bmwi^3, powering human-environmental health innovations
who we are - why bmwi^3?
what we do - create & translate solutions for health & wellbeing
who we are - why bmwi^3?
bmwi^3, because we are
- located physically in the heart of the blue mountains world heritage site, recognized by UNESCO for its ecosystems' and species' diversity across the six kingdoms of life, and its representation of evolution and adaptation, both essential elements for survival.
- embedded socially within the greater Blue Mountains' com
bmwi^3, because we are
- located physically in the heart of the blue mountains world heritage site, recognized by UNESCO for its ecosystems' and species' diversity across the six kingdoms of life, and its representation of evolution and adaptation, both essential elements for survival.
- embedded socially within the greater Blue Mountains' community of New South Wales, Australia, and
- accessible virtually as a global entity
Our local diversity of flora, fauna, and people represents a microcosm of the world and its complexity - our global Scientific Advisory Board helps to scale between and across ecosystems of the world.
interdisciplinary because the purpose and principles of bmwi^3 bridge between and across disciplines, e.g. science to engineering to art to music, and matter, e.g. fluids to solids, water to rocks and bark to skin. Only by crossing disciplines can we understand and solve the complexity of our world's challenges.
innovation because our greatest natural resource includes the human mind and its capacity to understand the diversity of the world around us, leading to new discoveries that will improve the life for all inhabitants of the Earth and beyond. bmwi^3 is one-of-a-kind in its organisation, approach and vision.
institute - the noun, institute, refers to a scientific and educational organisation with a specific purpose and/or a summary of principles. We are a CSIRO- and ATO- approved Australian Research Institute, registered with the ACNC as a not-for-profit
As an organization, bmwi^3 encourages deep thinking and study of life in diverse biosystems.
bmwi^3 aims to encourage investigation across disciplines and kingdoms, to decipher the basic laws of biology and physiology, and to translate resulting discoveries to improve health of cells, organs, organisms and societies in Earth's biosystems.
CSIRO: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
ATO: Australian Tax Office
ACNC:: Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission
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why interdisciplinary?
what we do - create & translate solutions for health & wellbeing
who we are - why bmwi^3?
Increasingly, groundbreaking discoveries occur at disciplinary interfaces,
in biosystems, e.g. from cells to people to planets, brains to trees to slime mold.
bmwi^3 aims to make the unknown known by crossing boundaries & embracing diversity across people and species and biological kingdoms,
because without doing so, we can't solve the w
Increasingly, groundbreaking discoveries occur at disciplinary interfaces,
in biosystems, e.g. from cells to people to planets, brains to trees to slime mold.
bmwi^3 aims to make the unknown known by crossing boundaries & embracing diversity across people and species and biological kingdoms,
because without doing so, we can't solve the world's most challenging problems.
The Institute aims to serve as a physical and virtual place of convergence*,
- cultivating convergent thinking and approaches, and
- providing an interface and platform for discovery between different disciplines, cultures, and generations, whilst
- serving the local community with global impact, and serving the global community with local impact, and
- leading societal change through education and discovery.
*The U.S. National Science Foundation describes convergence research as a "means of solving vexing research problems, especially those focusing on societal needs,....driven by a specific and compelling problem [regardless of whether posed via "deep scientific questions or pressing
societal needs"... [with a] deep integration across disciplines...intentionally bring[ing] together intellectually diverse researchers to develop effective ways of communicating across disciplines,...[causing] their knowledge, theories, methods, data and research communities [to] intermingle." [https://new.nsf.gov/funding/learn/research-types/learn-about-convergenceresearch]
see our recent article exemplifying convergent approaches
https://www.imrpress.com/journal/FBL/30/4/10.31083/FBL25231
what we do - create & translate solutions for health & wellbeing
what we do - create & translate solutions for health & wellbeing
what we do - create & translate solutions for health & wellbeing
Our world is complex and intertwined and its greatest challenges coexist in a space
defined by intersections, interactions, synergies and contrasts.
Understanding this complexity and solving real world problems requires
multifaceted study and integration of knowledge, and
forging of connections between people and disciplines,
which will lea
Our world is complex and intertwined and its greatest challenges coexist in a space
defined by intersections, interactions, synergies and contrasts.
Understanding this complexity and solving real world problems requires
multifaceted study and integration of knowledge, and
forging of connections between people and disciplines,
which will lead to acceleration of discoveries and their translation to solutions.
creating solutions
bmwi^3 brings together teams of scientists and engineers, and creative thinkers across disciplines,
from the public, university, industry and government arenas, and
spanning disciplines and career stages, to pose, probe and crack these challenges.
incubating innovation to maximise translation & positive health impacts
Our in-house, boutique develops and translates intellectual property IP arising from internal Institute innovations. Revenue-sharing arrangements incentivise partners and inventors. while supporting ongoing Institute sustainability.
A planned boutique regional biomedtech incubator aims to improve health outcomes and quality of life for Australians, with a particular focus on challenges at the intersection of human and environmental health. The incubator will .provide community-facing expertise, infrastructure and support without requiring dilution of Intellectual Property (IP) rights or revenues.
our vision
our vision
what we do - create & translate solutions for health & wellbeing
Our ideals and ideas,
our minds and bodies,
and the cells that inhabit them,
form seeds for current and future worlds.
We are interdependent on
our world and all of its inhabitants,
our bodies' worlds and
all of their cellular inhabitants.
We aspire to
- bring together global thought leaders across disciplines,
- reduce barriers to participation a
Our ideals and ideas,
our minds and bodies,
and the cells that inhabit them,
form seeds for current and future worlds.
We are interdependent on
our world and all of its inhabitants,
our bodies' worlds and
all of their cellular inhabitants.
We aspire to
- bring together global thought leaders across disciplines,
- reduce barriers to participation and thereby maximise equity, diversity and inclusion in science, as an a-/vocation, from discovery to translation, and
- promote ideation and translation of discoveries for the health of our planet and its inhabitants, as well as the health of our bodies and their cellular inhabitants.
background
our vision
background
From "blue sky" to "deep dive" - done
Founded in 2021, the blue mountains world interdisciplinary innovation institute (bmwiii, bmwi^3 or blueinnovations) is
a not-for-profit global think tank
dedicated to improving health
and the quality of life, for
- the world & its inhabitants, across kingdoms (e.g. animals, plants, insects)
- organisms & t
From "blue sky" to "deep dive" - done
Founded in 2021, the blue mountains world interdisciplinary innovation institute (bmwiii, bmwi^3 or blueinnovations) is
a not-for-profit global think tank
dedicated to improving health
and the quality of life, for
- the world & its inhabitants, across kingdoms (e.g. animals, plants, insects)
- organisms & their resident cells.
The Institute is unique in its
interdisciplinary approach to solving the world's toughest health and life challenges.
goals
our vision
background
- to maximise stakeholder participation and positive impacts by building upon a foundation of Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) in our teams, approaches, processes & governance,
- to be guided by science while challenging dogma,
- to cross disciplines, focusing on common principles & mechanisms underpinning diverse biosystems,
- to promo
- to maximise stakeholder participation and positive impacts by building upon a foundation of Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) in our teams, approaches, processes & governance,
- to be guided by science while challenging dogma,
- to cross disciplines, focusing on common principles & mechanisms underpinning diverse biosystems,
- to promote creative and visionary (so-called blue sky) approaches,
- to dive deep in real and virtual worlds to learn, discover & translate new understanding, and
- to cultivate a healthy world for its current and future inhabitants
Our global team
founding director
scientific advisory board
scientific advisory board
Nature is the Mother of Innovation
Professor Melissa Knothe Tate is the Founding Director of the Blue Mountains World Interdisciplinary Innovation Institute.
She is a global thought leader in cross-disciplinary tech and healthcare innovation. Her R&D discovery and translation approaches are epitomised by their cross-cutting nature, where t
Nature is the Mother of Innovation
Professor Melissa Knothe Tate is the Founding Director of the Blue Mountains World Interdisciplinary Innovation Institute.
She is a global thought leader in cross-disciplinary tech and healthcare innovation. Her R&D discovery and translation approaches are epitomised by their cross-cutting nature, where the fundamental laws of mechanics are applied to bio-logical and -medical systems, to elucidate and emulate emergent and smart properties.
scientific advisory board
scientific advisory board
scientific advisory board
Spanning the physical, digital and virtual worlds
Our Scientific Advisory Board includes world renowned bioengineers, medical doctors, environmental scientists, computer scientists, and computational systems modellers, ,who also happen to be musicians, writers and artists.
In order of joining the Board,
- Professor Luke Lee, Biomedical Instit
Spanning the physical, digital and virtual worlds
Our Scientific Advisory Board includes world renowned bioengineers, medical doctors, environmental scientists, computer scientists, and computational systems modellers, ,who also happen to be musicians, writers and artists.
In order of joining the Board,
- Professor Luke Lee, Biomedical Institute for Global Health Research and Technology (BIGHEART), Korea; Harvard University Schools of Medicine and Engineering, USA
- Professor Rebecca Grainger, University of Otago Department of Medicine, New Zealand
- Professor Vittorio Sansalone, Université Paris-Est Créteil, Laboratoire Modélisation et Simulation Multi Echelle, France
- Associate Professor Eric J. Anderson, Associate Director for Science, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES); University of Colorado Boulder; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), USA
- Professor Sohie Lee, Wellesley College Department of Computer Science, USA
- Professor (Emeritus) Sanjay Mishra, former Senior Advisor to the Minister of Science and Technology, India; former academic at QUT Faculty of Engineering Brisbane and IIT Lucknow, India and Australia
governance
scientific advisory board
governance
Board of Directors
Professor Melissa Knothe Tate, Chair
Dr. Rachel Coxon, Treasurer (grew up in the Blue Mountains, currently residing in London)
Dr. (cand.) Lucy Ngo, Secretary (mechanical and biomedical engineer, champion of biomedtech translation and sustainability)
The Board of Directors adhere to the established principles and pillars of
Board of Directors
Professor Melissa Knothe Tate, Chair
Dr. Rachel Coxon, Treasurer (grew up in the Blue Mountains, currently residing in London)
Dr. (cand.) Lucy Ngo, Secretary (mechanical and biomedical engineer, champion of biomedtech translation and sustainability)
The Board of Directors adhere to the established principles and pillars of excellence for governance of non-profit R&D Institutes to ensure that strategies, decision making, activities and outcomes of the Institute reach the highest standards, including
- the implementation of strategy to ensure sustainability of the organisation, and
- monitoring and management of change, including emerging risks and opportunities, and management thereof.
Founded 15 January 2021
Institute ABN: 83681870753
Registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission (ACNC)
interdisciplinary themes, institute outputs
Meso <=> Nano Scaling of Environmental Toxins and Abatement Strategies
Nature's Design | Manufacture Solutions - Microscopy-Aided Design and Manufactur(E), MADAME
Meso <=> Nano Scaling of Environmental Toxins and Abatement Strategies
Forever Chemicals (PFAS) Contamination in the Blue Mountains - Environmental Solutions
- An age-old problem, with toxins varying over time, e.g. lead-tainted snowflakes in ancient Greece
- Toxicities may not be realised or appreciated until years after the contamination event, e.g. in the case of fire-fighting foams containing forever chemicals
Forever Chemicals (PFAS) Contamination in the Blue Mountains - Environmental Solutions
- An age-old problem, with toxins varying over time, e.g. lead-tainted snowflakes in ancient Greece
- Toxicities may not be realised or appreciated until years after the contamination event, e.g. in the case of fire-fighting foams containing forever chemicals used decades ago in the Blue Mountains
- Natural solutions provided by hanging swamp plants underscore the imperative to protect natural reserves and hanging swamps in the Blue Mountains regions and beyond
- Responsibility of product developers and their professional organisations, industry, government, the public, individuals
- Detailed report from the Scientific Advisory Board https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/gch2.202500285
Nano <=> Meso Google Mapping of Organs and their Cellular Inhabitants
Nature's Design | Manufacture Solutions - Microscopy-Aided Design and Manufactur(E), MADAME
Meso <=> Nano Scaling of Environmental Toxins and Abatement Strategies
Geonavigation of Life's Processes, from the Human Body and Cellular Inhabitants ==> Manufacturing Tissues and Smart Materials
- Cellular to tissue to organ to organismal to population to planetary ecosystems
- Optimizing "Entity" transport through living and infrastructural networks, for entities as diverse as nutrients, toxins, cells, people,
Geonavigation of Life's Processes, from the Human Body and Cellular Inhabitants ==> Manufacturing Tissues and Smart Materials
- Cellular to tissue to organ to organismal to population to planetary ecosystems
- Optimizing "Entity" transport through living and infrastructural networks, for entities as diverse as nutrients, toxins, cells, people, vehicles, etc. to cultivate health and well being
- First reports of our project (2015): https://www.science.org/content/article/first-google-maps-human-body
- Detailed report in AAAS' Science (2017): https://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/entities/publication/6a12d7aa-ad67-4562-b446-7a38d709f277
- Physical rendering of cellular experience: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2021.647603/full
- Check again soon for uploaded maps and new content
Nature's Design | Manufacture Solutions - Microscopy-Aided Design and Manufactur(E), MADAME
Nature's Design | Manufacture Solutions - Microscopy-Aided Design and Manufactur(E), MADAME
Nature's Design | Manufacture Solutions - Microscopy-Aided Design and Manufactur(E), MADAME
Rendering and Prototyping Tissues and Smart Materials
- Living materials are - by design - "smart" because they have the right "stuff" in the right places to best survive, e.g. wind gusts (eucalyptus trees which bend like grass in the wind
- Cells within living materials constantly rebuild the structure to adapt to the changing conditions of li
Rendering and Prototyping Tissues and Smart Materials
- Living materials are - by design - "smart" because they have the right "stuff" in the right places to best survive, e.g. wind gusts (eucalyptus trees which bend like grass in the wind
- Cells within living materials constantly rebuild the structure to adapt to the changing conditions of life
- New design and manufacturing approaches emulate cells' capacity and can be implemented using rapid manufacturing methods
- Microscopy-Aided Design and Manufactur(E): https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2020.00845/full
Publications + Lectures
Publications + Lectures
Nature's Design | Manufacture Solutions - Microscopy-Aided Design and Manufactur(E), MADAME
2026
- January 2026, Melissa L Knothe Tate, Sara McBride-Gagyi, Eric J Anderson, Lucy Ngo.. Cell Biophysics–Physiological Contexts, from Organism to Cell, In Vivo to In Silico Models: One Collaboratory’s Perspective. Biophysica. 2026; 6(1):5. https://doi.org/10.3390/biophysica6010005
2025
- November 2025, Melissa L Knothe Tate, Engineering Innov
2026
- January 2026, Melissa L Knothe Tate, Sara McBride-Gagyi, Eric J Anderson, Lucy Ngo.. Cell Biophysics–Physiological Contexts, from Organism to Cell, In Vivo to In Silico Models: One Collaboratory’s Perspective. Biophysica. 2026; 6(1):5. https://doi.org/10.3390/biophysica6010005
2025
- November 2025, Melissa L Knothe Tate, Engineering Innovation throughout the Life Cycles of Our Worlds to Cultivate Health and Wellbeing - Implications for an Ageing Society, Invited Plenary Talk, Asian-Pacific Association for Biomechanics, Auckland.
- September 2025, Lucy Ngo, Melissa Louise Knothe Tate: TGF beta Increases Permeability of 70 kDa Molecular Tracer from the Heart to Cells of the Osteoarthritic Guinea Pig Knee Joint, MDPI Cells, https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/19/1524,
- Melissa Louise Knothe Tate. The Flow of Life: Convergent Approaches to Understanding Musculoskeletal Health from Molecular- to Meso-Length Scales. Front. Biosci. (Landmark Ed) 2025, 30(4), 25231. https://doi.org/10.31083/FBL25231
- February 2025, Vina DL Putra, Kris A Kilian, Melissa L Knothe Tate, Force Balances At Cell Boundaries Modulate Stem Cell Mechano-adaptation, Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, Phoenix.
- Vina DL Putra, Kris A Kilian, Melissa L Knothe Tate, Stem cell mechanoadaptation. I. Effect of microtubule stabilization and volume changing stresses on cytoskeletal remodeling, APL Bioeng. 9, 016102 (2025) https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0231273
- Vina DL Putra, Kris A Kilian, Melissa L Knothe Tate, Stem cell mechanoadaptation. II. Microtubule stabilization and substrate compliance effects on cytoskeletal remodeling, APL Bioeng. 9, 016103 (2025) https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0231287
- Sotiria Anastopolous, Melissa L Knothe Tate, The Distribution of elastin and collagen underpinning the smart properties of the interosseous membrane, bioRxiv, https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.19.633808
2024
- Melissa L. Knothe Tate, Helen H. Lu, Regeneration of Tissue Interfaces Bridging Disparate Tissues and Systems of the Human Body - Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering:, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2468451124000321
- Sotiria Anastopolous, Lucy Ngo, Joanna Ng, Vina Putra, Melissa L. Knothe Tate, Interface Tissues of the Mesoderm: Periosteum, Ligament, Interosseous Membrane, & Myofascial Tissues, an Inspiration for Next Generation Medical Textiles - Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering:, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2468451124000230
- February 2024, Vina DL Putra, Kris A Kilian, Melissa L Knothe Tate, The role of cytoskeletal adaptation in mechanomics, Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, Long Beach
- February 2024, Vina DL Putra, Kris A Kilian, Melissa L Knothe Tate, Paired computational and experimental approaches probing stem cell mechanoadaptation to volume- and shape-changing stresses, Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society
2023
- Lucy Ngo, Melissa L. Knothe Tate. Multi-Modal Sample Preparation and Imaging Protocol for Nano-to-mesoscopic Mapping of Cellular Inhabitants in Diverse Tissue Compartments, Across Organ Systems, 30 May 2023, PROTOCOL (Version 1) available at Nature's Protocol Exchange https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.pex-2244/v1
- Lucy Ngo, Melissa L Knothe Tate. A spike in circulating inflammatory cytokines alters barrier function between vascular and musculoskeletal tissues, Nature's Scientific Reports, doi:10.1038/s41598-023-30322-7
- Vina DL Putra, Kris A Kilian, Melissa L Knothe Tate,. Biomechanical, biophysical and biochemical modulators of cytoskeletal remodelling and emergent stem cell lineage commitment, Nature's Communications Biology 6:75.
2022
- Melissa L Knothe Tate. The Ebb and Flow of Life - Through the Lens of Mechanics and Thermodynamics, 2022 Opening Talk for mech-life-2022 Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Living Systems, a French - Australian Workshop on Mechanical Modeling of Living Systems, Paris (France), 8 November 2022.
- Melissa L Knothe Tate. Microscopy-Aided Design and ManufacturE (MADAME) of Materials and Devices Musculoskeletal Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2022 Plenary Talk for the Gordon Research Conference on Musculoskeletal Biology and Bioengineering,Accelerating Discovery in the Musculoskeletal System, at Proctor Academy in Andover, NH; August 2022.
2021
- Knothe Tate ML, Srikantha A, Wojek C, Zeidler D. Connectomics of Brain to Bone - Probing Physical Renderings of Cellular Experience, Frontiers in Physiology | Integrative Physiology, Special issue on the relationship between neural circuitry and biomechanical action, 12:647603.
- Knothe Tate ML. Women at the forefront of innovation, International Women's Day Talks and Panel, Monash Engineering Students' Society, 23 June 2021.
- Knothe Tate ML. Perks and Perils of Machine Learning Approaches in Human Subjects Research, Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, Virtual Meeting, February 2021.
- Knothe Tate ML. The Rules of Life in our Mechanobiological Worlds and their Impact on the Health of our Worlds’ Inhabitants, Virtual Seminar at the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, 22 March 2021.
Data Repositories
Publications + Lectures
You are the future
2025
- Sotiria Anastopolous, Melissa L Knothe Tate, The Distribution of elastin and collagen underpinning the smart properties of the interosseous membrane, bioRxiv, https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.19.633808
2024
- Vina D. L. Putra, Vittorio Sansalone, Kristopher A. Kilian, Melissa L. Knothe Tate, Tuning mechanical milieux of tissue templates an
2025
- Sotiria Anastopolous, Melissa L Knothe Tate, The Distribution of elastin and collagen underpinning the smart properties of the interosseous membrane, bioRxiv, https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.19.633808
2024
- Vina D. L. Putra, Vittorio Sansalone, Kristopher A. Kilian, Melissa L. Knothe Tate, Tuning mechanical milieux of tissue templates and their cellular inhabitants to guide mechanoadaptation, bioRxiv, https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.12.03.626678
- Vina D. L. Putra, Kristopher A. Kilian, Melissa L. Knothe Tate. Stem cell mechanoadaptation - Part A - Effect of microtubule stabilization and volume changing stresses on cytoskeletal remodeling, bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.28.605421
- Vina D. L. Putra, Kristopher A. Kilian, Melissa L. Knothe Tate. Stem cell mechanoadaptation - Part B - Microtubule stabilization and substrate compliance effects on cytoskeletal remodeling, bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.28.605537
2023
- Lucy Ngo, Melissa L. Knothe Tate. Multi-Modal Sample Preparation and Imaging Protocol for Nano-to-mesoscopic Mapping of Cellular Inhabitants in Diverse Tissue Compartments, Across Organ Systems, 30 May 2023, PROTOCOL (Version 1) available at Nature's Protocol Exchange https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.pex-2244/v1
- Ngo L, Knothe Tate ML. A spike in circulating inflammatory cytokines alters barrier function between vascular and musculoskeletal tissues, Nature's Scientific Reports, doi:10.1038/s41598-023-30322-7
You are the future
Publications + Lectures
You are the future
Join our team!
Siblings of Innovation
Outreach Program
Educational Materials
Educational Materials
Inspired by the Three Sisters rock formation and its Aboriginal symbolism, the Institute's outreach program, Siblings of Innovation, aims to empower youth to learn from Indigenous peoples and to innovate early and throughout life, for the benefit of human and planetary health. Contact us to arrange for school visits and/or online programming.
Educational Materials
Educational Materials
Educational Materials
Building on Professor Knothe Tate's successful outreach programs with youth and students around the globe, these shared materials and tutorials are designed to inspire the next generation of innovators, from budding inventors to entrepreneurs.
Research Foundation
Our Mission
At Blue Mountains World Interdisciplinary Innovation Institute, our mission is to conduct cutting-edge research in a variety of fields and to provide the world with the knowledge and tools it needs to solve complex problems.
Our Researchers
Our team of researchers includes some of the brightest minds in their respective fields. From medicine to engineering, we have experts who are dedicated to advancing knowledge and making the world a better place.
Our Impact
Over the years, we've made significant contributions to a variety of fields. Our research has led to new treatments for diseases, more efficient technologies, and breakthroughs in understanding the natural world.
Our Partners
We work closely with a variety of organizations, from universities to corporations, to advance our research and bring our findings to the world. Our partners share our commitment to making the world a better place.
Get Involved
There are many ways to get involved with Blue Mountains World Interdisciplinary Innovation Institute, from volunteering your time to donating to our cause. No matter how you choose to help, your support will make a difference.
Contact Us
If you have questions about our research or are interested in partnering with us, please don't hesitate to get in touch. We'd love to hear from you.
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live, and recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community.
We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.