Saad Bhamla

• Year

  2025

• Program

  Schmidt Science Polymaths

• Institution

  Georgia Institute of Technology

• Field of Study

  Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

• Location

  USA

Dr. Saad Bhamla is an Associate Professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. He studies biomechanics across species to engineer knowledge and tools that inspire curiosity. A self-described tinkerer, his lab is a trove of discoveries at the intersection of biology, physics, and engineering.

His team embraces more than 23 non-model organisms in projects exploring the `Physics of Life’, from single cells to animal collectives. Ongoing topics include sled dog team dynamics, worm knots, sheep-dog herding control, cyborg cells, insect hydrodynamics, flamingo filter-feeding, termite-inspired 3D printing, and squid-inspired propulsion. To tackle these challenges, he has built a transdisciplinary “Avengers” team of mathematicians, engineers, biologists, and physicists.

Dr. Bhamla also pioneers frugal science by inventing scalable, low-cost tools, including a 20-cent paper centrifuge, 23-cent electroporator, and one-dollar hearing aid to expand access to science and healthcare.

He leads the Frugal Science Academy, which provides hands-on training in molecular and synthetic biology for underrepresented students and teachers in Georgia. He also directs the Jungle Biomechanics Lab, a field course that trains early career scientists through in situ research in the Amazon Rainforest. He has commercialized a low-cost RNA vaccine delivery technology (ePatch) through a venture-funded startup.

His commitment to accessible science communication, including the multilingual comic A Curious Zoo of Extraordinary Organisms, earned him the National Academies’ Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communication. In 2023, Newsweek named him one of ten innovators transforming healthcare.