BPI Seminar by Dr. Jaya Joshi
May 4, 2023, 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
TITLE
Replaying the Tape of Life by Enzyme Evolution & Engineering: Carbon Loss or Carbon Gain
LOCATION: CHBE #202, 2360 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z
ABOUT THE EVENT
With the world population growing and the need to shift to renewable energy sources, crop yields must increase by at least 50% by 2050 to feed the population and replace fossil fuels with green feedstocks and fuels while achieving net-zero CO2 emissions. To achieve these goals, metabolic engineering and synthetic biology targets are being defined to improve the efficiency of photosynthetic enzymes and reduce carbon loss by cutting dark respiration. In this exciting seminar, Dr. Jaya Joshi will discuss how continuous directed evolution in microbes can improve enzymes, enabling the conversion of biomass-derived feedstocks into sustainable fuels and commodities.
AGENDA
- Introduction by Dr. Orlando Rojas
- Keynote Presentation by Dr. Jaya Joshi, Assistant Professor, UBC
- Q&A / Discussion
*Subway sandwiches and coffee will be provided from 12:15pm. Arrive early to have lunch and mingle before the presentation begins.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Jaya Joshi is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Wood Sciences, University of British Columbia. Her expertise is in the metabolic engineering of microbes with tailor-made catalysts and her program aims to develop novel methods for converting biomass-derived feedstocks into value-added products ranging from fuels to pharmaceuticals—in short, turning trash into treasure. Her research walks through enzyme design space: exploring fitness landscapes for radical metabolic engineering design, guided by her aim of making sustainable Carbon farming a reality by 2050.