Neha Kamat is an Associate Professor at Northwestern University in the Biomedical Engineering Department in Evanston, Illinois. She was trained as a bioengineer with special emphasis in biophysical analysis of biological and synthetic membranes, and in the production and characterization of membrane proteins using cell-free protein expression systems. She received a BS in Bioengineering from Rice University and a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania under the direction of Prof. Daniel Hammer. After her postdoctoral fellowship with Prof. Jack Szostak at Harvard University/ Massachusetts General Hospital, she joined the faculty of Northwestern University. Her lab’s main research interests are to understand and harness biological membranes as a biomaterial for (i) fundamental biological studies related to membrane protein folding and function and (2) translational applications in diagnostics and disease. A central theme of their work is that biophysical properties of membranes matter for membrane protein folding and function and through understanding this relationship, can better assemble and design membrane-based therapeutics. Neha is the recipient of a Young Investigator Award from the Air Force Research Office, an NSF CAREER Award, and the ACS Synthetic Biology Young Innovator Award.