Naomi Nakayama

Dr. Naomi Nakayama is an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London, leading the Biological Form and Function Lab within the Faculty of Engineering. She specializes in interdisciplinary research exploring the design principles of biological structures, particularly focusing on plant morphology and functional materials. Her work integrates cell and developmental biology, synthetic biology, biomechanics, and material sciences to address challenges in sustainable agriculture and green technology.

Nakayama holds a PhD in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from Yale University and has held prior positions as a Royal Society University Research Fellow and Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. Her research emphasizes the application of biophysical and synthetic approaches to understand and engineer plant forms and functions, with affiliations to key institutions like the Centre for Synthetic Biology and the Institute for Molecular Science and Engineering.

Her research trends reflect a focus on plant developmental biology, synthetic biology tools, and biomechanical adaptations, as evidenced by recent publications on seed dispersal mechanisms, synthetic multicellularity, and gene regulatory networks. Her lab’s work bridges fundamental biology with practical applications, such as bio-inspired robotics and sustainable agriculture solutions.

Nakayama’s contributions include pioneering the Mobius Assembly framework for DNA assembly in plant systems and advancing understanding of environmental morphing in plants. Her research is supported by collaborative grants and has led to innovations in plant tissue engineering and functional materials.