Research
Our lab integrates systems biology, synthetic biology, and AI/ML to engineer biological systems for diverse applications. We focus on three interconnected research themes:
We develop and apply cutting-edge computational and experimental tools to understand and engineer living systems. Our toolkit includes multi-omics approaches (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics), genome-scale metabolic modeling, AI/ML-driven data analysis, and automated genome evolution platforms. These tools enable us to systematically characterize cellular behavior and identify design principles for biological engineering.
We pioneer DNA-based adaptive genome evolution strategies to discover novel genetic insights and optimize organisms for targeted applications. By combining adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) with systems-level analysis, we uncover the molecular mechanisms of microbial adaptation and harness evolutionary principles to create strains with enhanced or novel capabilities for industrial and therapeutic use.
We design and build synthetic biological systems to address real-world challenges in healthcare, bioenergy, and environmental sustainability. Our work spans engineered probiotics for gut/oral health, cancer-targeting microbes, environmental bioconversion of CO2, cell factory bioproduction, and microbiome engineering. By applying the design-build-test-learn cycle of synthetic biology, we transform natural organisms into programmable bio-factories with tailored functionalities.
