Ganesh Sriram

Dr. Ganesh Sriram is an Associate Professor and Keystone Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Maryland, affiliated with the A. James Clark School of Engineering. His academic journey includes a B.Tech. and M.Tech. from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, a Ph.D. from Iowa State University (2004), and postdoctoral research at UCLA (2004–2007). He specializes in metabolic engineering and systems biology, focusing on eukaryotes, particularly plant and human metabolic networks. His research combines experimental methods like isotope labeling and NMR with computational tools for metabolic flux analysis and gene regulatory networks. He has received accolades such as the 2022 Poole & Kent Teaching Award and the 2011 Keystone Professorship. His teaching spans foundational courses in chemical engineering and specialized topics like metabolic pathway engineering. His lab's work on biofuel production from renewable resources and metabolic disorder mechanisms has led to interdisciplinary collaborations, including NIH-funded aging research and NSF-supported studies on plant metabolism.

Education:

• B.Tech. & M.Tech., Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
• Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Iowa State University (2004)
• Postdoctoral Fellow, UCLA (2004–2007)

Research Interests:

• Metabolic engineering of eukaryotes
• Systems biology approaches
• Isotope-assisted metabolic flux analysis
• Plant and human metabolism
• Gene regulatory networks
• Biorenewable fuel production
• Metabolic disorder mechanisms

Key Contributions:

• Developed tools like NetFlow and NetRed for metabolic network analysis
• Pioneered studies on diatom lipid metabolism for biofuel applications
• Investigated insulin signaling pathways in metabolic disorders
• Advances in poplar tree metabolism for bioenergy

Awards and Honors:

• Poole & Kent Teaching Award (2022)
• Keystone Professorship (2011)
• Outstanding Young Engineer Award (2011)
• Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Award (2004)

Labs and Collaborations: The Sriram Lab collaborates across disciplines, including the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute and the Brain and Behavior Institute. Current projects include NSF-funded studies on brain glucose metabolism in Alzheimer’s disease and NIH-supported aging research.