Kate Adamala

Biography

Dr. Adamala is a biochemist whose research centers on building synthetic cells to study the origin of life and advance biotechnology. Her lab develops synthetic cell technologies for metabolic engineering, drug discovery, and biosensing, with applications ranging from medicine to space exploration. She earned her MSc in synthetic organic chemistry from the University of Warsaw and conducted graduate work with Pier Luigi Luisi and Jack Szostak on RNA biophysics and protocell dynamics. As a postdoctoral fellow in Ed Boyden’s group at MIT, she developed new tools for multiplex control of mammalian cells. Beyond her lab, Dr. Adamala coordinates the international Build-a-Cell community, co-founded bioengineering startups, and works on biosafety and biosecurity in synthetic biology. She is a Polymath Fellow at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, co-chairs the EBRC Security Working Group, and helps lead initiatives including BioBOLD and BioMADE’s safety programs.