Manini Banerjee (She/Her) is a biodesigner and researcher. She is currently designing products that make sustainable futures and technologies accessible. As a research assistant at the BInD Lab, Manini is developing bioremediation strategies for urban rivers using native and designed ecologies of fungi, plants, and microorganisms. In parallel, as a research assistant at Silklab, she develops systems with material intelligence that dynamically sequester and sense inorganic anthropogenic toxins.
Manini has a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where she is trained as a human + nature-centric industrial designer with concentrations in computation and sustainability studies. She was a grant recipient for the inaugural Somerson Sustainability Innovation Grant, a TEDx speaker, and has worked at the Hyundai HQ as a robotics researcher.
Manini was born and brought up in Singapore. She dreams of a world where design creates conditions conducive to life and follows the laws of natural selection. She enjoys reading, exploring diverse cuisines, making lattes, and hanging out in her indoor jungle.