We are the Rizzuto Group.
We develop Biomolecular Nanotechnology.
Our labs take the building blocks of life - DNA, peptides, lipids, and small molecules - to engineer functional nanotechnologies. We design nanoscale architectures that perform tasks for soft robotics, synthetic biology and human health.
DNA nanomaterials for healthcare devices
DNA is a programmable code that we can use to make complex, multidimensional structures. We are expanding the toolbox of DNA interactions using small molecules, nucleobase modifications, and supramolecular chemistry to build better diagnostic devices.
Polymer structures for soft robotics
New methods that allow us to control polymer assembly provide access to programmable functions and, we hope, biocompatible molecular machinery. Our lab explores the development and synthesis of new DNA-polymer nanostructures by hybridizing natural and artificial monomers.
Temporal chemistry for synthetic biology
Biology is incredibly adept at controlling chemistry though time - think enzymes catalyzing reactions or molecular motion. We are developing new molecular systems that can push nanomaterials away from their equilibrium positions, regulating systems through the time domain of assembly.
Our team
Felix Rizzuto
Group Leader
Rapt by all things science and history, I completed a joint BSc(Hons)/BA at the University of Sydney, Australia in 2014.
Leaving the sunny shores of the southern hemisphere, I undertook a PhD in supramolecular chemistry under the supervision of Prof. Jonathan Nitschke at the University of Cambridge, finishing in 2018.
I then moved to Montreal, where I held a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship in Prof. Hanadi Sleiman's group at McGill University. As of 2022, I moved to UNSW as an ARC DECRA Felllow, where my group is developing out-of-equilibrium nanotechnologies for polymer and materials synthesis.
Growing up on Sydney's Northern Beaches, I was always interested in what makes things work, drawing me towards supramolecular chemistry.
Fresh off finishing my MedChem honours at UNSW in 2022, I jumped straight into a PhD in chemistry, being supervised by Dr Felix Rizzuto and Prof. Pall Thordarson.
My research aims to focus on how the development and changes in nucleic acid secondary structures impact supramolecular interactions.
Lachlan Cox
PhD candidate (w/Prof. Thordarson)
I started my journey in Chemistry completing a Science degree at UNSW, doing a double major with Neuroscience. I did Honours in the group and am currently undertaking my PhD, focusing on programming DNA origami polymerisation using light in a non-equilibrium system.
Aside from my project, I am passionate about education in Chemistry, and dedicate much of my time to teaching first years at UNSW. I enjoy playing bridge with my friends and family, reading, board games, cooking, and participating in student life at UNSW.
Natalie Newman
PhD candidate
Willi Berg
PhD candidate
Originally from Berlin, Germany, where I did my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry, with two research stays at UC Berkeley (Toste group) and UNSW (Rizzuto group).
Missing the beaches and sunny weather lured me back to Sydney where I am happy to be back in the lab as a PhD student working on Light-activated dissipative DNA origami structures.
Outside of the lab, I enjoy all kinds of sports and spending as much time as possible at the beach
Diego Uehara
PhD candidate
Originally from Peru, I completed a Science degree in Chemistry at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in 2020. Seeking to reconnect with my Japanese background, I moved to Japan to pursue a Master's Degree in Bioorganic Chemistry at Nagoya University, finishing in 2024.
Currently, I am doing a PhD in Chemistry at UNSW, where my research focuses on developing DNA nanomaterials to unlock RNA therapeutics from their cellular prisons.
Hazel Cao
Research intern
I hail from China, did my undergrad in Canada, and now I’ve moved to Australia for an intern!
I enjoy swimming, sailing, and water skiing—pretty much anything related to water (which is why I made my great escape from CA. ahaha).
DNA origami makes me feel like a nano-scale engineer, and that’s what pulled me into this group! Now, I’m working on a DNA origami dimer project.
The lab in 2024
Previous members
Yasmin Hanyz
Honours student
2024
Luca Thomas
Honours (w/ Prof. Thordarson)
2023
