Education Team
The Education team focuses on developing, curating, and disseminating high-quality training and mentorship resources to increase synthetic biology literacy and support early-career researchers across Europe.
Matsuri is excited about implementing engagement strategies that help people get started and learn about Synthetic Biology. Matsuri completed her Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Texas at Austin, and moved to Spain in 2024. She is currently a Postdoctoal Researcher at Universitat Pompeu Fabra, where she is working on engineering skin bacteria to act as smart devices by developing biological circuits and sensors. Matsuri’s love for Synbio started a looong time ago when she first participated as an undergraduate student in the iGEM competition. To this date, she continues contributing to the competition as an advisor for the Judging and Human Practices Committees and Team mentor. Matsuri is always on the move! When not doing experiments, you will find her teaching a Zumba class or going skydiving!
Matsuri Rojano-Nisimura - Team Leader
André has long been fascinated by life at its most fundamental level, which led him to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. During his studies, he was introduced to iGEM and Synthetic Biology, an experience that sparked a lasting interest in engineering living systems. He participated in iGEM in 2021 and is currently a judge and a member of its Engineering Committee, supporting collaboration between teams. He later completed a Master’s degree in Biotechnology and is currently conducting research at NOVA School of Science and Technology in Lisbon, focusing on thermodynamic modelling of mRNA to fine-tune gene expression in pneumococcal bacteria.
André joined EUSynBioS in November 2025 as part of the Education Team wanting to bring the field of synthetic biology to a wider audience. Outside synthetic biology, he has a strong interest in physics and mathematics and is active as a scout leader, where he enjoys mentoring and giving back to the community as well as outdoor activities.
