he developed and managed over $100 million in high-risk grants for green steel production, synthetic fuels, and geologic hydrogen. He holds a PhD in chemistry from MIT and a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley. He is from San Francisco, California.

Sven Truckenbrodt is working on how the brain’s molecular hardware produces cognition. Sven has helped build next-generation brain mapping technology as Lead Scientist Molecular Connectomics at E11 Bio, one of the world’s first Focused Research Organizations. He is now a group leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK.

Ananth Kumar is an entrepreneurial scientist and policy nerd. He obtained his PhD in Biological Science from the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology as a Gates Cambridge Scholar, and was a HFSP long-term fellow at Yale University working on non-coding RNAs. Outside of science, he enjoys cricket, Japanese sword fighting and reading fiction.

Karim Brohi is a trauma surgeon and director of the Centre for Trauma Sciences at Queen Mary University of London. He was a founder of the London Major Trauma System and its director for a decade until May 2025. His research focuses on improving survival after major trauma, focusing on the first minutes and hours after injury.

A Materials Engineer turned Bioengineer, exploring the intersection of bits and atoms through nucleic acids for therapeutic applications.

Araki is a chronic pain patient who’s spent the past decade in chronic disease drug discovery. He founded Artemis, a philanthropic startup for uterine-ovarian disease, and led multi-million-dollar drug programs at Gordian Bio. He trained at Yale and UW–Madison with fellowships from Emergent Ventures, Fifty Years, and Pillar VC.

Arzhang Ardavan completed his BA and D.Phil at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, in experimental condensed matter physics. He held a Royal Society University Research Fellowship from 2003 to 2012 and has been Professor in Physics at Oxford since 2015. His multidisciplinary research combines physics with strong collaborations in chemistry and world-leading research activities internationally.

Dr Nazila Kamaly is an Associate Professor in Synthetic Biomaterials and Nanomedicine at Imperial College London. She has held postdoctoral and instructor positions at MIT and Harvard Medical School. She leads a multidisciplinary research group developing bioinspired nanomaterials for targeted nucleic acid and drug delivery. With over 100 publications, 15,000 citations and an h-index of 36, she has a proven track record in securing cross-sector collaborations and has secured over £16M research funding to date.

Dean is a Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow specialising in Digital Chemistry. He completed his PhD at the University of Manchester, focusing on fuelled artificial molecular machines. Since joining the Cronin Group, he has developed autonomous synthesis platforms, prioritising safe handling of hazardous materials and integration into fully automated chemical manufacturing workflows.

Agata Nyga, PhD, is an academic-turned-entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in bioengineering and mechanobiology. She has led research projects at leading international institutions and authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications. She is now CEO and Founder of Mechanome Bio, developing a platform for mapping and modulating the mechanical states of cells and tissues.

Artem Mishchenko is a condensed matter physicist at the University of Manchester. He studies quantum effects in atomically thin materials, combining advanced experiments with AI to rapidly discover new electronic, magnetic and optical properties.

Jan Jedryszek is a PhD student in Physics at the Technical University of Munich and the Max Planck School Matter to Life. His research focuses on assembling synthetic cells into prototissues and enabling their molecular communication across vascular networks. He cofounded Aster Bioelectronics and was part of Evolvere Biosciences (YC S24). Previously, he worked at the European Space Agency (ESA), developing biological mining methods for Martian and Lunar regolith. He is a 2025 O’Shaughnessy Ventures Fellow.

Shahaf Peleg received his PhD from the University of Göttingen, where he was part of the International Max Planck Research School of Neuroscience. His laboratory at the FBN Dummerstorf seeks to better understand the molecular changes associated with the progression of aging. He is co-founder of Luminova Biotech and an advisor to the Thalion initiative.

Jerome Unidad, PhD, is a technologist-entrepreneur with a career spanning hardware engineering, fluid transport, materials science, applied physics and biotechnology. At Xerox PARC, he developed biomedical devices, biosensors, cleantech and additive manufacturing. As founder of Centeon, he led efforts to develop cost-competitive bioproduction of ammonia. He is now working with Renaissance Philanthropy to advance global capabilities for space biomanufacturing.

Joe Meyerowitz is an engineer and serial founder focused on bio-based chemical manufacturing with Field Foundry, based in London. He holds a PhD in Biophysics from Caltech, did postdoctoral work at the Francis Crick Institute. He has worked on several DARPA programs, is an angel investor, and co-founded the now-acquired cybersecurity firm Expanse.

Ida Tin is the former CEO and Chair of Clue, the most trusted female health app with over ten million users in 190+ countries. Tin coined the term “Femtech” in 2016, defining a sector projected to exceed a trillion dollars by 2040. She is now director of Femtech Assembly, a think tank connecting women’s health investment to broader economic development.

Alex is a clinician-scientist at University Erlangen–Nuremberg exploring medical hibernation. He has initiated research on cryopreservation of the nervous system, resulting in the first report of near-physiological recovery of adult mouse hippocampus after vitrification. He is also advancing translation as a founder of Hiber. His background spans medicine, neurology, medical imaging and mathematics.

Antonia Schmalz works at SPRIND, the German Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation. Her work focuses on market shaping for nuclear fusion, designing mechanisms to bridge the gap between breakthrough physics and commercial energy deployment.

Vasyl is a neuroscientist at The Francis Crick Institute in London, where his research explores how neural circuits integrate sensory information and motivational states to drive behaviour. He holds an MSc in Neuroscience from the International Max Planck Research School in Göttingen and a PhD from UCL and the Crick. Beyond the lab, Vasyl leads the Crick Science Entrepreneur Network, a 3,800-strong community connecting scientists, founders, investors and corporates across the UK.

Achim is a scientist at the intersection of physics and biotech. Following a PhD studying nanoscale thermoelectric phenomena, he developed MEMS sensors and resonators, then joined a startup integrating engineered proteins with a semiconductor platform for direct-readout biosensing. He currently works on protein based continuous in vivo biosensing.

Anna-Lena works with Positron Ventures, assisting scientists in turning breakthroughs into successful companies. After studying physics and working in several early-stage startups, she built the Fraunhofer AHEAD program as a platform for scientists to transform their research into investable startups. She has also been involved in initiatives focused on reimagining the future of higher education.

Iuma Martinez is a geoscientist and remote sensing specialist developing scalable sensing systems for mining and subsurface characterisation. Her work integrates radar and spectral approaches to support critical mineral recovery, tailings safety, and emerging resource systems, bridging terrestrial and space-relevant applications.

As a geologist, Graham’s research focuses on mapping critical mineral resources and supply chains. During his decade with the USGS, he helped define mineral criticality and led the DARPA-funded CriticalMAAS program. He holds a PhD from UC Santa Barbara and was a postdoc at MIT.

Ronen is a collective intelligence researcher and entrepreneur. He completed an Open Science fellowship at the Astera Institute, and is a co-founder of multiple metascience startups and initiatives, including Cosmik and ATProto Science. Ronen holds a PhD in AI from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Rachel Dutton is a microbiologist known for her work on microbial ecology and fermented foods. She has led academic labs at Harvard and UC San Diego and has spent recent years working across startups and nonprofit research organisations to build new models for scientific discovery and translation.

Joseph Meany is President of the Interstellar Research Group, a nonprofit dedicated to deep exploration of the cosmos. He is a technical consultant in materials science, advising on over $500 million in high-risk research programs. He received his PhD in Chemistry from The University of Alabama.

Researching urban wildlife welfare as a postdoctoral associate at NYU’s Department of Environmental Studies, Mal also serves as Strategy Director (on sabbatical) at Wild Animal Initiative, board member for the Arthropoda Foundation, and represents WAI on the National Academies’ Roundtable for Animal Welfare.

Agustín Pardo Van Thienen is founder and CEO of Wumbox, where he builds AI-driven, evidence-based tools for early identification of learning risk, scalable digital screening, and intervention pathways. His work has reached more than five million beneficiaries in over 20 countries, particularly in underserved communities.

Zack Li is an astrophysicist on a mission to measure the entire Universe. He coordinates science at UC Berkeley for LuSEE-Night, the first telescope on the lunar farside (landing 2027). He previously chased echoes of the Big Bang during his PhD at Princeton University.

Jerzy Szablowski is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Rice University, where his laboratory develops noninvasive methods to control and monitor living tissue. He is the co-founder and CEO of Imprint Bio and a recipient of the Packard Fellowship, NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, and DARPA Young Faculty Award. He holds a PhD from Caltech and an SB from MIT.

Chris Ganje has spent nearly two decades bridging frontier technology, public policy, and global security. He co-founded and scaled AMPLYFI, a venture-backed deep tech company, and led disruptive technology assessment and European energy technology policy at BP. He is a member of DARPA’s Switch Policy Working Group, an Innovate UK Council Member, and a Fellow at Cambridge University’s Centre for Science and Policy.

Maryam is a healthcare innovator passionate about closing gaps in women’s health. A Stanford PhD and Y Combinator alumna, she founded iSono Health (world’s first FDA-cleared AI wearable for breast health) and led technology commercialisation at ARPA-H, translating breakthrough science into real-world impact.

Ryan Chaban is a Fellow at ARPA-E where he has developed, selected, and managed projects for over $100 million in high-risk, high-impact research in materials, fusion, and fission technologies. He holds a BSE in Engineering Physics from CWRU and a PhD in Physics from William & Mary for experimental work on the DIII-D tokamak, the largest operating fusion reactor in the US.

Hertz Fellow and PhD candidate at MIT. Her background is in Synthetic Biology and Biodefence. She helped establish the Israeli equivalent of DARPA’s Biological Technologies Office and the Israeli Chapter of Nucleate, and is a Fellow at Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health.

Celestine “Cee Cee” Schnugg is a venture capitalist and founder operating at the nexus of technology, science, and impact. As Founding Managing Partner of Boom Capital, she backs frontier innovation across space, AI, and bioscience, while advancing Project Atlas to transform disease detection, prevention, and cure.

Masaki Umeda is Vice CEO and Director of SORA Technology, leading drone-centred autonomous systems for climate and health risks across Africa and beyond, working with governments, donors, and communities to translate environmental intelligence into real-world action.

Leading research programs in microbiome drug development and personalised medicine, Rotem brings expertise in biomedical data and biomarker discovery, and has supported fundraising of $200M for early-stage startups. He is currently the head of data strategy at a Tokyo-based biotech VC, and holds a PhD in computational and systems biology from MIT.

Jeremy S. Knopp is a technology executive specialising in dual-use innovation across defence, space, and critical infrastructure. A former U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Program Officer in Tokyo, he integrates advanced technologies across the Indo-Pacific, combining expertise in engineering, statistics, and international partnerships to accelerate deployment of high-impact systems.

Leading Anthropocene Institute’s push to develop gigaton-scale phytoplankton carbon solutions in the subtropical Pacific, Quico is a Tokyo-based journalist turned climate technologist who writes the ecomodernist substack One Percent Brighter and is the author of Charlatans.

Fumi is an Associate Professor of Environmental Economics at Hitotsubashi University, specialising in waste management and climate policy in Asia. Previously, he was a senior researcher at the Material Cycles Division, NIES. He also actively contributes to Japanese government policymaking and implementation.

Max Kanwal is a Neuro/AI PhD student at Stanford University developing closed-loop control algorithms for brain–computer interfaces. A Fellow at the Foresight Institute, he holds a BS in EECS and Mathematics from UC Berkeley and collaborates across academia, startups, and venture capital to advance neurotechnology for human well-being.

Richard (Rickey) Egan is a project manager and senior research scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, where he leverages principles of chemical engineering, synthetic biology, and nanomedicine to overcome hard problems in pharmaceutical drug delivery and biomanufacturing.

Emi Furukawa is a clinical psychologist and Senior Staff Scientist at OIST. Her work focuses on ADHD reinforcement processes and scalable, community-embedded behavioural supports, integrating behavioural science, digital tools, and participatory design to build accessible, culturally adaptive interventions for children and families.

Masataka Watanabe is a University of Tokyo associate professor specialising in consciousness. As the architect of the “Subjective Test of Consciousness” and patented BMI inventor, he integrates theoretical modelling with invasive electrophysiology to bridge biological and artificial minds for future digital immortality.