Susan Celia Roberts

Susan Celia Roberts is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), affiliated with the Biology & Biotechnology and Biomedical Engineering departments. She holds a BS from WPI (1992) and a PhD from Cornell University (1998). Her research focuses on cellular and metabolic engineering, particularly plant specialized metabolism and biomanufacturing of clinically and industrially valuable molecules. Roberts emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, leveraging plant cell culture systems to enhance production of natural products like paclitaxel. She has advised numerous student projects, including MQP/IQP initiatives and doctoral theses.

Her work integrates bioprocess engineering, genetic tools, and epigenetic approaches to optimize secondary metabolite production. Key projects include developing engineered plant cell cultures for anticancer agents and exploring light wavelength effects on growth and metabolite yields. Roberts has received awards such as the NSF ADVANCE Award (2018-2021) and NSF CAREER Award (2000). Her lab also investigates aggregation dynamics and shear stress impacts on plant cell cultures.

Roberts has published extensively on topics like paclitaxel transporter characterization and metabolic pathway engineering. Her research frequently addresses challenges in scaling bioprocesses and improving production efficiency through systems biology and synthetic biology approaches.