Julian Melchiorri

Julian Melchiorri is the CEO and Founder of Arborea Ltd., a company focused on accelerating the global transition to sustainable food through the development of the "BioSolar Leaf" cultivation system. This system harnesses natural photosynthesis to grow microscopic plants for healthy food ingredients while also sequestering large amounts of carbon dioxide.

In addition, Melchiorri has held the role of Visiting Tutor in Innovation Design Engineering at Imperial College London & RCA since 2020 and has served as a Visiting Mentor at the Plug and Play Tech Center since February 2020.

Julian'sprevious experience includes working as a Design Engineer at Random International, a collaborative studio that creates high-tech interactive installations. During their time there, they were involved in the design and engineering of the Rain Tower installation and the Small Swarm digital interactive light sculpture.

Before that, Melchiorri served as the Head of R&D and Production Engineering at Catellani & Smith Srl., where they were responsible for the research and development of LED-based lighting products and the design and production engineering of new concepts for their products.

Julian Melchiorri began their education in 2007 at IED Rome, where they earned a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design Technologies in 2010. In 2008, they attended the University of Canberra for an International Study Exchange, focusing on Industrial Design Technologies for two terms. Melchiorri then pursued further education, earning a Master of Science (MSc) in Innovation Design Engineering from Imperial College London from 2012 to 2014. During this time, they also studied at the University of Technology Sydney for an International Exchange Project in Innovation Design Engineering. Additionally, Melchiorri attended the Royal College of Art from 2012 to 2014, where they obtained a Master of Arts (MA) in Innovation Design Engineering with a merit. In 2014, they furthered their studies at Tufts University for an International Study Exchange in the Biomedical Engineering department.