On what a Scientist is supposed to be

“Scientists are people of very dissimilar temperaments doing different things in very different ways. Among scientists are collectors, classifiers, and compulsive tidiers-up; many are detectives by temperament and many are explorers; some are artists and others artisans. There are poet-scientists and philosopher-scientists and even a few mystics. Obligative scientists must be very rare and most people who are in fact scientists could easily have been something else” – Sir Peter Medawar, The Strange Case of the Spotted Mice and Other Classic Essays on Science



Principal Investigator:


Dr. Aindrila Mukhopadhyay


PI, M-group. Senior Scientist, Biological Systems & Engineering, LBNL, VP Biofuels and Bioproducts, JBEI. Adjunct Faculty SOLS, ASU. Adjunct Prof. Comparative Biochemistry, UC Berkeley.


EMAIL: amukhopadhyay at lbl dot gov


Research Interests: Many microbial biomanufacturing, genetics and genomics projects. All of them relate to obtaining a better understanding of how microbes regulate complex phenotypes like metabolism, signaling, and stress response and how they can be engineered for better bioproduction. Or to simply to understand their role in their environment.


Google Scholar, LinkedIn, LBNL, UC Berkeley, Chemistry Tree, Wikipedia, JBEI


Personal interests: I love to draw. I like to read – the last great books I’ve read are all non-fiction by Ursula Le Guin. A great spot in East Bay is Lake Merritt by the bird sanctuary. And a good spot in the city is on top of the stairwell at 19th and Sanchez




CV






Research Scientists:






Dr. Thomas Eng553555_810673940768_1539758969_n


Research Scientist, Biological Systems & Engineering, LBNL


EMAIL: tteng at lbl dot gov


Ph.D. Molecular and Cell Biology, UC Berkeley, 2015

B.S. Biology, MIT, 2007






FAVORITE SCIENTIST: A tie between Rosalind Franklin and Dr. Horrible (unclear if he REALLY has a medical degree).


WEBSITE: https://www.linkedin.com/in/engthomas










Dr. Deepanwita Banerjee


Research Scientist, Biological Systems & Engineering, LBNL


EMAIL: dbanerjee at lbl dot gov




Ph.D. Biological Sciences, CSIR – National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India

M. Tech. Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, India

B. Tech. Biotechnology, MDU Rohtak, India






Research interests: I am currently working on computationally driven host engineering for growth-coupled production of biofuels and bioproducts using the Product Substrate Pairing (PSP) approach. I use computational strain optimization methods and genome scale metabolic models (GSM) to predict gene targets for engineering Pseudomonas putida. I am also working towards predicting PSP strategies in P. putida for utilization of lignocellulose derived carbon sources for bioenergy and biomanufacturing applications. The goal is to test and learn to better design robust and sustainable microbial hosts that maintain desirable phenotype across industrially relevant scales and conditions.






Personal interests: Outside of work, I like to cook, craft, paint and photograph. Currently obsessed with gardening and learning more about growth promoting micro and macronutrients for plants.





 






 Dr. Aparajitha Srinivasan


Research Scientist, Biological Systems & Engineering, LBNL


EMAIL: asrinivasan at lbl dot gov


PhD. Biotechnology, IIT Madras, Chennai, India

M.Tech. Marine Biotechnology, CUSAT, Kochi, India

B.Tech. Biotechnology, SASTRA University, Tanjore, India


Research interests: I am currently working on engineering Corynebacterium         glutamicum and Pseudomonas putida to utilize plant biomass components for     production of biofuels and bioproducts.


Personal interests: Outside of work, I like to read science fiction, watch sitcoms,  cook, play board/card games with friends. Currently obsessed with daily  Wordle/Dordle challenge and reading “The Code Breaker”.


WEBSITE: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aparajitha-srinivasan/








Postdoctoral Fellows:


Dr. Shweta Priya


Postdoctoral Fellow, Biological Systems & Engineering, LBNL


EMAIL: spriya at lbl dot gov


PhD in soil microbiology, Texas A&M University

MS in Microbiology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI)


Research interests: I am working on m-CAFEs project and my role is to understand the persistence and fate of engineered microbes across rhizosphere communities using fabricated ecosystems and to determine how environmental stresses such as drought impact the migration and fitness of these engineered systems.


Personal interests: In my free time like traveling and reading fiction novels.






Dr. Hyun Jee Lee


Postdoctoral Fellow, Biological Systems & Engineering, LBNL


EMAIL: hjl at lbl dot gov


PhD: Georgia Tech, Chemical Engineering


Research interests: Exploring how cell morphology influences microbial biomanufacturing using quantitative imaging and data-driven analysis.


Personal interests: Playing music, board games, and exploring new places.




Dr. Saad Naseem


Postdoctoral Fellow, Biological Systems & Engineering, LBNL


EMAIL: snaseem at lbl dot gov


 


Research interests: During my Ph.D. with Tadhg P. Begley, I trained in mechanistic enzymology and uncovered pathways involved in the biosynthesis and catabolism of cofactors and natural products. My current research focuses on engineering Pseudomonas putida for applications in metabolic engineering and bioproduction.


Personal interests: I read a lot (mostly Asian literature). Over the years, I’ve enjoyed exploring a range of hobbies, from bouldering, softball, and football to, more recently, crocheting!














Dr. Guilherme de Siqueira


Postdoctoral Fellow, Biological Systems & Engineering, LBNL


EMAIL: viana.guilherme at lbl dot gov


 


PhD: Department of Biology,  University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, State of São Paulo, Brazil


Research interests: I am interested in combining computational methods for investigating multi-omics datasets to understand the ways that microorganisms adapt to and thrive in harsh environmental conditions.


Personal interests: In my down time I enjoy listening to live music and experimenting in the kitchen. I’m currently fine-tuning my protocol for sourdough bread, and I’ll happily take applications for taste testers!






Graduate Students:








Alex Codik


Graduate Student, Comparative Biochemistry, UC Berkeley


EMAIL: acoodik at lbl dot gov






Research Associate at Zymergen, 2020

B.S. Biochemistry, Santa Clara University, 2018


Research interests: I am currently participating in The ENIGMA project testing different environmental isolates, and working on growth-coupled strategies in Pseudomonas putida.


Personal interests: On my free time I like reading science fiction, trying different foods and restaurants and working out.


 


Javier Menasalvas


Research Assistant, Biological Systems and Engineering Division


EMAIL: jmenasalvas at lbl dot gov


B.S. Biotechnology, Europea University of Madrid






Research Assistants:








Undergraduate students:


 














Visiting Scholars






 








We are always happy to have visiting scholars! Please contact us to find out how to become a visiting scholar at LBL and in our group.






 




Alumni and Former Visiting Scholars