Serena Omo-Lamai

Serena Omo-Lamai is a bioengineer, Schmidt Science Fellow, and Harvard Junior Fellow working at the intersection of nanomedicine, gene editing, and precision therapeutics. As a postdoctoral fellow in David R. Liu’s lab at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, she is developing genetic medicines that act selectively in defined cell types and disease states.

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During her PhD in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, Serena studied lipid nanoparticles, the delivery vehicles that helped enable mRNA vaccines and now hold promise for a much broader range of therapies. Her research identified important safety challenges associated with targeted nanoparticles, including clotting and inflammation, and helped reveal how those effects could be reduced through better design. She has also contributed to strategies for directing therapies to the lungs and brain.

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As a Schmidt Science Fellow, Serena is building on this foundation by developing gene-editing tools that can target harmful cells more precisely, including cells involved in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes. Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, she graduated summa cum laude from Syracuse University and remains active in mentoring, STEM education, and community service. Her work is guided by a clear goal: making powerful genetic technologies safer, more selective, and more useful in the clinic.