Karen Polizzi

Professor Karen Polizzi is a Professor of Biotechnology in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London, affiliated with multiple research centers including the CDT in Chemical Biology, Centre for Synthetic Biology, and Future Vaccine Manufacturing Research Hub. Her work focuses on developing synthetic biology tools and biosensors to monitor and correct cellular behavior, with applications in biopharmaceutical processing and neurodegenerative disease research.

Her research integrates genetically-encoded biosensors and synthetic circuits to enable self-correcting organisms, addressing challenges in vaccine production, antibody engineering, and cellular diagnostics. Key affiliations include the Leverhulme Centre for Cellular Bionics and UKRI AI for Engineering Biology Consortium.

Polizzi’s expertise spans protein engineering, metabolic modeling, and cell-free systems, with a strong emphasis on translating synthetic biology into industrial and medical applications. Her work bridges fundamental biological understanding with practical bioprocessing innovations, particularly in optimizing glycosylation pathways and improving bioreactor monitoring through advanced sensing technologies.

Her interdisciplinary approach combines computational modeling with experimental validation, addressing complex systems like antibody production in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and mRNA integrity assessment for therapeutic applications. She leads teams developing novel biosensors for real-time cellular monitoring and has pioneered tools like the 'Bioorthogonal Precision Tool' for enzyme engineering.