The winning theses also highlight the distinctive interdisciplinary nature of the Synthetic Biology research focus at TU Darmstadt. The awardees conducted their research in the departments of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Biology, Chemistry, and Mechanical Engineering, thereby exemplifying the close collaboration between engineering and the natural sciences within the profile topic Synthetic Biology

The 2025 Centre Thesis Awards:

Thomas Bangard for his bachelor’s thesis on the use of transformer-based AI models for the development of complete mRNA transcripts. His work demonstrates the potential of artificial intelligence for future applications in mRNA research and therapy.

Raoul Fuerst for his master’s thesis on the development of a modular platform for automated genome engineering. The solution he developed enables the fully automated execution of experiments and lays the groundwork for future design-build-test-learn processes in synthetic biology.

Eleonora Ornati for her dissertation on enzyme-mediated polymerization in living cells. Her research provides new insights into biocompatible polymerization processes and opens up new possibilities for the development of novel materials and biomedical applications. The work was conducted in the Department of Chemistry in the research group led by Prof. Dr. Nico Bruns.

Each year, the Center for Synthetic Biology presents the Thesis Award to recognize outstanding bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral theses that make innovative contributions to research in synthetic biology.

The jury, consisting of three members of the Center, recognized the outstanding scientific quality, originality, and contribution of the theses to the further development of synthetic biology.