Conference highlight - Janine Benyus

Janine Benyus is a biologist, innovation consultant, and author of six books, including "Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature." Her favorite role these days is “biologist-at-the-design table,” helping innovators consult life’s genius in the creation of well-adapted products and processes. Some recent innovations include: self-cleaning paints based on the lotus leaf, dye-based solar cells, boxfish shaped cars, gecko style adhesives, non-combatant antibacterial agents inspired by seaweed, spiral shell formed exhaust fan, antibacterial wallaby milk, and spinal disc repair from flea’s knees.

Her company, the Biomimicry Guild, offers biological consulting, research, workshops and field excursions to clients such as Arup Engineers, General Electric, Gensler Architects, Herman Miller, HOK Architects, IDEO, Interface, Kohler, Nike, Seventh Generation and Procter & Gamble. Benyus is currently creating a “Google of Nature’s Solutions”—a digital library of biological literature organized by design function and a “biology-taught-functionally” course for architects, engineers and designers.

To help naturalize Biomimicry in the culture, she founded the nonprofit Biomimicry Institute whose programs include an open-research Biomimicry Challenge and an Innovation for Conservation program that uses proceeds from bio-inspired products to conserve the habitat of the mentor organisms.