Professor Jay Keasling - Hubbard Howe Jr. Distinguished Professor of Biochemical Engineering and Director, Physical Biosciences Division, LBL and Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center. The 2006 Discover Magazine Scientist of the Year, Professor Keasling’s fundamental work in synthetic biology has led to a $43 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to coax bacteria into producing the antimalarial drug artemisinin.
Distinguished Speakers
Professor Paul Yager – The Robert R. Rushmer Professor of Bioengineering and chair of the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington, Professor Yager has developed an infectious disease diagnostic system (DxBox) for limited resource settings. DxBox received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and will soon be ready for clinical testing. Professor Yager is one of the leaders in practical point-of-care diagnostics derived from microfluidic technology.
Professor Paul O’Brien – Head of the School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, U.K., and founder of Nanoco Technologies Ltd., a highly-successful quantum dot supply company. Apart from his fundamental research in semiconducting nanomaterials, Prof. O’Brien has instituted a partnership with the University of Zululand, South Africa, which led to the first five (and counting) Ph.D.s in chemistry to be granted by this university.
Professor Mauricio Terrones – A leading researcher at the Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (IPICYT) in Mexico with vast experience in nanostructured carbon materials, prof. Terrones has closely participated in the creation of the first Fullerene and Nanotube Laboratory in Mexico (Departamento de Física Aplicada y Tecnología Avanzada, UNAM) and is one of the brightest young scientists in carbon materials, evidenced by his impressive publication and citation record.
Professor Mohamed Eddaoudi – An associate professor at the University of Southern Florida, Professor Eddaoudi received his B.S. from Idnou Zohr University in Morocco and was named the best Moroccan bachelor student in 1991. He since has established an unparalleled publication record and is a rising star in the area of functional metal-organic frameworks.
Professor Sean Cutler – An assistant professor at the University of California, Riverside, Professor Cutler recently discovered a synthetic analogue to an essential plant hormone and the protein which binds it considered key to improving draught resistance in crops. Prof. Cutler’s elucidation of such a signal transduction pathway, along with his fundamental work in discovering other biological and genetic targets and the corresponding bioactive small molecules, have garnered the attention of the molecular biology and chemistry communities.
Professor Angela Belcher – The Germehausen Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Biological Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Professor Belcher was the 2004 recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and was named the 2006 Scientific American Researcher of the year. Her work spans the interface of organic-inorganic chemistry and molecular biology by using the self-assembly of viruses to build complex and useful devices.