Graduate Student
University of California, Berkeley
B.S. Chemical Engineering, 2008
Rutgers University
Office Location: 250 Calvin Hall
Office Telephone: 510-642-1053
Office Fax:
Protein engineering has proven to be a powerful tool in creating enzymes with new and improved properties; however, designing and employing methods to screen or select cellulase mutants using solid cellulosic substrates remains a largely unmet challenge. Our research seeks to overcome this challenge, as well as that of developing more cost-effective cellulases, by developing high-throughput solid substrate assays and applying them in the directed evolution of thermophilic cellulases (e.g., Topt = 80°C). The methodology developed will be applicable to the generation and study of improved cellulases that can be used in various process configurations for the production of biofuels from cellulosic biomass.