Lena Asai studies design at Goldsmiths, University of London. She is a member of Biohackspace is interested in exploring the relationship between art, design, and synthetic biology. She hopes to become the bridge between the scientists and public. WEBSITE: www.lenaasai.com

I have recently completed an MRes degree in Synthetic Biology at UCL and participated in the competition last year. My main interests lie in the fields of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology. I decided to help the London Biohackspace 2015 iGEM team as I feel it is the perfect arena to expand the DIY-bio community and enable more people outside of industry and academia to participate and enjoy this emerging engineering discipline.

Coming from a background which is a mix of haute couture fashion , science, and business the linking thread in my work is a passion for understanding how things can be made, new materials and techniques in future and exploring what new applications will emerge. I set up a bespoke leather label which pushes the boundaries of accessory evolution. This gave me the time to study with coding, 3d design programs and 3d printing. I have focussed on material structure development and the evolution of materials and material manufacture which has led me into areas of synthetic biology and the effect of the substructure on surface potential.