Seunghyun Ryu

Seunghyun Ryu is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Engineering. His work focuses on metabolic and synthetic biology of industrially relevant microbes like Yarrowia lipolytica and Bacillus coagulans, with applications in sustainable energy, biomanufacturing, and waste valorization.

• PhD in Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University (2010)
• MS in Life Science and Biotechnology, Korea University (2003)

Research interests include:

• Solvent tolerance mechanisms in yeast
• Lignocellulosic biomass conversion
• Metabolic engineering for biofuel production
• Proteomic and genomic analysis of robust microbial strains
• Development of biocatalytic processes in ionic liquids
• Activation of dormant sugar metabolism pathways

Recent publications highlight trends in microbial robustness engineering, with a focus on Yarrowia lipolytica for polyethylene upcycling, solvent tolerance, and lignocellulosic conversion, alongside Bacillus coagulans strain development for pentose/hexose utilization. Key subfields include systems biology, enzyme engineering, and industrial microbiology.

Ryu is affiliated with the Trinh Lab, contributing to interdisciplinary projects in computational bioengineering and sustainable energy solutions.