Saarland iGEM Team

Saarland iGEM 2026

The University of Saarland (UdS) and The Leibniz Institute for New Materials have united their expertise in a multidisciplinary effort to tackle the pollution of the Saar River using synthetic biology. Our team has been hard at work since early 2026, and we're excited to share our progress.

Our Project: OWLET

OWLET (Onboard Water Logger for Environmental Tracking) is our working title, inspired by the owl on our university's crest. Our project tackles the pollution of the Saar River, particularly persistent pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and cadmium, both linked to historic mining and industrial activity in Saarland and known to be harmful to human health and the environment.

Rather than relying solely on conventional sampling and lab analysis, we are engineering biological systems that react to PAHs and cadmium by emitting measurable light signals. Paired with optical measuring hardware and GPS-based mapping, this could enable automated, real-time monitoring of water pollution across different locations, reducing the need for repeated manual sampling.

Engineer biosensors that detect PAHs and cadmium via light-based signals.
Combine biology with optical hardware and GPS mapping for real-time data.
Address a real, local environmental challenge in the Saar region.
Compete in the Bioremediation Village at the Grand Jamboree in Paris.

The World of iGEM

Discover the world's biggest synthetic biology competition.

What is Synthetic Biology?

Synthetic biology is an emerging field that applies engineering principles to biological systems, enabling the development of biotechnologies that work in harmony with nature.

What is iGEM?

iGEM is a global synthetic biology competition where student teams design, build, and test projects using standard biological parts. It's a launchpad for innovation and hands-on learning. You can find out more here: igem.org

An Interdisciplinary Team

Our team brings together students from biology, informatics, economics, design, and beyond. This diversity of backgrounds is core to how we approach the project, from the lab bench to public engagement.

Local Problems, Global Impact

iGEM projects have led to important discoveries, new technologies, and successful startups, addressing challenges in medicine, energy, and the environment.

Find out more about iGEM in this short hype video! Source: igem.org

Focus Areas - "Villages"

iGEM teams tackle problems across diverse fields of synthetic biology. iGEM Villages are dynamic, topic-focused hubs where iGEMers, experts, policymakers, strategic partners, and the broader synthetic biology community collaborate to tackle today’s complex global challenges. Each Village concentrates on one of 15 key areas, embracing a holistic approach to innovation and problem-solving. learn more about villages here.

Our team's Village this year: Bioremediation

Agriculture

Bioremediation

Climate Crisis

Conservation

Fashion & Cosmetics

Diagnostics

Infectious Diseases

Oncology

Therapeutics

Food & Nutrition

Biomanufacturing

Foundational Advance

Software & AI

Space

Art & Design

Our Team

Our team is organized into six groups, and most members contribute to one or two of them alongside their studies:

Leadership

Overall project coordination and team management.

Wet Lab

Hands-on experiments developing and testing our biological sensors.

Dry Lab

Modeling, data analysis, and computational work behind OWLET.

Hardware

Optical measurement and GPS mapping hardware for real-time detection.

Human Practices & Outreach

Stakeholder engagement, ethics, and societal impact of the project.

Entrepreneurship

Business planning, funding strategy, and commercialization potential.

Design & Media (+ Wiki)

Visual identity, social media, and our iGEM wiki.

The Saarland iGEM 2026 team outside the Leibniz Institute for New Materials

Meet the Team

Tags show which group(s) each member contributes to. Photos for a few members are still on the way.

Ruiqi Guo

Leadership

Wet Lab

Human Practices & Outreach

LB

Lynn Beissel

Leadership

Wet Lab

Design & Media

Jasmine Sherbakov

Leadership

Wet Lab

Design & Media

Feyza Atabey

Wet Lab

Entrepreneurship

Marc Kehrer

Wet Lab

Elnaz Abdollahzadeh

Wet Lab

Dry Lab

Edison Robert

Wet Lab

Dry Lab

Hardware

Design & Media

Affan Siddique

Wet Lab

Human Practices & Outreach

Ramin Yazdani

Wet Lab

Dry Lab

Ana Shikhiashvili

Dry Lab

Human Practices & Outreach

SR

Sadaf Reihani

Dry Lab

Design & Media

Divyashree Mohan

Dry Lab

Human Practices & Outreach

Moulya Jayaprasad

Dry Lab

YC

Yamini Chapala

Dry Lab

Design & Media

Samruddhi Kulkarni

Dry Lab

Sabina Nesaei

Dry Lab

Hardware

Zein Younes

Dry Lab

Human Practices & Outreach

Entrepreneurship

Dhanya Balashanmugam

Dry Lab

Human Practices & Outreach

MM

Marwan Mohamed

Dry Lab

Human Practices & Outreach

Sai Makkapati

Hardware

Design & Media

Galatia Giannopoulos

Human Practices & Outreach

Antonio Nunez-Leyva

Human Practices & Outreach

Denisa Faltynkova

Human Practices & Outreach

Design & Media

Nicolas Cadavid

Human Practices & Outreach

Design & Media

SS

Saransh Shiva Nair

Human Practices & Outreach

Our Advisors

Alongside our supervisors, our advisors provide guidance throughout the season.

Ali Khazem

Geisler Munoz-Guamuro

NY

Naresh Yandrapalli

Daniele Rossetto

Meet the Supervisors

Our experienced supervisors are here to guide the team.

Alvaro Banderas

Head of Accelerated Research Foundry

INM

Microbiology

automation, genetic circuits

Shrikrishnan Sankaran

Head of Bioprogrammable Materials

INM

Bioengineering

living materials, protein engineering

Dora Tang

Head of Dynamic Protocellular Systems Lab

UdS

Synthetic Biology

cell-free systems, membrane-bound and membrane-less compartments

Wilfried Weber

Head of Materials Synthetic Biology

INM

Synthetic Biology

Biohybrid materials, biosensors, optogenetics

Our Journey to Paris

Our roadmap for the 2026 season.

November 2025 - January 2026 ✓

Team Selection

Applications, interviews, and final team selection. Registration for this season is now closed.

January - March 2026 ✓

Team Formation & Project Design

Weekly team meetings, project brainstorming, mentor assignment, and development of the OWLET project proposal.

April - September 2026 (in progress)

Research Phase

Intensive laboratory work, modeling and design, human practices activities, collaboration with other teams.

September - October 2026

Competition Preparation

Results analysis, wiki development, presentation preparation, final documentation.

November 2026

Grand Jamboree in Paris

Travel to Paris, present research, network with global teams, awards ceremony.

The Giant Jamboree is the grand finale of the iGEM competition, where teams from around the world gather in Paris to present their synthetic biology projects. It's an international event that includes presentations, poster sessions, and an awards ceremony, celebrating the students' year-long work.
Here are some numbers about the 2024 Jamboree:

4500

Total Attendees in 2024

Synthetic biology researchers, industry reps, startup founders, investors, journalists, experts in governance and policy, and the general public.

15%

Startup Ecosystem

12%

Industry

5%

Government / Non-Profit / Press

68%

Academia

25,000m²

Expo Space

600+

Event Sessions

50+

Countries & Regions

400

Teams

450

Judges

100

Volunteers

14

Villages

47

Exhibitors

Follow Our Progress

We'll be sharing updates as our research progresses through 2026. Check back here for milestones from the lab, our human practices work, and preparations for the Grand Jamboree in Paris.

Support Our Project

Help us bring OWLET to the Saar River

As a student team, we rely on sponsors and partners to fund lab materials, hardware, and our trip to the Grand Jamboree in Paris. If your organization is interested in supporting synthetic biology research and environmental innovation in Saarland, we'd love to hear from you.

Contact Us

We're happy to share our full project proposal and sponsorship packages on request.

Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions? We have answers.

What is iGEM?

The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition is the largest synthetic biology competition in the world. Student teams are given a kit of biological parts and work over the summer to build and test their own biological systems in living cells, from bacteria to plants to mammalian cells.

Who is on the Saarland iGEM team?

Our 2026 team is made up of bachelor's and master's students from across the University of Saarland, spanning STEM, business, design, and the social sciences. This diverse mix is core to how we've approached the OWLET project. Meet the team above.

What is OWLET?

OWLET is our working title for a real-time biosensing system that detects water pollutants like PAHs and cadmium in the Saar River, combining engineered biological sensors with optical hardware and GPS mapping. See "Our Project" above for the full description.

How can I support the team?

We're always glad to connect with potential sponsors and partners. Funding helps cover lab materials, hardware for our sensing system, and travel to the Grand Jamboree in Paris. Reach out via the contact link above to learn more.

What are the benefits of participating in iGEM?

iGEM gives students hands-on research experience, collaboration in an interdisciplinary team, a global network of experts, and valuable skills in project management, public speaking, and science communication.

OWLET: Sensing the Saar in Real Time.

Saarland iGEM 2026

Our Project: OWLET

The World of iGEM

What is Synthetic Biology?

What is iGEM?

An Interdisciplinary Team

Local Problems, Global Impact

Focus Areas - "Villages"

Our Team

Leadership

Wet Lab

Dry Lab

Hardware

Human Practices & Outreach

Entrepreneurship

Design & Media (+ Wiki)

Meet the Team

Ruiqi Guo

Lynn Beissel

Jasmine Sherbakov

Feyza Atabey

Marc Kehrer

Elnaz Abdollahzadeh

Edison Robert

Affan Siddique

Ramin Yazdani

Ana Shikhiashvili

Sadaf Reihani

Divyashree Mohan

Moulya Jayaprasad

Yamini Chapala

Samruddhi Kulkarni

Sabina Nesaei

Zein Younes

Dhanya Balashanmugam

Marwan Mohamed

Sai Makkapati

Galatia Giannopoulos

Antonio Nunez-Leyva

Denisa Faltynkova

Nicolas Cadavid

Saransh Shiva Nair

Our Advisors

Ali Khazem

Geisler Munoz-Guamuro

Naresh Yandrapalli

Daniele Rossetto

Meet the Supervisors

Alvaro Banderas

Shrikrishnan Sankaran

Dora Tang

Wilfried Weber

Our Journey to Paris

Team Selection

Team Formation & Project Design

Research Phase

Competition Preparation

Grand Jamboree in Paris

Follow Our Progress

Support Our Project

Help us bring OWLET to the Saar River

Frequently Asked Questions

What is iGEM?

Who is on the Saarland iGEM team?

What is OWLET?

How can I support the team?

What are the benefits of participating in iGEM?