YoungLab 2020

Principal Investigator

​
​Eric M. Young, PhD.
NSF CAREER Award (2020)
Leonard P. Kinnicutt Assistant Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
​
Postdoc, MIT (2016)
Ph.D. UT Austin (2013)
B.S. Biological Engineering (2008)
​B.S. Chemical Engineering (2008)

Postdoctoral Researchers

Leelakrishna Bankapalli, Ph.D.

Ph.D.        CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology & Jawaharlal Nehru University
M. Tech.   Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, India

I focus on massively parallel pathway engineering in yeast for a variety of chemicals and materials. 
Nilesh Sharma, Ph.D.

Ph.D. Bio-Energy, SSS-National Institute of Bio-Energy, India (2018)
M.S.   Genetic Engineering, Devi Ahilya University (2012)
B.S.    Biotechnology, Devi Ahilya University (2010)

​Currently, I am focusing on synthetic biology and metabolic engineering for non-conventional microorganisms to find a sustainable solution for fuels, healthcare, food, and feed.

Graduate Students


Alexandria Adams
Ph.D. Student, Chemical Engineering
B.S.    Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University (2020)

I'm working on expanding transporter engineering to nonconventional organisms.

Cassandra Brzycki
Ph.D.   Candidate, Chemical Engineering
​B.S. Chemical Engineering, B.S. Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2017)
 
My research is focused on applying synthetic biology techniques to engineering plant cell cultures for production of pharmaceuticals, including transporter and CRISPR/Cas9 engineering.

​Joseph H. Collins
Ph.D.   Candidate, Chemical Engineering

Kevin W. Keating
Ph.D.   Candidate, Chemical Engineering

Emma Tobin
Ph.D.   Student, Chemical Engineering
B.S. Biochemistry, University of New England (2020)
​
I work with a nonconventional yeast, Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous, for the development of novel engineering tools and extension of metabolic pathways towards production of nonnative terpenoids.

Laboratory Technician


Jaclyn Thompson

B.S. Biochemistry, University of Southern California (2020)
 
I am working to engineer genetic circuits in soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida capable of transmitting signals through the soil. 
​

Undergraduate Students

Katherine Amrein, ChE
Marina Como, ChE
Shelby Morrison, ChE
Zachary Newlon, ChE

Alumni

Trent Jones, B.S. ChE '20, Ginkgo Bioworks
Shravani Balaji, B.S. CBC '20, Ph.D. Student, Yale University
Amparo Cosio, B.S. ChE '20, internship
Celeste Marsan, B.S. ChE '19, NSF Graduate Research Fellow at UT Austin
Alden Graham, B.S. ChE '19, Pfizer
Alexandra Connor, B.S. ChE '19, consultant
Allison Guthrie,  2019 NSF REU student
Lucas Rodriguez, 2018 NSF REU student

Major Qualifying Projects (14)

2021

Probiotic Yeast Transformation

Charlotte White

Red Yeast Stress Response

Denisa Kim, Kyle Joyce, Natalie Soens

Diffusion in Soil Columns

Kate Amrein, Aiden Crane, Olivia Furner, Colleen Wyatt

Modeling of ​Komagataebacter xylinus

Seth Chaves and Nicholas Boggiano

SORSAM

Zachary Newlon

Continuous Fermentation

Co-advised with Dr. Kmiotek
Sponsor: Maine Meadworks
​Robert Hager, Gio Mannino, Zachary Sasso, Cristopher Watson

Differential Gene Expression in ​P. putida

Co-advised with Dr. Farny
​Kyle Harding

2020

Fungal Highways for Soil Microbiomes

​Trent Jones

Characterization of Komagataebacter xylinus

Amparo Cosio, Sydney Packard, Alice Morgan

2019

Light Activation of Yeast Metabolism

Provost's MQP Award
​Celeste Marsan

Transporters in Cell Culture

​Allie Connor

Wild Apple Yeast Isolation

​Alden Graham

2018

Last But Not Yeast

Co-advised with Dr. Kmiotek
​Sponsor: North Country Hard Cider
​Jennifer Gagner, Alex Shefferman, Devin Stevens, Gabrielle Somadelis

2017

Yeast Whisperers

Co-advised with Dr. Kmiotek
​Sponsor: North Country Hard Cider
​Ellen Thomson, Lucas Chico, Garrett Brogan, Alexandra Rozen