Scientist: Isabella Fiorello

Isabella Fiorello is a research group leader in the Cluster of Excellence for Living, Adaptive and Energy Autonomous Materials Systems at the University of Freiburg (Germany), where she leads a team dedicated to the development of innovative biohybrid materials. She received her PhD in Biorobotics in 2021 from the School of Advanced Studies Sant’Anna in Pisa, Italy.

Throughout her career, she has won several prestigious awards and fellowships, including the ENI Young Researcher of the Year Award (2022), a National Geographic Early Career Grant, and a Fulbright Grant. Her research focuses on the development of plant inspired materials and robots, with potential applications in agriculture, but also in space.

Green technology conceptual design, human arm covered with grass and lush and robotic hand, 3d render

Articles Environment

Plants driving the future of sustainable technology

Scientists across Europe seek inspiration from flora to develop robots and materials. Europe is home to more than 20,000 plant species. Shaped by millions of years of evolution to withstand extreme conditions such as, droughts, floods, and harsh winters, plants convert sunlight into oxygen through photosynthesis, protect the soil from erosion and, not to forget, ...

on September 10, 2025

Isabella Fiorello interview: Green technology conceptual design, human arm covered with grass and lush and robotic hand, 3d render

Interviews

A scientist’s opinion: interview with Dr Isabella Fiorello on plant-inspired materials and robots

You might not expect plants to be able to jump. But wild oats possess almost magical ability: their seeds, though dead and without muscles, use the energy of moisture to bury themselves in the soil, searching for the spot to start a new life. Dr. Isabella Fiorello leads a research group in the Cluster of ...

on September 10, 2025