Dr. Ioanna Mela

Biography

Ioanna Mela studied Chemical Engineering with a specialization in Biotechnology at the National Technical University of Athens, Greece. During her studies, she undertook a student placement at Unilever Corporate Research Colworth, where she learned to use Atomic Force Microscopy. She completed her PhD in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Professor Robert Henderson. During her PhD, she collaborated with Professor Hiroshi Sugiyama from Kyoto University, which introduced her to DNA nanotechnology, utilizing DNA as a versatile building material. Following her PhD, she worked as a Research Associate in the Department of Pharmacology, where she focused on high-speed Atomic Force Microscopy. In 2018, she transitioned to the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge, developing advanced correlative atomic force microscopy and super-resolution microscopy platforms for visualizing biological specimens. Her research interests expanded into DNA nanotechnology, specifically targeting bacteria with DNA nanostructures. In 2022, she was awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship to establish her own laboratory and pursue DNA nanotechnology applications for drug delivery. That same year, she was appointed proleptic Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge.

Research Interests