BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID:-//eluceo/ical//2.0/EN VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VEVENT UID:6e5e37ce903361b0a2468bf2fa22ce79 DTSTAMP:20260718T092738Z SUMMARY:IMSE Annual Lecture: Building Microbial Chemical Factories: Design\ , Assembly\, and Engineering of Biological Routes to Chemical Compounds by Professor Kristala L. J. Prather (MIT) DESCRIPTION:Register here\n \nWhen and Where\nThe lecture will be held in  City and Guilds Building Lecture Theatre 200\, Imperial College London\, South Kensington Campus on Friday 28 June 16.30-18.00. The lecture will also be accessible online through YouTube.\nMore Information\nThe Institu te for Molecular Science and Engineering’s invites you to attend their s ixth Dr Theo George Wilson Annual Lecture :\nBuilding Microbial Chemical F actories: Design\, Assembly\, and Engineering of Biological Routes to Chem ical Compounds \nby Professor Kristala L. J. Prather (MIT) \nOur Dr Theo G eorge Wilson Lecture is the flagship event in our calendar of activities\, with the aim of drawing together a diverse audience from across Imperial ’s student and staff body as well as from our community of friends and s takeholders. Our objective with the Dr Theo George Wilson Lecture is to in spire and engage the IMSE community by increasing its awareness of wider c hallenges and activities. For those who can attend in person there will be a drinks reception after the lecture in the City and Guilds foyer just ou tside of the lecture theatre where you will be able to network with our sp eaker and other guests.\nThis lecture is open to all.\nAbstract\nBiologica l systems have the potential to produce a wide array of compounds with use s that include fuels\, materials\, bulk chemicals\, and pharmaceuticals. O ur group is focused on applying principles from metabolic engineering and biocatalysis towards the design and construction of novel biosynthetic pat hways for specified target compounds.  This “retro-biosynthetic design ” approach is aided by advancements in the development of new tools unde r the umbrella of synthetic biology that facilitate re-engineering of biol ogical systems.  As new pathways are designed and constructed\, typical c hallenges such as low product yields and titers can hamper development of commercially-relevant processes.  The sheer volume of chemicals that ulti mately need to be produced also requires the use of a broader range of fee dstocks than those traditional employed in bioprocesses.  In this talk\, I will review our group’s sustained efforts to both produce novel compou nds through biological synthesis and develop strategies to address the inh erent limitations.\nBiography\nKristala Jones Prather is the Arthur D. Lit tle Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT and an investigator in the mu lti-institutional Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center (SynBERC) funded by the National Science Foundation (USA). She received an S.B. degr ee from MIT in 1994 and Ph.D. from the University of California\, Berkeley (1999)\, and worked four years in BioProcess Research and Development at the Merck Research Labs (Rahway\, NJ). Her research is focused on using no vel bioprocesses to design recombinant microorganisms to produce small  molecules. Prather is the recipient of a Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundat ion New Faculty Award (2004)\, an Office of Naval Research Young Investiga tor Award (2005)\, a Technology Review “TR35” Young Innovator Award (2 007)\, a National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2010)\, and the Biochem ical Engineering Journal Young Investigator Award (2011). She has been rec ognized for excellence in teaching with the C. Michael Mohr Outstanding Fa culty Award for Undergraduate Teaching in the Dept. of Chemical Engineerin g (2006)\, the MIT School of Engineering Junior Bose Award for Excellence in Teaching (2010)\, and through appointment as a MacVicar Faculty Fellow (2014)\, the highest honor given for undergraduate teaching at MIT. Prathe r has won numerous awards for her research\, including the Andreas Acrivos Award for Professional Progress from the American Institute of Chemical E ngineering in 2021. She was named a Fellow of the American Association fo r the Advancement of Science in 2018. In 2023\, Prather was appointed hea d of MIT’s Department of Chemical Engineering.\nPrather is known for her teaching\, mentoring\, and advocacy. In 2016\, she was profiled on Spell bound\, how kids become scientists. In 2015\, Prather served on the adviso ry board of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars SynBio Project. She has been involved with several initiatives to support MIT stu dents of color.\nProfessor Prather has co-authored more than 75 manuscript s and two book chapters\, and has five issued patents with several additio nal applications pending.\nEngineering Biology Symposium\nThe IMSE annual lecture will serve as the keynote speech for our Engineering Biology Sympo sium. This event will be held from 10.30-18.00 (including the annual lectu re) on Friday 28 June in City and Guilds Building Lecture Theatre 200. \n Discover the latest innovations at the intersection of biology and enginee ring through dynamic presentations and interactive sessions. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with leading experts and peers in the field— register today and be part of shaping the future of engineering biology.\n Follow this link to register.\nPlease note that you do not need register f or the annual lecture if you are attending the symposium.\nAbout The Insti tute for Molecular Science and Engineering\nThe Institute for Molecular Sc ience and Engineering (IMSE) is one of Imperial College London’s Global Institutes\, drawing on the strength of its four faculties to address some of the grand challenges facing the world today. The Institute’s activit ies are focused on tackling problems where molecular innovation plays an i mportant role.\nIf you have any questions about accessibility requirements please email l.adamson@imperial.ac.uk (Leah Adamson IMSE Events and Commu nications Manager) URL:https://www.imperial.ac.uk/events/176137/imse-annual-lecture-building-m icrobial-chemical-factories-design-assembly-and-engineering-of-biological- routes-to-chemical-compounds-by-professor-kristala-l-j-prather-mit/ DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240628T163000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240628T180000 LOCATION:Lecture Theatre 200\, City and Guilds Building\, South Kensington Campus\, Imperial College London\, London\, SW7 2AZ\, United Kingdom END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/London BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20240628T163000 TZNAME:BST TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR