Affiliation(s):

• Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Wayne State University

• Biochemistry, B.S., Michigan State University
• Microbiology & Immunology, M.S., University of Michigan
• Chemical Engineering, M.S., PhD, University of Michigan

As a Biochemical Engineer my research bridges the fields of biochemistry, microbiology & Immunology, and chemical engineering. Recent projects have included:

• Biosurfactant specificity and influence on microbial transformation of insoluble hydrocarbons.
• Factors influencing microbial degradation kinetics of chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons in natural anaerobic systems.
• Transport and reaction of solutes in ultrafiltration membrane bioreactors for environmental and biosynthetic applications.
• Multiphase reactors for biosynthesis of pharmaceuticals.

While micellar solubilization of hydrocarbon has obvious practical applications such as cleaning, drug and cosmetic formulation, drug delivery, several natural systems employ plan or microbial surfactants for nutrient transport.  MD simulations have been used in my group to provide a more detailed microscopic understanding of surfactant and biosurfactant micelle properties.  Laboratory measurements of aggregation numbers obtained using pyrene fluorescence quenching then MD simulations were performed on specific systems including surfactant, hydrocarbon solute, and counterion in an aqueous system.  The target hydrocarbons are chosen as dodecane and benzene since the structure DBS is just a combination of dodecane, one aromatic ring and sulfonate hydrophilic head group.  From the experimental result, several micelle parameters describing the physical micelle size can be obtained.  The interfacial properties of the specific hydrocarbon/water have been determined separately.  Such combined experimental and simulation results can be used to explain solubilization behavior in simple hydrocarbon:detergent systems.

My research has been largely driven by collaborations and funding opportunities within the NSF, EPA, and NIH who have been sponsors of numerous research projects of mine over the past two decades. Some of the projects that I have had the opportunity to lead include research projects in both industry and academia such as development of a chemically defined, serum-free growth media to optimize hydrodoma cell growth and monoclonal antibody production (Dow Chemical Company), optimization of biosurfactant production, physical characterization of biosurfactants, and development of kinetic models for surfactant mediated solubilization and microbial uptake of insoluble hydrocarbon contaminants, modeling of two phase bioreactors and systems for pharmaceutical production, and, development and characterization of sensors of piezoelectric and metal oxide sensing materials, among other research projects.  My research project progression has generally followed funding opportunities that make use of my background and training. I have to credit my husband (a great chemist and scientist himself) for getting me into Chemical Engineering, and one of my early faculty mentors Raffi Turian (former student of Robert Bird) who took me on my first trip to D.C. to meet some program directors and helped me much in landing my first grant as well as understanding the faculty role.

I am currently exploring an area that I’ve had a longstanding interest in which has reemerged recently as a national problem, that is the production of natural biodegradable plastic alternatives to petroleum based molecules. Biodegradable plastics produced by renewable feedstocks (spent vegetable oils, biofuels, and wastewaters) by microbial species including P putida, A. Latus, etc. Microbial production of polyalkanoic acid (PHA, PHB, etc.) based biodegradable polymers is of increasing international interest as one potential pathway to address the growing plastic waste crisis. This is an area where my background in microbial fermentations and production could be extremely useful in producing these value added products, with the requisite physical properties, from waste and other process products. I anticipate setting up experiments (after the current pandemic) and exploring funding partnerships in this area.

During my undergraduate years my reading of “Albert Einstein’: Autobiographical Notes“ translated and edited by P. Schilpp, was instrumental in sharing, in Einstein’s own words how his superb and humanistic mind worked to “scent out that which might lead to fundamentals”.  In discussing how he visualized and developed his early view of the natural world while growing up, Einstein demonstrates important aspects of questioning of existing theories and asking penetrating questions that assist in formulating new theories.  The book is a beautiful window into the young theoretician’s mind at the time. A favorite (fictional) engineering book has to be “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand which showed me how engineers, through persistence and drive, can improve the world.  These books informed my thinking, nourished my imagination and supported my career choice of science and engineering.

I have far too many favorite research papers (probably between 20-50) to list. During my graduate years I was fortunate to work in labs where the PI’s generally had numerous subscriptions to prominent journals and I would look forward to the weekly, or monthly, delivery of the journals. I carried my own paid subscription to Cell, Science, the Annals of the NY Academy of Science, and the labs subscribed to other great titles such as Immunology, Biochemistry, Nature, Applied Environmental Microbiology, Bacteriology. As most research labs didn’t want to wait for library copies to arrive and be available, and online was not yet widely available (1990s) subscriptions were more popular professional organization membership often allowed choice of a free periodical subscription. One friend and I would have a weekly lunch when the new bi-weekly Cell journal arrived to go over the important articles in the edition.  We spent a lot of time in the lab working and reading in those days and it is sometimes hard to throw away those original glossy journals that contained so many important original articles on fundamental biology and molecular biology discoveries from those days, but I do because they are all online now!

No, I don’t have a single favorite scientist because there are so many terrific ones that I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet and converse with during lab tours, seminars, departmental visits at UofM when I was a graduate student. Some of those included Leroy Hood, Harold Varmus (Nobel laureate), David Suzuki, Douglas Hanahan. One of my current favs is Patrick O. Brown the founder of Impossible Foods and Professor Emeritus in Biochemistry at Stanford University where he invented the DNA microarray, and is co-founder of the Public Library of Science. A brilliant analytical biochemist (like Leroy Hood) Pat Brown is now shifting his focus to engineering plant based foods in order to change the world. Having such positive role models is important as it helps us remember that we all stand on the shoulders of many who have come before us. Those scientists, along with many others, have been role models to me because they also illustrate how a keen mind never tires and continues to find new ways to apply itself. My advice, always take opportunities to meet the speakers in your department; it can be quite inspirational!

Most of my “fun outside of my role” activities these last few years have literally been outside where I enjoy hiking with my dogs, water sports with my 2 children (daughter attended WSU ~6yrs ago where she met and has now married her husband, an electrical engineer, this past year), home projects including building a stone patio this year. I also try to keep active through kickboxing & yoga at the YMCA so that I can do everything else better, but my true love is being out of doors in nature, hiking, fishing and camping.