Cyntia is a Research Fellow in the Knott Lab at Monash University’s Biomedicine Discovery Institute, and leads protein design efforts within the AI Protein Design Program (AIPDP).

She has a long-standing interest in the architecture and function of macromolecular assemblies, with particular expertise in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Her research spans structural biology and protein engineering, with a current focus on the rational design of anti-CRISPR proteins using AI-guided methods.

Originally from France, Cyntia completed her PhD at Université Paris-Saclay and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), where she characterised PI4KIIIα, a human lipid kinase complex. She then joined Institut Curie for her postdoctoral research, investigating the molecular organisation of septin filaments , cytoskeletal GTPases involved in membrane remodelling , using biophysical techniques including cryo-electron tomography.

In 2019, Cyntia relocated to Melbourne to join Monash University. After contributing to structural studies of biological assemblies in native cellular contexts, she joined the Knott Lab in 2023. There, she leads cryoEM investigations into microbial immune systems, including CRISPR-Cas and novel defence systems, and drives the design and structural validation of engineered proteins using AI tools such as RFdiffusion and BindCraft. She recently developed a series of AI-designed anti-CRISPR proteins (AIcrs) shown to be effective in both bacteria and human cells.

Feel free to get in touch to learn more or discuss potential collaborations!