Jenny Molloy holds an MA (Natural Sciences) from the University of Cambridge and a DPhil (Zoology) from the University of Oxford where she researched genetic control of dengue mosquitoes through a BBSRC iCASE studentship supported by Oxitec Ltd. From 2015-2018 she coordinated the University of Cambridge Synthetic Biology Strategic Research Initiative and the OpenPlant Synthetic Biology Research Centre. In 2018 she was awarded a Shuttleworth Fellowship to pursue her interests in open source in the bioeconomy and develop biotechnology tools that enable research and innovation to happen in resource-constrained contexts.

She studies the role and impact of open approaches to Intellectual Property for a Sustainable and Equitable Bioeconomy. Her work focuses on better understanding problems facing researchers accessing biological research tools in low-resource contexts, particularly Latin America and Africa. Her team develops innovative technologies for local, distributed manufacturing of enzymes to improve access and build capacity for biological research. The broader aim of her research is to contextualize “open source” approaches to biotechnology within current narratives of innovation and the bioeconomy policy agenda.