Our lab uses genetic engineering to expand the kinds of chemistry that microbes can perform.
We perform fundamental and applied research related to industries ranging from chemical manufacturing to healthcare.
We are part of the Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Department, the Chemistry-Biology Interface Program, the Microbiology Graduate Program, and the Center for Plastics Innovation at the University of Delaware.
We are also affiliated with the Delaware Biotechnology Institute and the Delaware Environmental Institute.
At the national level, we are members of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Manufacturing Innovation Institute BioMADE .
We perform fundamental and applied research related to industries ranging from chemical manufacturing to healthcare.
We are part of the Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Department, the Chemistry-Biology Interface Program, the Microbiology Graduate Program, and the Center for Plastics Innovation at the University of Delaware.
We are also affiliated with the Delaware Biotechnology Institute and the Delaware Environmental Institute.
At the national level, we are members of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Manufacturing Innovation Institute BioMADE .
Tools
Metabolic Engineering
Genome Engineering
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Protein Engineering
Synthetic Biology
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VisionImagine a future where we can harness our understanding of biology to improve every facet of our lives through biomolecular engineering - from the materials we touch, to the clothes we wear, to the food we eat, to the air we breathe, and to the health we experience. Engineering microbes can help make our society more sustainable, healthier, and more equitable. Advances in synthetic biology are helping us start to realize parts of this vision, but we are limited by what molecules engineered microbes can make and where these microbes can make them. To help address both of these limitations for the betterment of human and environmental health, our lab programs cells to create and harness building blocks that are uncommon to nature. Join our team and help us bring this future closer to reality.
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Recent Lab NewsApr 2024:
Congratulations to Michaela on receiving the 2024 Saurabh A. Palkar Graduate Award for Mentoring! Congratulations to Shelby on receiving the 2024 Richard Wool Award for Women in Green Engineering! Aditya was honored to receive the Grand Prize for the 2024 BioInnovation Institute & Science Prize for Innovation. The prize included an opportunity to have an essay about our entrepreneurial directions published in Science and a chance to chat with folks from the journal. Aditya was also honored to receive the Outstanding Faculty Award from the Delaware Valley Section of the AIChE. Our biocatalysis team published a couple of interesting review articles. Check out Madan's review on using biocatalysts for selective functionalization towards polymer upcycling applications, and check out the team's review, led by Roman, on flavor and fragrance biosynthesis. Jan 2024: Welcome to the lab, Ph.D. student Monona Khare and Lab Coordinator Dana Arnold! Oct 2023: Priyanka's paper on designing enzyme cascades for synthesis of lignin-derived amines in cell-free and whole cell contexts was published in Biotechnology and Bioengineering. Congrats, Priyanka! Neil successfully defended his doctoral thesis - congrats, Dr. Butler! Sep 2023: Michaela's paper on discovering new L-threonine transaldolases that lead to better biosynthesis of beta-hydroxylated non-standard amino acids in cells was published in Communications Biology (open access). Congrats, Michaela! Aug 2023: Roman's paper on engineering bacteria to prevent the reduction of terephthalaldehyde was published in the 2023 Futures Issue of the AIChE Journal. Congrats, Roman! Seven of our undergraduate researchers presented at the UD Summer Research Symposium. Excellent job, future scholars! July 2023: Aditya was honored to receive the 2023 Early Career Award from the Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology. June 2023: Welcome to the lab, CBI student Jessica Gamba! May 2023: Neil's paper on programming cells to create and harness a nitrated amino acid was published in Nature Chemical Biology. Congrats, Neil! Apr 2023: Congrats to Ishika Govil for being awarded the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship! Congrats to Miyu Mudalamane for being awarded the Barry Goldwater Scholarship! Neil's paper on engineering resting whole cell biocatalysts to stabilize aldehydes was published in Metabolic Engineering. Congrats, Neil! Mar 2023: Madan's paper on designing enzyme cascades to valorize breakdown products of plastic waste was published in ACS Catalysis. Congrats, Madan! Jan 2023: Welcome new PhD students! Austin Desmarais Saloni Gupta Welcome new undergraduates: Josh Bryan, Anu Buddhikot, Abby Spangler, and Vishal Somasundaram Congrats to Neil for securing a DBI CAT grant and rising to the Develop Stage of Blue Hen Proof of Concept Funding, both for research towards commercialization. Fall 2022: Aditya was honored to be awarded a 2022 NIH Director's New Innovator Award Summer 2022: Welcome new lab members! New postdocs: Surendar Jakka and Amanda Rosier. New undergraduates: Alexander Tiso and Miyu Mudalamane. Congrats to D'Jana for being awarded a CBI G2 Fellowship! Apr 2022: Congrats to Amanda Forti and undergraduate lab member Sean Wirt for being awarded the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship! Congrats to undergraduate lab member Ishika Govil for being awarded the Barry Goldwater Scholarship! Aditya was honored to be awarded a 2022 Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award and a 2021 Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research New Innovator Award. Jan 2022: Congrats to Michaela for being awarded a GAANN Fellowship for Inclusive Teaching! Congrats to Neil on being selected for the Philadelphia Section of the Nucleate Start-Up Mentoring Program! Nov 2021: Welcome new PhD students! Avaniek Cabales D'Jana Wyllis Aditya was honored to be awarded the 2021 Langer Prize. Aug 2021: Welcome to our first post-doc Priyanka Nain! Congrats to Neil on being accepted for the NSF I-Corps Sites program and the ACS BIOT Tank pitch competition! Jun 2021: Chris Mayhugh and Shelby Anderson joined the lab after their CBI rotations - welcome! Congratulations to graduates of the lab - Soumili, Ryan, and Nathan! Congrats to Michaela for being awarded the Fraser & Shirley Russell Teaching Fellowship, Sunny for receiving an AIChE award for outstanding graduate student leadership, and Neil and Morgan for Outstanding TA awards! Nov 2020: Welcome new PhD students! Roman Dickey Amanda Forti Madan Gopal Sep 2020: Aditya is honored to be included among the 2020 AIChE 35 Under 35 Cohort. Mar 2020: Neil and Morgan both earn Honorable Mentions on their NSF GRFP submissions - congratulations!! Jan 2020: Aditya joined the Engineering Biology Research Consortium Dec 2019: Soumili Chattopadhyay joined the lab - welcome Soumili! Dec 2019: Morgan's review on biosynthesis of nonstandard chemical functional groups is accepted - congrats! Oct 2019: Neil's review on CARs is accepted - congrats! May 2019: Michaela Jones joined the lab after her CBI rotation - welcome Michaela! Feb 2019: Aditya was awarded an ELBI (Biosecurity) Fellowship Jan 2019: Lab opening Nov 2018: Welcome new PhD students - Neil Butler Sunny Sen Morgan Sulzbach |
