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
Saloni Gupta
PhD candidate
I’m from India, where I kicked off my science journey with a Bachelor’s in Biotechnology. Thanks to an integrated program, I got the chance to head to Tel Aviv University in Israel for my Master’s, where I worked on building a CRISPR-based system to detect tiny amounts of DNA.
Now I’m doing my PhD in Chemistry at UNSW, where I’m learning how to switch enzyme activity on and off using light — kind of like giving enzymes their own remote control. I love working with DNA because we can program it based on its sequence to carry out different tasks, from sensing to building molecular tools.
When I’m not in the lab, you can find me reading science-fiction novels, cooking, or solving puzzles.
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
Andrew Paton
PhD candidate
Originally from Australia but left when I was four years old and lived in several countries growing up before doing my bachelor’s in chemistry at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. Currently I am doing a PhD in DNA nanostars at UNSW focussing on liquid-liquid phase separation.
Aside from chemistry I enjoy the outdoors especially going to the beaches and snorkelling. I also like to boulder and watch the rugby.
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.
Angeline Manalili
Honours student
I’m currently completing my Honours in Medicinal Chemistry at UNSW, where I’m exploring ways to optimise the next-dimensional hierarchical assembly of complex DNA origami structures. I’ve always been fascinated by the intersection of science and creativity, and my project lets me dive right into that space. Outside the lab, I love spending my time sewing, making art, and playing computer games.
Muhammad Illyas
PhD candidate
Muhammad Ilyas received his Master’s degree in Chemistry from Bilkent University, Ankara, Türkiye, where he worked on stimuli-responsive polymers and hydrogels for soft robotics applications.
He joined the Rizzuto Group at UNSW in 2025 as a Research Assistant and is now pursuing his PhD. His research focuses on the supramolecular interactions of DNA/RNA secondary structures to develop programmable, biocompatible molecular machinery. Outside the lab, he enjoys playing cricket and travelling.
The lab in 2024
Previous members
Yasmin Hanyz
Honours student
2024
Luca Thomas
Honours (w/ Prof. Thordarson)
2023
