معرفی
Patrick Cirino is a Professor in the William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Houston, with joint appointments in Biomedical Engineering and Biology & Biochemistry. His research focuses on metabolic engineering, protein engineering, and biocatalysis, particularly in optimizing microbial systems for the production of high-value chemicals. He holds a B.S. from Ohio University (1997), a Ph.D. from Caltech (2004), and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Florida. His lab develops tools for directed evolution of biosensors and metabolic pathways, with applications in renewable chemical synthesis and anaerobic alkane activation. He is also the Undergraduate Program Director in his department.
Research interests include engineering E. coli for anaerobic alkane activation, designing inducible gene expression systems in mammalian cells, and improving microbial production of metabolites like xylitol and cGAMP. His work bridges synthetic biology and biocatalysis, addressing challenges in industrial biotechnology and environmental sustainability.
Dr. Cirino’s lab is located in Engineering Building 1 (Room S294), and he collaborates across disciplines to advance protein engineering and microbial strain development. His recent studies emphasize the role of bacterial adhesion mechanisms and the optimization of metabolic pathways for industrial applications. He has contributed to the design of novel biosensors and regulatory proteins to enhance bioprocess efficiency.
