Who we are
We are a team of engineers and scientists focused on developing novel biotechnologies for efficiently converting renewable feedstocks into a variety of sustainable fuel and chemical products. We work at the interface of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology, while also incorporating key elements of industrial and applied microbiology, ‘re-programming’ microorganisms to carry out various functions of interest. Current applications include engineering novel biosynthetic pathways, expanding catabolic range and capacity, improving strain robustness, and enhancing other traits of industrial importance. Learn more…
Research Areas
Novel pathway engineering
Strain optimization
Product tolerance
Adaptive laboratory evolution
New strain engineering tools
Biosensors
Dynamic control
Synthetic microbial communities
Integrated bioreactors
Product separation
Photobioreactors
Process modeling and optimization
Recent News & Announcements
Convocation 2019
Big congrats to Dr. Machas on his hooding today!!!
AIChE 2019
Andrew and Dave presented a couple of talks at AIChE 2019 in Orlando last month.
Moving to Biodesign C
A busy Summer made busier by moving our lab to the new Biodesign C building! Phase 1 is complete, with the full move slated for early Fall. We had a small celebration to say goodbye to our old space in GWC. w The new space is fantastic, and we are looking forward to...
SIMB 2019
Andrew will present his latest co-culture work (a collaboration with Prof. Xuan Wang) at SIMB 2019! Be sure to stop by his poster. Oh, and he also won a Diversity Travel Award! Congrats! http://www.simbhq.org/annual/sciprogram/awards/diversity-travel/...
Michael Machas, Ph.D.!
Congrats to Michael on his successful Ph.D. defense! Let the celebration begin, Dr. Machas!
New DOE Cyanobacteria Project
Working with collaborators at CSU and NanoGas Technologies, our ASU team is leading a recently awarded project from the DOE, focussed on enhancing the efficiency for carbon utilization in biofuel-producing cyanobacteria cultures. Learn more...
Beijing
Had a great time presenting some of the group's work at the '2018 Biocatalysis, Bioconversion and Green Manufacturing US-China bilateral Symposium' in Beijing, hosted by the Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT). The hosts were wonderful and the...
SEED 2018
Chris and Michael are presenting their work this week at SEED 2018, being held just up the road in Scottsdale, AZ! Read more about the conference and SynBio research at ASU in the following article:...
WPC2018
Our group and DOE project team were well-represented at the 27th Western Photosynthesis Conference (WPC2018), held at Biosphere 2 just south of us in Oracle, Arizona from Jan. 4-7, 2018. Chris Jones and his work were recognized as runner-up in the postdoc category of...
Metabolic Engineering Summit
Andrew Flores travelled all the way to Beijing, China to present his work on co-culture engineering (a collaboration with Prof. Xuan Wang, ASU) at the 2017 Metabolic Engineering Summit! This conference series is sponsored by the International Metabolic Engineering...
AIChE 2017
We were in Minneapolis last week for AIChE, trying to stay warm and presenting the work of Brian and Kyle. It was also a great chance to catch up with friends from all over, including the Prather Group (MIT)! Until next...
Presenting research at SIMB Annual Meeting
Several of our projects were presented as posters at the 2017 SIMB Annual Meeting in Denver, CO. Andrew Flores and Gavin Kurgan (from Xuan Wang's group) presented results from our collaborative projects, and Brian Thompson's work on muconic acid was presented as...
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