Mark Brynildsen

Mark Brynildsen is a Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and a faculty member of the Omenn-Darling Bioengineering Institute at Princeton University. He holds a B.S. from Rutgers University (2002) and a Ph.D. from UCLA (2008). His research focuses on combating antibiotic resistance through systems and synthetic biology approaches, particularly studying bacterial persistence and enhancing bacterial susceptibility to immune antimicrobials. He has received numerous awards, including the NSF CAREER Award (2015–2020) and the Graduate Mentoring Award (2022).

His research group investigates mechanisms underlying bacterial persistence and develops strategies to potentiate immune attack against pathogens. Key topics include persister cell physiology, metabolic stress responses, and antivirulence therapies. Recent work explores how DNA repair machinery and chromosome ploidy influence persister survival, as well as the impact of toxic metabolites on bacterial population dynamics.

• Awards:
  • 2022: Graduate Mentoring Award
  • 2021: NJ Health Foundation Award
  • 2015: NSF CAREER Award

Dr. Brynildsen advises three students: Allison Murawski, Darshan Sivaloganathan, and Katherine Sniezek. His lab, the Brynildsen Research Group, integrates experimental and computational methods to address global health challenges posed by antibiotic-resistant infections. Current projects aim to leverage metabolic and genetic insights to design novel treatments.