10/21/2021
By Sokny Long

The Francis College of Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, invites you to attend a doctoral dissertation defense by Na Liu on “Microbial biomanufacturing of high-value products from plant oil-based feedstocks.”

PhD Candidate: Na Liu
Defense Date: Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021
Time: 2 to 4 p.m.
Location: This will be a virtual defense via Zoom. Those interested in attending should contact the student Na_Liu@student.uml.edu and committee advisor Dongming_Xie@uml.edu at least 24 hours prior to the defense to request access to the meeting.


Committee Chair (Advisor): Dongming Xie, Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Lowell

Committee Members:

  • Jin Xu, Professor, Department of Chemistry, UMass Lowell
  • Carl Lawton, Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Lowell
  • Hsi-Wu Wong, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Lowell
  • Gulden Camci-Unal, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Lowell
  • Howard Damude, VP of Research & Development, Jackson ImmunoResearch Inc., PA

Brief Abstract:

Sugars, especially glucose, are the dominant carbon sources that are used for biomanufacturing of fuels, chemicals, industrial enzymes, biopharmaceuticals and many other high-value products. However, it may not be the best carbon source due to the competition with food production and fluctuations in its market price. For some biomanufacturing products, glucose may repress the yield and biosynthesis efficiency. To seek for an alternative feedstock for more economical biomanufacturing, my thesis research aims to establish a new microbial biomanufacturing platform that uses plant oils to make a series of high-value products. Metabolically engineered yeast Y. lipolytica and bacterium E. coli are employed to produce wax esters as biolubricants, carotenoids (lycopene and β-carotene) as anti-oxidant drugs, and omega-3 fatty acids for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications. Bioreactor design and fermentation conditions are further optimized to maximize cell growth, oil uptake rate, and productivity. The research results will help re-shape plant oils from low-value, common agriculture commodities to high-value products that have critical benefits in improving human health and reducing environmental footprints. The accumulated knowledge will also provide a general guidance for any other biomanufacturing processes that use hydrophobic substrates for value-added products.

All interested students and faculty members are invited to attend the online defense via remote access.