Erik Hanko

Erik Hanko serves as a PhD Research Fellow in Biomanufacturing within the Chemical Biology and Biological Chemistry department at the University of Manchester's Faculty of Science and Engineering. His research is conducted through the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, where he collaborates extensively with Professor Eriko Takano and other researchers in the SYNBIOCHEM center.

Hanko's research focuses on metabolic engineering of microorganisms for natural product biosynthesis, with particular expertise in engineering Escherichia coli strains for the production of flavonoids, phenylpropenes, and other valuable compounds. His work spans the entire synthetic biology pipeline from gene expression optimization to metabolic pathway engineering and bioproduction scale-up. His research contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to sustainable chemistry and biotechnology applications.

His publication record shows a consistent trajectory of high-impact research in microbial biomanufacturing, with recent work demonstrating innovative approaches to flavonoid production, eugenol biosynthesis, and heterologous expression systems. Hanko has co-authored multiple peer-reviewed articles in journals including Microbial Cell Factories, Metabolic Engineering Communications, and Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology.

Hanko actively participates in scientific outreach, having been involved in the New Scientist Live! 2022 event. His research is situated within the broader context of the Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre (SYNBIOCHEM), which receives funding from EPSRC and BBSRC.