Sebastian Maerkl

Sebastian Maerkl is an Associate Professor at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in the Laboratory of Biological Network Characterization, part of the School of Engineering (STI) and the Institute of Bioengineering (IBI-STI). He holds a joint appointment in the EDBB-GE PhD Program Committee and leads the SEL-ENS teaching initiative. His academic journey began with dual B.Sc. degrees in Biology and Chemistry from Fairleigh-Dickinson University (2001) before earning a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics from Caltech (2008).

Prof. Maerkl's research lies at the intersection of microfluidics, cell-free synthetic biology, transcription factor biophysics, and molecular diagnostics. His lab has pioneered microfluidic platforms for high-throughput characterization of gene regulatory networks, protein-DNA interactions, and cellular processes. Recent work focuses on artificial cell systems using the PURE cell-free translation system, self-regenerating protein networks, and sustainable biomolecular material design via circular economy principles.

His 15 most recent articles (2022-2025) reveal consistent innovation in microfluidic reactor design for cell-free systems, with 2025 studies on tRNA synthesis and protein-ligand deep learning tools. He has secured major funding including an ERC Consolidator Grant (2016) and multiple Swiss National Science Foundation grants, supporting work that has yielded over 50 peer-reviewed publications and 6 patents.

Honors:

• 2005: Innovator’s Challenge – 1st Place (Caltech/Stanford/Berkeley)
• 2008: Demetriades-Tsafka-Kokalis Prize – Best Caltech PhD Thesis in Biotechnology
• 2012: Prix SSV – Ambition – EPFL Teaching Excellence Award
• 2016: ERC Consolidator Grant (€2M+)
• 2019: iGEM Grand Prize Winner (Overgrad Category) – First Swiss Team Victory

As founder and advisor of the EPFL iGEM team (2008-2020), he mentored teams that won 8 Gold, 2 Silver, and 1 Bronze medals. His lab hosted international fellows including one Fulbright Scholar and two Whitaker Fellows, while developing microfluidic devices for applications ranging from cancer diagnostics to SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection.