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My research is centered around two areas, cellular engineering and process engineering. I am working towards an industrial-scale biofuel production process using biological, chemical and physical engineering principles. | My research is centered around two areas, cellular engineering and process engineering. I am working towards an industrial-scale biofuel production process using biological, chemical and physical engineering principles. | ||
===Microbial Cellular Engineering=== | ===Microbial Cellular Engineering=== | ||
The conversion of renewable biomass to molecules suitable for liquid transportation fuel can be acheived via microbial metabolism. However, this does not usually occur naturally in a single microorganism nor does it occur efficiently. Therefore, novel metabolism must be developed to realize the desired chemical transformation. [http://syntheticbiology.org/ Synthetic biology] offers an approach to truly engineering metabolic pathways and related networks by providing well-characterized genetic modules that can be interchanged and composed into larger, more complex systems. Eventually, whole-cell systems may be engineered to function or behave in a predicted manner. | The conversion of renewable biomass to molecules suitable for liquid transportation fuel can be acheived via microbial metabolism. However, this does not usually occur naturally in a single microorganism nor does it occur efficiently. Therefore, novel metabolism must be developed to realize the desired chemical transformation. [http://syntheticbiology.org/ Synthetic biology] (specifically, synthetic genomics) offers an approach to truly engineering metabolic pathways and related networks by providing well-characterized genetic modules that can be interchanged and composed into larger, more complex systems. Eventually, whole-cell systems may be engineered to function or behave in a predicted manner. | ||
Synthetic biology requires a collection of existing biological components such as the [http://bioparts.org/ Registry of Standard Biological Parts]. In a similar spirit, this work will first generate a library of well-characterized components, the Engineered Genetic Module Archive (EGMA), which will be used in a non-standard chassis optimal for this particular bioprocess. The development of EGMA will rely on both rational design and directed evolution approaches. Furthermore, marine metagenomic research continually offers new genetic material that can be utilized to improve process efficiency. This archive of engineered genetic modules will allow the precise metabolic engineering necessary to achieve an economically viable yield, titer and rate. | Synthetic biology requires a collection of existing biological components such as the [http://bioparts.org/ Registry of Standard Biological Parts]. In a similar spirit, this work will first generate a library of well-characterized components, the Engineered Genetic Module Archive (EGMA), which will be used in a non-standard chassis optimal for this particular bioprocess. The development of EGMA will rely on both rational design and directed evolution approaches. Furthermore, marine metagenomic research continually offers new genetic material that can be utilized to improve process efficiency. This archive of engineered genetic modules will allow the precise metabolic engineering necessary to achieve an economically viable yield, titer and rate. | ||
Revision as of 06:17, 15 August 2008
Welcome! I'm a first-year grad student at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, VA and I am a member of Dr. Stephen Fong's Systems Bioengineering Lab in the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering. Please feel free to email me. ~George
Research Interests
My research is centered around two areas, cellular engineering and process engineering. I am working towards an industrial-scale biofuel production process using biological, chemical and physical engineering principles.
Microbial Cellular Engineering
The conversion of renewable biomass to molecules suitable for liquid transportation fuel can be acheived via microbial metabolism. However, this does not usually occur naturally in a single microorganism nor does it occur efficiently. Therefore, novel metabolism must be developed to realize the desired chemical transformation. Synthetic biology (specifically, synthetic genomics) offers an approach to truly engineering metabolic pathways and related networks by providing well-characterized genetic modules that can be interchanged and composed into larger, more complex systems. Eventually, whole-cell systems may be engineered to function or behave in a predicted manner.
Synthetic biology requires a collection of existing biological components such as the Registry of Standard Biological Parts. In a similar spirit, this work will first generate a library of well-characterized components, the Engineered Genetic Module Archive (EGMA), which will be used in a non-standard chassis optimal for this particular bioprocess. The development of EGMA will rely on both rational design and directed evolution approaches. Furthermore, marine metagenomic research continually offers new genetic material that can be utilized to improve process efficiency. This archive of engineered genetic modules will allow the precise metabolic engineering necessary to achieve an economically viable yield, titer and rate.
Biochemical Process Engineering
Although engineered microorganisms may synthesize the desired product or products, separation processes are necessary for purification. In addition, the bioreactor in which the microbes are grown must be optimized for the particular process and the substrate must be appropriately treated upstream of the bioreactor. This work is focused on the development of an optimal bioreactor for the growth of the platform organism and the production of the desired product. In addition, a novel extraction system is being developed for the facile separation of product from culture broth.
Presentations
- Talk/poster - Harvesting cellulose and light to power butanol biosynthesis: A synthetic biology approach to metabolic engineering, iGEM 2007
- Poster - Harvesting cellulose and light to power butanol biosynthesis: A synthetic biology approach to metabolic engineering, IBE 2008 annual meeting
- Talk - The Virginia Genetically Engineered Machine Team, BioSysBio 2008
- Poster - A bottom-up approach to synthetic biology education: From iGEM teams to undergraduate curricula, Synthetic Biology 4.0
Education
Virginia Commonwealth University
- Ph.D., Chemical and Life Science Engineering
University of Virginia (2008)
- B.S., Chemical Engineering (Biotechnology Concentration}
- B.A., Music (Composition Concentration)
- Minor in Biology
- Undergraduate Thesis Portfolio
- The Development of a First Course in the Fundamentals of Synthetic Biology at the University of Virginia
- Biological Systems Design was offered in Spring 2008!
- The VGEM Team: A Model for Enhancing Engineering Education
- A Regulatory Framework for the Constructive Development of Synthetic Biology
- The Development of a First Course in the Fundamentals of Synthetic Biology at the University of Virginia
