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About

The CurtisLab is a hybrid of Traditional Biochemical / Bioprocess engineering and the latest technologies of metabolic engineering in microorganisms as well as plants (the green ones).

Recent and ongoing projects include:
  • Biofuels:  process design and genetic engienering of organisms to produce hyrocarbon biofuels, algae and cellulosic biofuels.  
  • Plant Biotechnology:  utilizing transcription factors to manipulate plant embryogenesis for plant propagation, transient gene expression in plants to produce proteins; even genetically engineering mushrooms.
  • Membrane Protein Engineering:  Expression and characterization of membrane proteins like aquiporin (which pumps water); CesA (which makes cellulose), and numerous other medically important proteins.  
We collaborate with many different scientific backgrounds in plant science, molecular biology, materials research, ...
Students in the lab have backgrounds in Chemical Engineering (of course) ... but also Plant science, Applied Biotechnology, Bio-engineering, Agricultural engineering, and Industrial Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering  .... 

Students from the lab have gone on to become:  Chemical Engineers (of course); Professors, Doctors, ... even physical therapists and (2) veterinarians?