Priyanka Sharan

Dr. Priyanka Sharan is a Research Fellow and Group Leader for Polymersome Systems within the Artificial Cells project at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz, Germany. She has held this position since May 2025, following postdoctoral research at the same institute and at TU Dresden. She obtained her Master's in Materials Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, India, and completed her doctorate at TU Dresden in March 2022.

Research Focus

Her interdisciplinary research bridges synthetic biology, polymer chemistry, and self-assembly to develop artificial cellular systems with life-like functionalities. Key areas include:

• Design of membrane transport systems and compartmentalization
• Engineering stimuli-responsive polymersomes and nanoreactors
• Biomedical applications in targeted drug delivery
• Fundamental studies of membrane permeability and deformation

Her publication record demonstrates consistent focus on active colloids, microswimmers, and adaptive nanomaterials, with recent advances in controlling colloidal behavior through surface charge engineering.