Gizem Gumuskaya

Dr. Gizem Gumuskaya is an architect and synthetic biologist based in Boston, USA. Forging a rigorous intersection between design, biology, and computation, her research focuses on synthetic morphogenesis: reprogramming the morphogenetic code embodied in biological structures to create self-constructing living architectures by design. The latest example of these synthetic architectures is her doctoral invention, Anthrobots, the first human-derived self-constructing biological robots, with abilities to execute diverse tasks and further self-assemble into larger structures. Gizem’s research has been published in a wide range of journals from Advanced Science to the International Journal of Architectural Computing, as well as featured in The New York Times, CNN, Reuters, BBC, Science, Nature, Scientific American, Forbes, Al Jazeera, and many other outlets. Gizem holds a PhD in Biology from Tufts University and Wyss Institute at Harvard University (advisor: Michael Levin), as well as a dual master’s degree in Synthetic Biology and Computational Design from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (advisors: Ron Weiss and George Stiny, respectively). Originally from Turkey, Gizem earned her Bachelor in Architecture in 2015 from Istanbul Technical University. More on her research can be found at www.gizemgumuskaya.com.