The Cambridge University Alt Protein Project
A student-led initiative to generate awareness and build a community around Alternative Proteins in Cambridge.
OUR STORY
Founded in 2019 as the Cambridge University Cellular Agriculture Society, we have become a growing community of students from various backgrounds (biosciences, engineering, social sciences, computer sciences and law). What unites us is the vision of a more sustainable food system for our planet.
OUR VISION
As students we play a pivotal role in building the Alternative Protein ecosystem. We are the catalysts who can shape university priorities. From driving scientific inquiry that improves the sensory and functional qualities of new protein products to creating educational programs and establishing a talent pipeline for a growing industry, universities will be a cornerstone of the alternative protein ecosystem.
As part of the Good Food Institute’s Alt Protein Project, our initiative is all about creating connections — between tissue engineers and food scientists, entrepreneurial business students and technical innovators, principal investigators and the next generation of research talent.
Most importantly, the Alt Protein Project connects members with the right ideas, questions, and opportunities that will help accelerate a global transition. The result is a network of academic institutions that prioritise plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation-enabled protein. This network helps provide this growing alt protein sector with the institutional resources and human ingenuity it needs to scale and feed the world sustainably.
Organise events and conferences that generate awareness and excitement, propel innovation, and cultivate new ideas around alternative proteins.
Build a fun, fulfilling, and inclusive community for students and researchers interested in alternative proteins.
Stimulate open-access research that enables innovation in plant-based meat, cultivated meat, and fermentation.
MEET THE TEAM
SENIOR COMMITTEE
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Mariel Alem Fonseca
Mariel is a PhD student in Engineering at the Institute for Manufacturing. My research focuses on the supply chains of alternative proteins. I envision a world where our global food system provides sufficient, affordable, and nutritious food for everyone, while we deeply respect our planet and the lives of all sentient beings.
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Oskar Batty
Oskar is a research assistant in Genetics, working on early mammalian development.
Within alt proteins, he is particularly interested in cultivated meat.
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Joe Fennell
Joe is an MPhil student in the Ethics of AI, Data and algorithms, and on his fourth year of the Cambridge Rugby League Football Club. Joe is passionate about normalising alternative proteins and veganism in Rugby and sport in general.
ADVISORY BOARD
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Will Saunter
Co-founder of the Cambridge University Cellular Agriculture Society in 2019, Will built the Alternative Protein Fundamentals Programme to develop talent pipelines into the alternative protein space. He has now co-founded BlueDot Impact to scale and improve the APFP alongside other high-impact programmes.
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Dr. Inanna Hamati-Ataya
Principal Research Associate and Principal Investigator on the ERC-funded projects ARTEFACT (2017-2023) and NOAH (2022-2023), and founding director of the Centre for Global Knowledge Studies (gloknos).
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Seren Kell
Science and Technology Manager at The Good Food Institute Europe, Seren collaborates with scientists, academics and innovators to support advances in the science of sustainable protein and foster a thriving research ecosystem across Europe.
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Lisa Neidhardt
Lisa recently received her PhD in molecular biology at the University of Cambridge in the lab of David Ron, working on cellular stress response pathways.
For her next career step, she is keen to actively contribute to the agricultural revolution.
OUR COLLABORATORS
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Good Food Institute
The Good Food Institute is a nonprofit working internationally to accelerate alternative protein innovation. At GFI, we’re building a world where alternative proteins are no longer alternative.
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Effective Altruism Cambridge
EA Cambridge is a community of people in Cambridge trying to find the best opportunities to solve the world's biggest problems.