[https://marketing.purdue.edu/Email/TemplateSets/ChE/Templates/Template04/Images/che-engineering-logo-400-white-text.png]<https://engineering.purdue.edu/ChE> Purdue University School of Chemical Engineering Mellichamp lecture Dr. Hal S. Alper McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering The University of Texas at Austin "Engineering an Expanded Chemical Palette in Cells" Tuesday, October 6, 2015 3:00 - 4:15 p.m. FRNY G140 Reception at 2:30 a.m. in Henson Atrium Abstract: An industrial biotechnology revolution is approaching. Recent technical advances are leading to a rapid transformation of the chemical palette available in cells making it conceivable to produce nearly any organic molecule of interest-from biofuels to biopolymers to pharmaceuticals. However, these feats require the ability to "hijack" native cellular machinery and metabolism and navigate the complexity inherent in cellular regulation. In this vain, this talk will describe recent advances in engineering various yeasts for the production of important products, such as organic acids and oleochemicals, with a focus on the synthetic biology tools and paradigms required along the way. Collectively, these case studies demonstrate the power and utility of using yeasts as a production host for chemicals. Bio: Dr. Hal Alper is an Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2006 and was a postdoctoral research associate at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research (2006-2008) and at Shire Human Genetic Therapies (2007-2008). His research focusses on metabolic and cellular engineering in the context of biofuel, biochemical, and biopharmaceutical production. He has published over 60 articles and 7 book chapters. Dr. Alper is the recipient of the Camille and Henry Dreyfus New Faculty Award (2008), the Texas Exes Teaching Award (2009), the DuPont Young Investigator Award (2010), the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award (2011), the UT Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award (2012), the 2013 Biotechnology and Bioengineering Daniel I.C. Wang Award, the Jay Bailey Young Investigator Award in Metabolic Engineering (2014), the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (2014), and the SIMB Young Investigator Award (2015). School of Chemical Engineering<https://engineering.purdue.edu/ChE> Purdue University West Lafayette, IN 47907 (765) 494-4050<tel:+17654944050> (c) 2015 Purdue University<http://www.purdue.edu/purdue/disclaimer.html> All rights reserved An equal access/equal opportunity university<http://www.purdue.edu/purdue/ea_eou_statement.html>