03/31/2026
By Dongming Xie
Eric Young, Department of Chemical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Day: Thursday, April 2
Time: 3:30-4:45 p.m.
Location: Shah Hall 303
Abstract: Cell factories are central to many industrial processes, from corn ethanol to the pharmaceutical industry. Bacteria, fungi, and mammalian cell lines are often the best choice to produce medicines and other complex molecules. Recently, advances in synthetic biology have enabled engineers to redesign and reprogram cells on an unprecedented scale. In my group, we use these advances to design “platform hosts” that have unique metabolism and physiology that could enable better cell factories and devices. We specialize in genomics, genetic engineering, computational workflows, standardization, and automation. Within our design cycles, we gain insight into the fundamental biology of the cells we work with. In this talk, I will describe how we have developed an accurate genome sequencing method that is the foundation for an “-omics to parts” workflow for potential platform yeasts. We apply this workflow to the red yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous, a potential terpenoid cell factory, and Debaryomyces hansenii, a potential cell factory that functions in saltwater. I also show how we can use existing genetic parts and adapt them to other organisms. These advances in cell factory development highlight the utility of a synthetic biology approach to harnessing nonconventional microbes for the cell factories of the future.
Biography: Dr. Eric Young received undergraduate degrees in Chemical Engineering and Biological Engineering from the University of Maine at Orono. He received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. He completed postdoctoral research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Young is an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, with affiliate appointments in Biomedical Engineering and Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. His research objective is to understand and engineer microbes that improve the human condition. This research program informs his educational goal - to train the current and future workforce for an economy shaped by engineered biology. In recognition and support of these efforts, Dr. Young received a 2019 NSF CAREER award and a 2025 Massachusetts Tech Collaborative BioHub award.