Living Manufacture

Project Summary 

The EPSRC-funded Living Manufacture project explores the potential of engineered living systems to revolutionize manufacturing by integrating biology directly into production processes. Combining synthetic biology, materials science, and design, the project aims to develop bio-based fabrication methods that are sustainable, adaptive, and decentralized. By engineering microorganisms to grow materials with specific functions, Living Manufacture envisions future manufacturing systems that are self-organizing, self-repairing, and environmentally responsive. The project addresses key challenges in scalability, control, and integration of living systems into design workflows, offering new paradigms for sustainable production across sectors such as construction, fashion, and consumer goods.

Principle Investigator: 

Martyn Dade-Robertson (Northumbria University)

Co-Investigators: 

Meng Zhang (Northumbria University)

Tom Ellis (Imperial College London)

Harrison Steel (Oxford University)

Researcher Co-Is

Thora Arnardottir (Northumbria University)

Katie Gilmore  (Northumbria University)

EPSRC Grant no. EP/Y008243/1