Neha Kamat

Neha Kamat is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and (by courtesy) Chemical and Biological Engineering at Northwestern University. Her research focuses on synthetic biology and biomaterials engineering to design artificial cells and membrane-based systems. She leads the Kamat Lab, which explores membrane biophysics, cell-free systems, and synthetic biology applications in diagnostics and therapeutics.

• Education:
  • B.S., Bioengineering, Rice University
  • Ph.D., Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania
  • NASA Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital

Research Interests: The Kamat Lab investigates biological membranes as biomaterial platforms. Key areas include:

• Membrane protein folding mechanisms
• Engineering synthetic cells and vesicles for therapeutics
• Cell-free systems for biomanufacturing
• Membrane mechanobiology
• Biosensing via synthetic membranes

Their work bridges synthetic biology and materials science to create cell-like structures with sensing, communication, and manufacturing capabilities.

Awards:

• NSF CAREER Award (2022)
• NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship

Advising & Collaborations: Active in mentoring graduate students, postdocs, and undergraduates. Collaborates with Northwestern's Center for Synthetic Biology on NSF-funded projects involving synthetic cell design and bacterial microcompartments. Recent lab moves to Mudd Hall facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations.

Labs/Teams: The Kamat Lab is part of the McCormick School of Engineering and the Center of Synthetic Biology. Current research projects include:

• Designing synthetic cells with programmable functions
• Optimizing cell-free expression systems in synthetic vesicles
• Membrane mechanobiology studies using micropipette aspiration and microfluidics