Meet Xin, CSO & Co-Founder of Newera Bio

A dedicated scientist and synthetic biology expert, Xin Xu combines her deep roots in agricultural science with cutting-edge biotechnology to reimagine sustainable industries. Her journey—from China’s forests to Australian labs—reflects a relentless drive to harmonise human progress with planetary health.

Xin’s academic foundation began with undergraduate and master’s degrees in Agricultural Science in China, where she studied plant protection and plant pathology. A transformative seminar on synthetic biology shifted her trajectory, sparking a fascination with engineering biological systems. This led her to Macquarie University in Australia for a PhD, where she joined the global Yeast 2.0 consortium, contributing to the construction of the first synthetic eukaryotic genome. Her work engineering yeast to produce organic acids contributes to advancing sustainable chemical production.

Post-PhD, Xin continued at Macquarie as a postdoctoral researcher, streamlining yeast genomes to create efficient “microbial factories.” Collaborating with microbiologist Dr. Lucie Semenec on plastic degradation, they uncovered the textile industry’s hidden crisis: fossil fuel-based dyes reliant on toxic, explosive processes. Xin’s expertise in reprogramming microbes offered a solution. “Nature already creates colour,” she explains. “With synthetic biology, we can replicate the colours found in plants and insects within the microbial cell factories, significantly increasing productivity and scalability.”

Raised in a family of foresters, Xin’s bond with nature fuels her mission. Her father and grandfather taught her early that progress must nurture, not deplete, ecosystems—a principle guiding her work today. Partnering with Lucie, she co-founded newera.bio to scale microbial dyes that slash water use, eliminate toxins, and sever ties to fossil fuels.

Xin’s favourite colour, ocean blue, reflects her vision for a cleaner world. Blue isn’t just a colour—it’s the promise of clear skies and unpolluted waters,” she says. It reminds us that innovation should protect the planet’s most vital systems.