Rice University Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Ph.D. student skilled in metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, and biocatalysis (fermentation). Research interest focuses mostly on bio-derived energy, oil & gas, and chemicals.
Currently working at the University of South Florida (USF) as a visiting student with Professor Ramon Gonzalez. My research projects focus on the biological utilization of gaseous hydrocarbons. Also, I am interested in energy propagation in biological systems, specifically related to oxidative phosphorylation.
My previous research experiences mainly focused on C1 metabolism while working as an undergraduate research assistant in Metabolic Engineering and Synthetic Biology Laboratory at UCLA (Prof. James Liao).
Yan is a Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Mark Styczynski’s lab at Georgia Institute of Technology. Her current work focuses on interfacing synthetic biology with polymer systems to create a diagnostic platform for multiple biomarkers detection.
Eszter Majer is a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT in Prof. Chris Voigt’s Lab. She obtained her Bachelor degree in Horticultural Engineering and Plant Protection at the Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary and a PhD in Biotechnology at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain. She also holds an MBA in Agricultural Business and Marketing. In the Voigt Lab her research focuses on engineering the nitrogen-fixation capacity in plants.
EBRC – with support from the Division of Materials Research at NSF – invites you to contribute to a technical roadmap for materials from engineering biology.
The roadmap is currently in a drafting stage and we need experts to help continue to define and describe the 20+ year future for basic research and development at the intersection of materials science and synthetic/engineering biology. At a time like this, we believe that it is more important than ever for scientists to help guide policymakers and funding agencies in how to best support scientific research, and technical roadmaps are a highly-impactful way to do that.
EBRC is facilitating a series of virtual mini-workshops (2.5 – 3 hours each) focused on specific biomaterials subtopics to construct the roadmap. Workshops are organized as follows:
Details about each workshop, including dates/times, select topics to be covered, can be found below (registration deadline one week prior to workshop). Zoom videoconferencing links will be emailed to registrants. For more information, please contact roadmapping@ebrc.org
Wednesday, June 17 | 8:00am – 10:30am Pacific (Registration by June 11)
REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED; for more information, please contact roadmapping@ebrc.org
Workshop topics will include:
Types of participant-expertise we’re looking for (but not limited to): circuit/pathway engineering, cell biology, computational biology, molecular dynamics, materials science
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Past workshops:
Thursday, May 28 | 8am – 11am Pacific (Registration by May 21)
REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED; for more information, please contact roadmapping@ebrc.org
Workshop topics will include:
Types of participant-expertise we’re looking for (but not limited to): circuit/pathway engineering, biomolecular and cellular physiology, membrane engineering/dynamics, nanomaterials, polymers, metals and ceramics
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Friday, June 5 | 8am – 11am Pacific (Registration by May 29)
REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED; for more information, please contact roadmapping@ebrc.org
Workshop topics will include:
Types of participant-expertise we’re looking for (but not limited to): polymer engineering, bioprocess engineering, metabolic engineering, biomolecular dynamics, materials science
——
CANCELLED Thursday, June 11 | 8:30am – 11am Pacific (Registration by June 4)
REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED; for more information, please contact roadmapping@ebrc.org
Workshop topics will include:
Types of participant-expertise we’re looking for (but not limited to): computational biology, molecular dynamics, material dynamics, bioprocess engineering, materials science
——
The following citations (indicated as footnotes above) are provided to suggest areas of science and engineering we will be considering for the roadmap topics covered in each workshop and how the topics might align with participants’ areas of expertise. These are representative works not intended to be inclusive or exclusive of what will be covered in the roadmap.
1. Drachuk I, Harbaugh S, Geryak R, Kaplan DL, Tsukruk VV, Kelley-Loughnane N. Immobilization of Recombinant E. coli Cells in a Bacterial Cellulose–Silk Composite Matrix To Preserve Biological Function. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering 2017 3 (10), 2278-2292. doi: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.7b00367; Tay PKR, Nguyen PQ, Joshi NS. A Synthetic Circuit for Mercury Bioremediation Using Self-Assembling Functional Amyloids. ACS Synth Biol. 2017;6(10):1841‐1850. doi:10.1021/acssynbio.7b00137; Gilbert C, Ellis T. Biological Engineered Living Materials: Growing Functional Materials with Genetically Programmable Properties. ACS Synth Biol. 2019;8(1):1‐15. doi:10.1021/acssynbio.8b00423; Nielsen AA, Der BS, Shin J, et al. Genetic circuit design automation. Science. 2016;352(6281):aac7341. doi:10.1126/science.aac7341; Liu X, Tang TC, Tham E, et al. Stretchable living materials and devices with hydrogel-elastomer hybrids hosting programmed cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017;114(9):2200‐2205. doi:10.1073/pnas.1618307114; Weisenberger MS, Deans TL. Bottom-up approaches in synthetic biology and biomaterials for tissue engineering applications. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol. 2018;45(7):599‐614. doi:10.1007/s10295-018-2027-3
2. Heyde KC, Ruder WC. Programming Biomaterial Interactions Using Engineered Living Cells. Methods Mol Biol. 2018;1772:249‐265. doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-7795-6_14; Chen AY, Zhong C, Lu TK. Engineering living functional materials. ACS Synth Biol. 2015;4(1):8‐11. doi:10.1021/sb500113b
3. Boudot C, Boccoz A, Düregger K, Kuhnla A. A novel blood incubation system for the in-vitro assessment of interactions between platelets and biomaterial surfaces under dynamic flow conditions: The Hemocoater. J Biomed Mater Res A. 2016;104(10):2430‐2440. doi:10.1002/jbm.a.35787; Quinci F, Dressler M, Strickland AM, Limbert G. Towards an accurate understanding of UHMWPE visco-dynamic behaviour for numerical modelling of implants. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2014;32:62‐75. doi:10.1016/j.jmbbm.2013.12.023
4. Gronau G, Krishnaji ST, Kinahan ME, et al. A review of combined experimental and computational procedures for assessing biopolymer structure-process-property relationships. Biomaterials. 2012;33(33):8240‐8255. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2012.06.054; Raffaini G, Ganazzoli F. Understanding the performance of biomaterials through molecular modeling: crossing the bridge between their intrinsic properties and the surface adsorption of proteins. Macromol Biosci. 2007;7(5):552‐566. doi:
10.1002/mabi.200600278
5. Heyde KC, Ruder WC. Programming Biomaterial Interactions Using Engineered Living Cells. Methods Mol Biol. 2018;1772:249‐265. doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-7795-6_14; Chen AY, Zhong C, Lu TK. Engineering living functional materials. ACS Synth Biol. 2015;4(1):8‐11. doi:10.1021/sb500113b
6. Chen AY, Deng Z, Billings AN, et al. Synthesis and patterning of tunable multiscale materials with engineered cells. Nat Mater. 2014;13(5):515‐523. doi:10.1038/nmat3912; Lagziel-Simis S, Cohen-Hadar N, Moscovich-Dagan H, Wine Y, Freeman A. Protein-mediated nanoscale biotemplating. Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2006;17(6):569‐573. doi:10.1016/j.copbio.2006.10.005
7. Drachuk I, Harbaugh S, Geryak R, Kaplan DL, Tsukruk VV, Kelley-Loughnane N. Immobilization of Recombinant E. coli Cells in a Bacterial Cellulose–Silk Composite Matrix To Preserve Biological Function. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering 2017 3 (10), 2278-2292. doi: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.7b00367; Tay PKR, Nguyen PQ, Joshi NS. A Synthetic Circuit for Mercury Bioremediation Using Self-Assembling Functional Amyloids. ACS Synth Biol. 2017;6(10):1841‐1850. doi:10.1021/acssynbio.7b00137; Gilbert C, Ellis T. Biological Engineered Living Materials: Growing Functional Materials with Genetically Programmable Properties. ACS Synth Biol. 2019;8(1):1‐15. doi:10.1021/acssynbio.8b00423; Nielsen AA, Der BS, Shin J, et al. Genetic circuit design automation. Science. 2016;352(6281):aac7341. doi:10.1126/science.aac7341; Liu X, Tang TC, Tham E, et al. Stretchable living materials and devices with hydrogel-elastomer hybrids hosting programmed cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017;114(9):2200‐2205. doi:10.1073/pnas.1618307114; Weisenberger MS, Deans TL. Bottom-up approaches in synthetic biology and biomaterials for tissue engineering applications. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol. 2018;45(7):599‐614. doi:10.1007/s10295-018-2027-3
8. Gronau G, Krishnaji ST, Kinahan ME, et al. A review of combined experimental and computational procedures for assessing biopolymer structure-process-property relationships. Biomaterials. 2012;33(33):8240‐8255. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2012.06.054; Raffaini G, Ganazzoli F. Understanding the performance of biomaterials through molecular modeling: crossing the bridge between their intrinsic properties and the surface adsorption of proteins. Macromol Biosci. 2007;7(5):552‐566. doi:
10.1002/mabi.200600278
9. Basu A, Vadanan SV, Lim S. A Novel Platform for Evaluating the Environmental Impacts on Bacterial Cellulose Production. Sci Rep. 2018;8(1):5780. Published 2018 Apr 10. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-23701-y; Becker J, Rohles CM, Wittmann C. Metabolically engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum for bio-based production of chemicals, fuels, materials, and healthcare products. Metab Eng. 2018;50:122‐141. doi:10.1016/j.ymben.2018.07.008
10. Hoshino Y, Kodama T, Okahata Y, Shea KJ. Peptide imprinted polymer nanoparticles: a plastic antibody. J Am Chem Soc. 2008;130(46):15242‐15243. doi:10.1021/ja8062875; Stabenfeldt SE, Gourley M, Krishnan L, Hoying JB, Barker TH. Engineering fibrin polymers through engagement of alternative polymerization mechanisms. Biomaterials. 2012;33(2):535‐544. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2011.09.079; Yildirimer L, Seifalian AM. Three-dimensional biomaterial degradation – Material choice, design and extrinsic factor considerations. Biotechnol Adv. 2014;32(5):984‐999. doi:10.1016/j.biotechadv.2014.04.014
11. Nadell CD, Xavier JB, Levin SA, Foster KR. The evolution of quorum sensing in bacterial biofilms. PLoS Biol. 2008;6(1):e14. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060014; Mitra SD, Afonina I, Kline KA. Right Place, Right Time: Focalization of Membrane Proteins in Gram-Positive Bacteria. Trends Microbiol. 2016;24(8):611‐621. doi:10.1016/j.tim.2016.03.009
12. Chen AY, Deng Z, Billings AN, et al. Synthesis and patterning of tunable multiscale materials with engineered cells. Nat Mater. 2014;13(5):515‐523. doi:10.1038/nmat3912; Lagziel-Simis S, Cohen-Hadar N, Moscovich-Dagan H, Wine Y, Freeman A. Protein-mediated nanoscale biotemplating. Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2006;17(6):569‐573. doi:10.1016/j.copbio.2006.10.005
13. Gdowski A, Johnson K, Shah S, Gryczynski I, Vishwanatha J, Ranjan A. Optimization and scale up of microfluidic nanolipomer production method for preclinical and potential clinical trials. J Nanobiotechnology. 2018;16(1):12. Published 2018 Feb 12. doi:10.1186/s12951-018-0339-0
14. Gdowski A, Johnson K, Shah S, Gryczynski I, Vishwanatha J, Ranjan A. Optimization and scale up of microfluidic nanolipomer production method for preclinical and potential clinical trials. J Nanobiotechnology. 2018;16(1):12. Published 2018 Feb 12. doi:10.1186/s12951-018-0339-0
15. Gronau G, Krishnaji ST, Kinahan ME, et al. A review of combined experimental and computational procedures for assessing biopolymer structure-process-property relationships. Biomaterials. 2012;33(33):8240‐8255. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2012.06.054; Raffaini G, Ganazzoli F. Understanding the performance of biomaterials through molecular modeling: crossing the bridge between their intrinsic properties and the surface adsorption of proteins. Macromol Biosci. 2007;7(5):552‐566. doi:
10.1002/mabi.200600278
16. Boudot C, Boccoz A, Düregger K, Kuhnla A. A novel blood incubation system for the in-vitro assessment of interactions between platelets and biomaterial surfaces under dynamic flow conditions: The Hemocoater. J Biomed Mater Res A. 2016;104(10):2430‐2440. doi:10.1002/jbm.a.35787; Quinci F, Dressler M, Strickland AM, Limbert G. Towards an accurate understanding of UHMWPE visco-dynamic behaviour for numerical modelling of implants. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2014;32:62‐75. doi:10.1016/j.jmbbm.2013.12.023
Robert is from Germany and did his Bachelor in Liberal Arts and Sciences at Erasmus University College in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He received broad training both in cell biology during his Bachelor as well as structural biology during his gap year interning at Surrozen in the San Francisco Bay. He is broadly interested in synthetic biology and its applications in bioenergy, food & agriculture, and green chemistry, to build a more sustainable future.
In the Giessen Lab, he is working on the discovery and engineering of Encapsulins – a microbial protein organelle – to get new insights on microbial metabolism, and use them to engineer biocatalytic transformations in both bacteria and other organisms.
I am a South Korean bacteriologist, trained in the US (MS in Chemistry), and Korea (MS in Organic chemistry and PhD in bacteriology).
Currently, I am working as a postdoc learning synthetic biology.