Alumna Amina Qutub (PhD 2004), now Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Rice University, has received a 2015 NSF BRAIN Initiative award for her research on identifying design principles of neural cells.
Alumni startup Bolt Threads in Businessweek
Bolt Threads, a startup company founded by BioE PhD alum David Breslauer, is planning to revolutionize the clothing industry by spinning spider silk from engineered yeast.
Alum Etemadi profiled at UCSF
BioE PhD alumnus Mozzi Etemadi was profiled this Spring in the UCSF newsletter.
BioE startup Lygos produces malonic acid from sugar
Lygos, a company founded by BioE PhD alumni Jeff Dietrich and Eric Steen, has been in the news for their newly announced breakthrough in the production of malonic acid. The acid is a high-value chemical useful for production of pharmaceuticals, flavors, fragrances, and specialty materials. The new process, using engineered microbes, would be cheaper and less polluting than the current petroleum-intensive production methods.
Alumna Lee receives NSF CAREER Award
Congratulations to PhD alumna Somin Eunice Lee, now Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Michigan, recipient of an NSF CAREER award for her research project, “Engineering Plasmonic Nanoantenna Architectures for Efficient Nuclear Delivery.”
Desai is the new Chair of BTS
Bioe alumna (Ph.D. 1998) and graduate faculty member Tejal Desai has been appointed Chair of the UCSF Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, effective August 1, 2014.
CellScope Inc, a BioE startup, in the NYTimes
The CellScope otoscope, based on the CellScope pioneered by Dan Fletcher’s lab, is being developed by alumnus Erik Douglas’ startup Cellscope, Inc.
Happy 30th, BioE
On April 26, 2014 alumni, faculty, and students celebrated the 30th anniversary of the UC Berkeley – UC San Francisco Graduate Program in Bioengineering. See photos and videos of the event online.
UCSF team develops early-warning system for preterm labor
A UCSF team including recent PhD Mozzi Etemadi was featured in the SF Chronicle for their Smart Diaphragm to detect preterm labor. This research was also a Master of Translational Medicine program project in 2010-11.
Alumni Steen and Dietrich in Wired magazine
PhD alumni Eric Steen (’10) and Jeff Dietrich (’11) are featured in “Synthetic Biology 2.0” in Wired magazine online. The article discusses their startup company Lygos and the the up-and-coming garage garage industry of synthetic biology. Read the full article at Wired.
The Biological Basis of SPD in Kids
July 9, 2013 – Ph.D. alumna Julia Owen (2011) and UCSF faculty member Pratik Mukherjee have published breakthrough research showing that Sensory Processing Disorders in children have a biological basis.
Alumni Profile: Karen Christman
An interview with Karen Christman (Ph.D. 2003), Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at UC San Diego, member of the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, and Co-founder of biotech company Ventrix, Inc.
Alum Tsou profiled in Daily Cal
January 22, 2013 – Very recent BioE alumna An-Chi Tsou was profiled in the Daily Cal about her new job at the California Science and Technology Policy Fellowship.
Alum Dennis Discher elected to National Academy of Engineering
Bioengineering Ph.D. alumnus Dennis Discher (1993), currently the Robert D. Bent Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, was recently elected a member of the US National Academy of Engineering.
Alumnus Di Carlo receives Navy Young Investigator Award
March 2012 – Bioengineering Ph.D. and B.S. alumnus Dino Di Carlo, now a bioengineering assistant professor at UCLA, has won the prestigious Young Investigator Award from the Office of the Navy.
Synthetic biologists produce CAD tools for RNA
December 22, 2011 – Synthetic biology researchers at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory have developed computer assisted design (CAD)-type models and simulations for RNA molecules that make it possible to engineer biological components.
Alumna Khine named to Women on Top Awards
November 18, 2011 – UC Irvine Associate Professor and graduate program alumna Michelle Khine has been named a “Top Scientist” in the 2011 Women on Top Awards by Marie Claire Magazine, in the November 2011 issue.