Dr Jenny Molloy, Biomanufacturing Group Leader, has received a European Open Source Award in recognition of her leadership in open hardware and her contributions to open-source practice in the life sciences.
Dr Jenny Molloy — Assistant Research Professor at the University of Cambridge and Head of the Biomanufacturing Group at ICGEB Trieste — has been awarded Special Recognition for Advocacy and Awareness at the 2nd Annual European Open Source Awards.
The honour celebrates Dr Molloy as a true pioneer of Open Science Hardware, recognising a body of work that has helped define, grow, and legitimise the field on a global scale.
Dr Molloy has been a driving force in field-building leadership, co-founding and organising the Gathering of Open Science Hardware, a flagship event uniting researchers, makers, and institutions worldwide. She has helped build durable community infrastructure, championing equity, accessibility, and meaningful global participation – especially for emerging leaders.
Bridging worlds, Dr Molloy connects grassroots open hardware innovators with institutions, funders, and policymakers, helping open science hardware gain recognition as critical research infrastructure. At the same time, she has pushed the boundaries of openness into biochemistry and the life sciences, leading by example as a researcher who fully embodies open source hardware principles.
Her influence has also reached into policy and practice. Dr Molloy played a key role in establishing the Open Material Transfer Agreement, overcoming cultural and legal barriers to enable the sharing of DNA sequences and biological materials – a major step forward for openness in the life sciences. She is also a founding Board member of the Open Science Hardware Foundation.
Congratulations, Jenny! 🎉
