Professor Martyn Dade-Robertson

Martyn Dade-Robertson is Professor of Emerging Technology at Northumbria University, and Co-Lead of the Living Construction group where his research explores the theory and practice of biofabrication, engineered living materials, and new forms of scientific knowledge production. His work sits at the intersection of architecture, biotechnology, computation, and design research, combining experimental fabrication with conceptual frameworks for understanding agency, growth, and complexity in living systems.

A central focus of his practice-based research is biofabrication as a design methodology rather than a purely technical process. This work reframes fabrication as a dialogue with ‘agential matter’, where form emerges through the interaction of genetic rules, environmental gradients, and historical contingency. His research contributes to the theory of biofabrication by articulating concepts such as developmental time, phenotypic plasticity, and controllability, and by positioning design as an act of steering rather than direct control.

His broader interest in Bio Design has lead him to develop new research platforms including founding the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment (HBBE) and the Cambridge University press journal: Biotechnology Design,

Alongside this material and biological work, Dade-Robertson has developed a parallel strand of research in metascience, data visualisation, and research intelligence. He is the founder of Semantic Space and the creator of Macroscope, a large-scale analytical platform for mapping, analysing, and interpreting academic research landscapes. Macroscope combines bibliometric data, full-text analysis, and large language models to visualise disciplinary structure, institutional performance, thematic clusters, and epistemic gaps across research fields. The platform has been used to interrogate questions of research quality, interdisciplinarity, evaluation bias, and the limits of peer review, including experimental applications to REF-style assessment and strategic research planning.

• Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
• Alternative Leather Fashion, Yu, J., Paul, S., Zafar, R., Shi, Y., Ahmed, Z., James, A., Dade-Robertson, M., Zhang, M. 23 Jan 2026, Sustainable Fashion Materials, Singapore, Springer
• Biodesign x AI: Interactions in the Algorithmic Wet Lab, Kim, R., Chen, Y., Ramirez-Figueroa, C., Zhou, J., Telhan, O., Nicenboim, I., Dade-Robertson, M., Pevere, M., Robaey, Z. 13 Apr 2026, CHI 2026 - Extended Abtracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, New York, NY, United States, ACM
• Designing with Uncertainty: A Probability Space Method for Range-Based Anticipation in Biodesign, Ozkan, D., Dade-Robertson, M. 5 Jun 2026, In: Research Directions: Biotechnology Design
• Formation Finding: Exploring Soft Cast MICP fabrication in a Water Kiln, Arnardottir, T., Wang, C., Haystead, J., Eiriksdottir, S., Zhang, M., Dade-Robertson, M. 1 Jan 2026, In: Biotechnology Design
• Methodological Framework for Designing with Fungi, Ozkan, D., Dade-Robertson, M. 28 Jul 2026, Mycology for Architecture, London, United Kingdom, Pelagic
• One-Pot Production of Melanised Bacterial Cellulose through Rational Enzyme Engineering, Gilmour, K., Loh, J., Singh, W., Santos, S., Cheung, W., Ellis, T., Dade-Robertson, M., Zhang, M. 23 May 2026, In: Cleaner Materials
• EmbryOme 1: Submerged Soft Cast MICP Fabrication, Arnardottir, T., Wang, C., Haystead, J., Dade-Robertson, M., Zhang, M. 13 Feb 2025
• EmbryOME3: Prototree, Dade-Robertson, M., Gilmour, K., Poma, M., Zhang, M. 2025
• Enhanced production of bacterial cellulose with a mesh dispenser vessel‑based bioreactor, Loh, J., Arnardottir, T., Gilmour, K., Zhang, M., Dade-Robertson, M. 1 Mar 2025, In: Cellulose
• Environmentally Conscious Hydrophobic Spray Coatings on Bacterial Cellulose for Sustainable and Reusable Textiles, Gilmour, K., Dell’Agnese, B., Bonney, G., Unthank, M., White, N., Scott, J., Sherry, A., James, P., Jiang, Y., Dade-Robertson, M., Zhang, M. 10 Jul 2025, In: Journal of Cleaner Production

• Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
• Oral presentation: Biogenic mineral precipitation and self-healing in lime-based mortars: showcasing its potential through the Healing Masonry prototype. 2025
• Invited talk: Living Construction From high concepts to prototypes and products 2025
• Oral presentation: Demonstrating the potential of biological self-healing for conservation through the healing masonry prototype. Presenter: Magdalini Theodoridou. 2023

• Architecture MPhil October 28 2022
• Science MSc October 30 2015
• Architecture PhD October 30 2015
• Architecture BA (Hons) June 30 2000