ChemE Graduate Seminar Series_Wilfred Chen_Gore Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware

Wilfred Chen
Gore Professor of Chemical Engineering,
Interim Associate Dean for Research and Entrepreneurship,
University of Delaware
November 5
Lecture 9:00 – 9:50 a.m. | JHN 075
Reception 10:00 -11:00 a.m. | BNS 109

Abstract
Inspired by the remarkable ability of natural protein switches to sense and respond to a wide range of environmental queues, here we reported new strategies to engineer synthetic protein switches to dynamically organize proteins with highly diverse and complex architectures. This new framework can be used to dynamically control the spatial proximity and the corresponding functions of different proteins for both in vitro and in vivo applications. The general utility of the strategy was used to perform Boolean logic operations to provide explicit control of protein function using multi-input, reversible, and amplification architectures suitable for a wide range of applications.
Bio
Professor Wilfred Chen joined the University of Delaware on January 1, 2011 as the Gore Professor of Chemical Engineering. He obtained his B.S. degree from UCLA in 1988 and his Ph.D. from Caltech in 1993, both in Chemical Engineering. After a one-year postdoc in Switzerland, he joined UC Riverside in 1994. He was Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering and the holder of the Presidential Chair until he joined the University of Delaware in 2011. His research interests are in Synthetic Biology and Protein Engineering. Professor Chen has published more than 290 journal papers and delivered over 100 invited lectures. He serves on the editorial board for many scientific publications, including: Applied and Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology and Bioengineering. He is also the editor/associate editor for the Biochemical Engineering Journal, Biotechnology Journal, and AICHE Journal. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).
Professor Chen has also received numerous awards, including: the NSF Career Award, AIChE Food, Pharmaceutical, and Bioengineering Division 15c Plenary Lecture, Biotechnology Progress Award for Excellence in Biological Engineering Publication, Daniel I.C. Wang Award for Excellence in Biochemical Engineering from AICHE/SBE, Marvin J. Johnson Award in Microbial & Biochemical Technology from ACS, and the AICHE Food, Pharmaceutical & the Bioengineering Division Award.