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Biography

Dr Claudia Bonfio M黑料社区 is an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge, where she leads an interdisciplinary research programme at the interface of chemistry and biology. Her work focuses on understanding how primitive compartments could have emerged and acquired the functional properties required for early cellular life.

Her research integrates synthetic and supramolecular chemistry and biophysics to investigate how lipid, peptide and oligonucleotide diversity contributed to the emergence and evolution of biological compartments. She has shown that primitive compartments are not passive supramolecular structures, but can actively influence chemical reactivity and selectivity. Her work has also demonstrated that dynamic membrane processes, including cycles of assembly and disassembly, can generate primitive cell populations with enhanced functional traits, providing new insights into early evolutionary mechanisms.

Dr Bonfio has been awarded major competitive funding, including an ERC Starting Grant and a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, and has established an internationally recognised research programme spanning chemistry, biophysics and synthetic biology. She is actively engaged in mentoring and interdisciplinary collaboration and contributes to initiatives that support early career researchers and inclusive research environments. Her research continues to uncover fundamental physicochemical principles governing compartment behaviour and their role in the origin and evolution of cellular systems.

Bringing together different ways of thinking can challenge assumptions and open up entirely new directions. It also means there is always something new to learn.

Claudia Bonfio

Q&A

Can you tell us more about your work?

My research asks a simple but fundamental question: how did the first cells form on early Earth? All living organisms are made of cells, and each cell is surrounded by a membrane that controls what goes in and out and helps organise the chemistry of life. However, we still do not understand how such cell membranes first emerged and became functional before biology as we know it existed.

In my laboratory I recreate simple, early versions of these membranes using small molecules that could have been present on the early Earth. I study how these primitive membranes can grow, change, and interact with other molecules such as RNA and peptides, which are the building blocks of life. My research shows that membranes are not just passive containers, but can actively influence chemical reactions and help organise molecules in ways that resemble the earliest steps towards living systems.

Understanding how membranes first became functional can help answer one of the biggest scientific questions: how life began. Beyond this, the principles my research uncovers can inform the design of artificial cells, new biomaterials, and membrane-based technologies. These ideas are relevant to areas such as drug delivery, synthetic biology, and the development of responsive materials inspired by living systems.

What has been the most rewarding or memorable highlight of your career so far? 

The most rewarding moments in my career are not tied to individual papers or grants, but to the people I work with. Seeing students in my group present their work at conferences, defend their PhDs, or receive recognition for their achievements is incredibly meaningful. Those moments reflect not only their hard work but also the collective effort that goes into building a research environment where people can thrive.

On a day-to-day level, some of the most memorable moments are much simpler: a student coming to my office excited about an unexpected result, a discussion that sparks a new idea, or even informal time spent together outside the lab. These experiences remind me that science is a deeply human endeavour, and I feel very fortunate to work with such a talented and enthusiastic team.

Thinking back to earlier in your career, are there any words of wisdom that you wish someone had told you? 

Looking back, there are a few pieces of advice that I now realise are incredibly important, and that I would have benefitted from fully appreciating earlier in my career.

One is that you cannot win every battle, so you need to choose carefully where to invest your time and energy. This applies not only to research projects that may not work out, but also to the broader academic environment, where there are always competing demands and challenges. Learning to prioritise what truly matters makes a significant difference.

Another is that while luck plays a role in science, you can also create the conditions for it. I remember describing a successful paper as 鈥榡ust luck,鈥� and being told that you make your own luck. That stayed with me. It made me realise that being proactive, curious, and open to opportunities increases the chances of recognising and making the most of them.

Finally, I have learned how important it is to protect your time. Every time you say yes to a new commitment, you are effectively saying no to something else; often, time for your research or your team. Being mindful of that trade-off is essential for maintaining focus and supporting the people you work with.

What do you wish more people understood about your field or the chemical sciences in general? 

I wish more people appreciated how essential fundamental research is to long-term scientific and societal progress. Work in origins-of-life chemistry can appear very abstract, since we are asking how life began on Earth billions of years ago, but at its core, it is about understanding the molecular principles that underpin all living systems.

These principles are the foundation of applied science. Without a deep understanding of how molecules behave, interact, and organise into complex systems, many of the technologies we rely on today would not exist. As Jerome Isaac Friedman put it, 鈥渋nnovation is the key to the future, but basic research is the key to future innovation鈥�. Investing in fundamental science is not a luxury; it is what makes future breakthroughs possible.

How important would you say collaboration is for producing high quality science? How has collaboration influenced your work? 

Collaboration is absolutely central to my research. The questions I work on, particularly around the origin of life, are inherently interdisciplinary, and no single field can address them in isolation. Even within my own group, we bring together synthetic chemists and biophysicists, and we regularly collaborate with computational chemists, evolutionary biologists, and others. These interactions are not just complementary; they often lead to insights that would not emerge within a single discipline.

What I value most about collaboration is that it often produces outcomes greater than the sum of its parts. Bringing together different ways of thinking can challenge assumptions and open up entirely new directions. It also means there is always something new to learn, which is one of the most rewarding aspects of my work. A quote by Frances Arnold resonates strongly with me: 鈥渢he biggest opportunities for science lie at the interfaces鈥�. My experience has consistently reinforced this idea.