Nazanin Saeidi

Research Head, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Germany

Research Head| Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Address

Germany

What I Do

I am presently heading the Mycelium Research at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany. Our primary focus is on advancing the development of dense mycelium panels, branded as NEWood, aimed at replacing engineered wood products (EWPs) in the construction and furniture industries. Within our team, we are actively working towards the commercialization of NEWood, positioning it as a 100% biobased and upcycled alternative to traditional EWPs.
Why Engineering?

I'm an engineer and scientist because I love turning dreams into reality through practical skills. I learn engineering to make things happen, and I value teamwork because the best results come from collaborating with others.
My Family

I grew up in Ghazvin, Iran, in a middle-class family of four. My curiosity for science and poetry shaped my childhood. After university, I moved to Singapore for my Ph.D., where I met and married my husband.

Amid the global fight against COVID-19, I faced a tough moment – losing my brother, my lifelong inspiration. Despite the hardship, I didn't let it stop me. I believe he's always with me, encouraging me to be better every day.

Life has been a mix of joys and challenges, from my upbringing to moving abroad and personal loss. Despite it all, I draw strength from my brother's memory, pushing me to grow and find fulfillment each day.
Hobbies

Writing, watching mystery movies, dancing, gym time, reading novel, learning new subjects and traveling.

I am currently the head of research at Chair of Sustainable Construction at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Co-Principal Investigator of Urban-Biocycle Project at Future Cities Laboratory of Singapore-ETH Centre in Singapore. I am focusing on upcycling plant-based waste products and turning them to ecological products with the aid of fungal mycelia as natural binder.

In my PhD at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore I worked on “Engineering microbes to sense and eradicate a human pathogen”. My thesis work was impressive enough to get a publication space under Molecular Systems Biology (MSB) from Nature publishing Group, 2011, it was then featured in more than 70 public and academic media. In 2013, I was appointed as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Singapore Membrane Technology Centre where she was working on “development of improved strategies to control Biofouling of membranes in water industry”. In 2014, I joined the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at National University of Singapore to persuade a new research experience where I was focusing on “Emerging microbial contaminants of concern in tropical urban catchments” and “The effect of diverse land use on the geospatial distribution of Emerging microbial contaminants of concern in tropical environments”.

During my academic life, I have received several awards and recognition from different conferences. My recent distinguished success is to be named as one of the 20 emerging innovators in Asia Pacific by MIT Technology Review in 2020 for my work on sustainable construction materials.