Jonathan Silberg

Jonathan Silberg is the Stewart Memorial Professor of BioSciences at Rice University, where he leads the Silberg Lab. He holds a B.S. in Biology and Chemistry (1994) and a Ph.D. in Biology (2000), both from the University of California, Irvine. His research focuses on synthetic biology at the cell-material interface, environmental microbiology, and protein engineering. Key areas include developing bioelectronic sensors, understanding microbial behaviors in soils, and overcoming component limitations in synthetic biology through protein library design.

Research Highlights:

• Environmental Synthetic Biology: Non-invasive sensing in opaque matrices using gas reporters.
• Redox Synthetic Biology: Designing electron transfer pathways for bioelectronics and energy applications.
• Protein Engineering: Circular permutation libraries and transposon mutagenesis to explore protein tolerance and function.

Labs & Collaborations:

• Silberg Lab at Rice University, collaborating across Biochemistry, Bioengineering, and Systems Biology disciplines.
• Develops living sensors for environmental monitoring and bioelectronic applications.