Name: Dr Marius Henkel 

Job title: Professor of Cellular Agriculture at the Technical University of Munich, and member of the Munich Institute of Integrated Materials, Energy and Process Engineering

Organisation: TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich

Sustainable protein specialism: Bioprocess engineering, process optimisation for biochemical engineering, bioeconomy

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An academic who is creating a study and research centre focused on cellular agriculture believes similar opportunities will soon be created for aspiring sustainable protein scientists across Europe.

Dr Marius Henkel takes on the role of Professor of Cellular Agriculture at the TUM School of Life Sciences, part of the Technical University of Munich, this September.

At first, he will teach a module to students studying a range of scientific disciplines, but over the next few years he plans to build an entire study programme on the science of cultivated meat.

He also intends to build expertise in the university’s lab, creating what he calls ‘real world’ research opportunities, as well as developing strong links with industry and setting up an international cellular agriculture conference.

Marius said: “This entire topic is very current in the minds of people at the moment, and with so many companies starting up, it’s very likely that some of my students will go on to work in the cellular agriculture industry.”

Experts under one roof

“The school is very interdisciplinary and we have everything there, which is perfect because for cellular agriculture to work we need a lot of different people working together,” he added.

“We will need biologists and biotechnologists, we’ll need process engineers, food technologists and chemists. We’ll even need to look at economics and marketing, because eventually, if we’re creating new products we’ll have to work out whether they will sell at some point.”

Marius developed an interest in sustainable proteins during an academic career specialising in bioprocess engineering, which has seen him publish more than 80 papers and regular editorial work for scientific journals, and as a reviewer for the United States Department of Agriculture. 

After studying biosystems engineering at the Otto-von-Guericke University in Magdeburg, he completed a doctorate of engineering at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) looking into the optimisation of complex biological processes.

He then took on the role of research group leader at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, where he worked to  produce proteins more efficiently, including the bio-inks used for 3D printed foods, and self-assembling proteins that can potentially be applied to produce texture.

He says far more research needs to be done to provide a solid basis for the burgeoning  cultivated meat industry, as well as for precision fermentation – which he believes will reach mass commercialisation much sooner – with a focus on fine tuning the processes that take place within bioreactors.

Fascination with food

Marius says a long-term fascination with food, and how it is created, was what drew him towards sustainable proteins.

“For me, if you asked my friends, they would say I’m the perfect person for this job,” he said. “I was always the one trying new food, looking carefully at ingredients, or ordering things online – bringing an enzyme tenderiser for steak to the barbecue. I’ve always been very playful when it comes to food and very curious about what you can do with it.”

As a self-proclaimed meat lover, he is excited about the idea of sustainable proteins being able to satisfy his taste for steak without the environmental impact.

And, as the father of two young children, he is also keen to carry out work which can contribute towards tackling the climate crisis and providing them with a better future.

“Everyone knows now that there’s something wrong with the food system. It doesn’t matter what statistics you look at – the current system is not fit for feeding people in the future,” he said.

“It’s a very emotional topic that captivates people in different ways – that’s what’s so beautiful about it. Everyone will find his or her own motivation for getting involved in it. You could be an environmental activist, you could be against animal cruelty, or you could want to improve food security.”

Advice for students and early career researchers

Marius believes it’s a good time for young researchers who want to break into this field – and not just because of the centre he is setting up.

With the growing recognition of the need for more sustainable food, he believes similar study programmes and research initiatives will appear across Europe over the next few years.

“It doesn’t take too long to understand what the challenges are that we need to address, and if you know these you can focus your entire education around them – look for the research groups and choose your subjects based around them.”

DR MARIUS HENKEL

He said: “I think there’s a lot of opportunities for young scientists and students, and there will be many more projects in the future that they will be able to join.

“It doesn’t take too long to understand what the challenges are that we need to address, and if you know these you can focus your entire education around them – look for the research groups and choose your subjects based around them.

“If a student is interested in this area there’s a good chance that they can be involved in writing research proposals of their own.

“The food system won’t work the way it’s currently established, which is why we need more professorships like this and we need organisations like the Good Food Institute. GFI has played a big part in advancing alternative proteins.”

Are you interested in getting involved in the sustainable proteins field? Take a look at our resources.

If you’re a researcher:

• To find funding opportunities, check out our research funding database for grants from across the sector, and our research grants page which showcases funding available from GFI.
• GFI Europe and EIT Foods have launched the Cultivated Meat Innovation Challenge, in which up to four teams from across Europe will be awarded €100,000 each for projects that can drive down the cost of cell culture media – one of the most significant issues preventing this new way of making meat from scaling up. 
• Explore our Advancing Solutions initiative, which highlights the main sustainable protein knowledge gaps, and subscribe to the collaborative researcher directory, which provides details of potential collaborators or supervisors with a stated interest in the field.  
• Find out about research projects that have already been funded on our research grants tracker or our grantee web pages.
• Look out for monthly science seminars run through our GFIdeas community or use our company database to identify commercial partners.

If you’re a student:

• Find educational courses around the globe through our database.

• Sign up for our free online course introducing the science of sustainable proteins, explore our resource guide explaining what is available to students, and check out our careers board for the latest job opportunities in this emerging field.