Date: Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Time: 9:30-10:30AM
Location: Health Science Technology Building (HST), Forum Room 101
This event features Kristala L. Jones Prather, as the Humphrey Distinguished Lecturer, who will talk about "Building Microbial Chemical Factories: Design, Assembly, and Engineering of Biological Routes to Chemical Compounds", as part of the Lehigh University Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering's Spring Colloquium Seminar Series.
Abstract
Biological systems have the potential to produce a wide array of compounds with uses that include fuels, materials, bulk chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Our group is focused on applying principles from metabolic engineering and biocatalysis towards the design and construction of novel biosynthetic pathways for specified target compounds. This “retro-biosynthetic design” approach is aided by advancements in the development of new tools under the umbrella of synthetic biology that facilitate re-engineering of biological systems. As new pathways are designed and constructed, typical challenges such as low product yields and titers can hamper development of commercially-relevant processes. The sheer volume of chemicals that ultimately need to be produced also requires the use of a broader range of feedstocks than those traditional employed in bioprocesses. In this talk, I will review our group’s sustained efforts to both produce novel compounds through biological synthesis and develop strategies to address the inherent limitations.
About the Speaker
Kristala L.J. Prather is the Arthur D. Little Professor and Department Head in the Department of Chemical Engineering at MIT. She received an S.B. degree from MIT in 1994 and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley (1999), and worked 4 years in BioProcess Research and Development at the Merck Research Labs prior to joining the faculty of MIT. Her research interests are centered on the design and assembly of recombinant microorganisms for the production of small molecules, with additional efforts in novel bioprocess design approaches. Prather’s honors include the Charles Thom Award of the Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (2017), the Andreas Acrivos Award for Professional Progress in Chemical Engineering of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE, 2021), and the Marvin J. Johnson Award (BIOT Division, American Chemical Society, 2024). Additional honors include selection as a Fellow of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study (2014-2015), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS; 2018), the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE; 2020), and AIChE (2020).
Arthur E. Humphrey
Born in 1927 - Moscow, Idaho. He attended the University of Idaho, MIT, and Columbia University where he received a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering with a specialty in Biochemical Engineering in 1953. He taught Biochemical Engineering at the University of Pen.nsylvania while serving as the Chemical Engineering Department Chair for 10 years and as Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science for 8 years. In 1980 Dr. Humphrey went to Lehigh University where he served 6 years as Provost and Academic Vice President plus chair of the Biotechnology Institute. In 1986 he was named the Diamond Professor of Biochemical Engineering . He retired from Lehigh in 1992. Beginning in 1992 he served as a contract professor, chairing the Biotechnology Institute and teaching a course in Biochemical Engineering at Penn State University retiring for a second time in 1997. Dr. Humphrey was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1973. He served as President of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in 1990/91. He held Fulbright Professorships in Australia and Japan. He gave lectures on Biotechnology in 31 countries. He was appointed by President Nixon as Chair of the Industrial Microbiology Joint Committee to the USSR under Détente. He received the John Fritz Gold Medal from the Associated Engineering Societies as the Outstanding Engineer in 1997. He also received the University of Pennsylvania Gold Medal in 1988 for distinguished service to Society, and the Asian Biotechnology Gold Medal for distinguished service to Biotechnology in 1991.On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Dr. Humphrey was named one of the most 100 distinguished Chemical Engineers of the modern era. He was awarded three honorary doctorates, one from Lehigh in 1993. He has co-authored three books on Biochemical Engineering, published more than 250 technical papers and served as the research advisor for 27 Ph.D. students. He has received numerous awards from the AIChE, American Chemical Society, and the Society for Industrial Microbiology, including the Annual AIChE Lecture-ship in 1976. He currently resides with his wife of 74 years, at Life Care Community in Scarborough, Maine.
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