Synthetic Biology
Synthetic biologists apply engineering principles to solve biological challenges. Here at CSU, synthetic biologists are working to create plants that can be used to detect toxins and desalinate water, as well as microbes to synthesize biofuels and other valuable metabolites. In addition, computational approaches are used to predict DNA function and design protein crystals to deliver and protect nucleic acids.
Chris Snow
Associate Professor (Chemical & Biological Engineering)
Computer – guided protein and DNA engineering, particularly the engineering of crystals.
Claudia Boot
Associate Research Professor (Chemistry)
My research focus is on the feedback between the molecular structure of organic molecules and their fate in any ecosystem.
Siu Hung Joshua Chan
Assistant Professor (Chemical and Biological Engineering)
My research focuses on modeling and engineering microbiomes in terms of their evolution, stability and biochemical functions.
Franck Dayan
Professor (Agricultural Biology)
The traits imparting weediness (competition, cold and heat stress tolerance etc…) to plants, and how these amazing organisms evolve resistance to herbicides.
Arjun Khakhar
Assistant Professor (Biology; Plant Biology)
Reengineering crops to be more productive, delicious and resilient to the effects of climate change.
June Medford
Professor (Biology)
Molecular and genetic studies of Arabidopsis; plant sentinels; synthetic biology.
Marcelo Melo
Assistant Professor (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
Develop computational tools to understand the behavior of protein complexes and their impact on cellular metabolism and gene expression.
Devin O’Connor
Assistant Professor (Biology)
Links plant development with the tools to engineer it with gene editing.
Christie Peebles
Associate Professor (Chemical and Biological Engineering)
Plant metabolic engineering to produce pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, bio – based chemicals and fuels.
Graham Peers
Associate Professor (Biology)
Photosynthetic Efficiency and Algal Ecophysiology
Ashok Prasad
Professor (Chemical and Biological Engineering and School of Biomedical Engineering)
Mathematical and computational modeling of biological processes.
Tom Santangelo
Associate Professor (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology)
Leveraging archaeal physiology, metabolism, and molecular biology to produce high level metabolites & biofuels.
James Henriksen
Assistant Professor (Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory)
CBE 570 Biomolecular Engineering / Synthetic Biology
Darcy Hunstiger (Pebbles Lab)
(PhD, 2021 Cohort)
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Emma Magna (Snow Lab)
(PhD, 2022 Cohort)
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Pegah Eizadkhah (Snow Lab)
(PhD, 2025 Cohort)
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Alex Alon (PhD 2026, Santangelo Lab)
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Caroline Slaughter (PhD 2026, Snow Lab)
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Angel McKay Whiteman (MS 2022, Medford Lab)
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Sara Oehmke (MS 2020, Medford Lab) – Forensic Scientist at the Department for Public Safety in Santa Fe, NM
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Allison Werner (PhD 2018 Peebles Lab) – Senior Scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Mike Caballero (PhD 2017, Peers Lab) – Data Scientist, Hackensack Meridian Health
A comprehensive time-course metabolite profiling of the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 under diurnal light:dark cycles. Werner A, Broeckling CD, Prasad A, Peebles CAM. Plant J. 2019 99(2):379-388.
Genetic Engineering of Cyanobacteria: Design, Implementation, and Characterization of Recombinant Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Sebesta J, Werner A, Peebles CAM. Methods Mol Biol. 2019;1927:139-154.