Melissa’s work

Here is a selection of recent projects, and client case studies that bring to life the bio.t METHOD process when working with Melissa.

Biomimicry projects

  • The Think Like a Tree Project 2026-current

    Emulating the deep strategies and mechanisms of a tree, for the process of business model innovation (BMI) and the design of business models. Specifically focused on plant cell mechanisms, multi cell mechanisms, and forest interaction mechanisms for (i) the creation, re/generation and capture of value (for BMI), (ii) the sensing and seizing of value (dynamic capabilities). Currently researching & prototype testing with global circular biotech start ups- particularly exploring aspects of value flow, value exchange and value potential transformation.

  • The Te Matakupenga Project 2024-current

    Working with Māori leaders to emulate soil mycelium for uplifting the social ecology of Rangatahi (Māori youth). Specifically, the strategies and mechanisms for sensing, responding, adapting, distributing of resources, and forging of stronger networks.

  • The Climate Resilient Infrastructure Project 2025

    Working with UK engineers on a biomimicry collab project to discover and design from Nature’s structural solutions for combatting water scarcity, flooding, storm winds, salinity and invasive species. Based on deep evolutionary pattern identification and biotech mechanisms of champion adaptive species on the Isles of Scilly.

  • The Replacing Glyphosate Project 2025

    Working with US biochemists on a biomimicry collab project to discover and design from Nature’s molecular mechanistic solutions to herbicide. Deep pattern identification of defense compounds and cellular disruption mechanisms of predators, with zero ecosystem impact. Design and biochemist brief for new molecular compounds.

  • The Communicating Through Noise Project 2025

    Working on a biomimicry collab project for the US based Biomimicry Institute, to explore Nature’s algorithms and strategies for sending and decoding network communication signals in high noise, high interference conditions. Design application strategy development.

  • The Datacentre Energy Project 2024

    Working on a biomimicry collab project for Microsoft’s global US based biomimicry team, to discover and design from Nature’s engineering solutions for optimising waste thermal heat energy in global datacentre fleet.

  • The Weaving of Biomimicry with Te Ao Māori Project 2024-current

    Cultural brokering, facilitation, and deep listening to bridge Biomimicry, as the wisdom of Nature, with Te Ao Māori, an ontological world view of people of the land. Incorporating ongoing deep conversations, panel representation, and the hosting a global cohort of biomimicry professionals, including co-founder Dr Dayna Baumeister and Toby Herzlich, founder of Biomimicry for Social Innovation for a week long immersion in Aotea, Aotearoa (my tūrangawaewae). Currently exploring deep Te Ao Māori wisdom of sensing, connecting and remembering.

  • The Nature Resilience, Adaptation and Transformation Series 2024-current

    Teaching professional Masters students at tertiary institute Academy EX in their Resilience in Leadership masters program, and their Disruptive Tech Futures masters program. Speaking and running design lab workshops.

kind words from biomimicry collab partners

  • “Melissa has a rare capacity to see into systems complexity and translate it. She asks precise, expansive questions and pairs her intellectual rigor with a genuine care for people. She creates the space for others to think boldly and contribute fully. It's more collaborative and results in stronger outcomes. I came to rely on her ability to reframe complex chemistry into clear, usable concepts that expanded my thinking and reshaped my practice. I have no doubt she will play a leading role in shaping the next evolution of biomimicry.”

    Stosh Cotler, CEO, Social Activist, Innovator and US-based Biomimicry practitioner

  • "Melissa pushed our team further than we would have gone on our own. Where it's easy to default to familiar frameworks, she challenged us to go deeper by asking harder questions. She has a rare ability to see a problem differently and bring others along with her. The result was work that was more thoughtful, more original, in a process that she made feel productive rather than divisive."

    Clyde Boyer, Chief innovation officer, Tech founder, and US based Biomimicry practitioner

  • “I've met smart woman, but Melissa is next-level impressive. She brings such generosity and warmth to projects alongside a brilliant intellect. She can zoom out to understand complex, interconnected challenges, and translate that insight into practical shifts. She not only enabled us to work with clarity, pace, and purpose, she elevated our thinking.”

    Melanie Farmer, Innovation and Learning Specialist, Australia-based Biomimicry practitioner

  • “Most people struggle to communicate across different fields and fail to achieve practical integration. Yet, in this mucky space, Melissa shines. Her interdisciplinary skills are rare and invaluable. I will continue to actively seek Melissa’s input for transdisciplinary biomimicry collaborations of any scale”

    Nick Heier, Innovation specialist, Engineer, Teacher and Australia-based Biomimicry practitioner

  • “Melissa’s presence consistently elevated my learning experience. She brings a depth of experience, intellectual sophistication, and practical insight to the biomimicry design table, resulting in deeply informed, and innovative work. Any community would benefit from her leadership, perspective, and ability to connect biomimicry, sustainability, and innovation in meaningful ways.”

    Lisa Helminiak, Founder CulturLab, Human Centred Design Innovation specialist, Digital strategist and US-based Biomimicry practitioner

  • "Melissa’s background in strategy, innovation, and systems thinking brings both depth and breadth to biomimicry. She easily navigates the bridge between the biology and the problem space, extrapolating the science with precision that drive really novel design outcomes”

    Sabrina Blowers, Strategy Director, Accenture and US-based Biomimicry practitioner

Case studies of BMI Transformation

01.

Capability Build

02.

Strategic Transform

03.

Start Up Disrupt

kind words from clients

  • "Melissa transformed us into marketing-led company with aplomb. She transformed our product ranges, our brand, our design, our communications… that will serve us for years to come. Her winning awards is a testament to this transformation. She is leaving behind a strong platform for future growth."

    Malcolm Rands, Founder ecostore

  • “Melissa’s expertise in design-led thinking is outstanding. She is challenging, rigorous and super strategic, with an incisive understanding of an organization's un-realized potential. Her process was revelatory. The way I thought the organization delivered value wasn't correct. Both the challenge and the opportunity, were bigger. Her process brought this into sharp focus. Melissa operates at the top of her craft, with the upmost integrity.”

    Dr Sandy Callister, Board member World Vision

  • “Melissa’s energy, empathy and experience have led me to believe she is a real world walking Wonder Woman! Within a short-time frame Melissa was able to help me craft the right business plan and strong brand positioning to attract investment and move forward into early stage market entry. Without her help I would have struggled to get to where I am now!”

    Angus Brown, Founder Ārepa

  • “It is hard to express in words just how incredible my experience working with Melissa was. Her structured design-thinking program has given me a solid base to completely redesign my business. It has truly exceeded all of my expectations.”

    Sophie Poelman, Founder Studio Alida

  • “Melissa is a super power. She serves up gold. Her process is a real gift - she has this amazing way of getting to the core essence of the challenge and building up the process to help you make quality decisions. Her insights and frameworks are world leading. It has led to a change in our agenda forward, and the results speak for themselves. She’s engaging, empathetic, purpose driven and challenging; and she cares deeply.”

    Andy Hamilton, CEO The Icehouse

  • "Melissa helped me discover potential I hadn’t even thought of. She has the unique ability to help connect the dots using her Regen Method which is a useful and easy framework to follow. This was hugely valuable for my business strategy and I’m so appreciative to her insights and energy.”

    Jayne Chater, Founder JC, Altris and Professionelle

  • "Melissa design thinking skills have been instrumental in helping us unlock our innovation potential. She has an uncanny ability to cut through big problems to identify what’s broken, what works and what can fly. She can see value potential and knows how to unlock it – both in the business and in people. I’d highly recommend her to any business leader wanting to reset and scale up their business".

    Richard Wyeth, CEO Miraka

  • "Melissa is the real deal. Bundled in an effervescent parcel of infectious optimism, Melissa has a rare ability to cut through rhetoric and business myths to pinpoint the true strategic, commercial, problems. Melissa settles for nothing less than excellence. She has an enviable know-how on all aspects of modern business practice to add to her capabilities as a stunning marketer."

    Helen Carter, CEO Cancer Society

  • "Melissa helped us define our place in the world. Where we want to play, the unmet market need and importantly- our superpowers. A powerful, robust and inspirational process. Melissa is a superpower of insight. Highly recommended!"

    Dr Sue Watson, Founder Leaderful

  • "Melissa is quite simply a world class design practitioner. I was consistently impressed with her ability to balance strategic and commercial demands within rapidly evolving environments."

    Abraham Gibson, Board member World Vision and tech entrepreneur

  • "Melissa is a calm, holistic thinker. She can combine what are typically thought of as 'fluffy' concepts with quite a 'hard' edge of frameworks and outputs. It’s magic combo. She provides our Masters students with a way to see, and move through the complexity of a system. She gives order to the disorder and gets people unstuck. This is the key to momentum - forward motion. It's awesome!"

    Sarah Hindle, GM Tech Futures Lab

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