People
Fuzhong Zhang
Associate Professor
Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering
Division of Biological & Biomedical Sciences
Institute of Materials Science & Engineering
Washington University in St. Louis
1022 Brauer Hall, 1 Brookings Drive
Saint Louis, Missouri 63130
Email: fzhang@seas.wustl.edu
Current Members
Xinyuan Chang 
EECE Ph.D. student
Education:
B.S. Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, China
My research interests mainly focus on designing novel biomaterials through synthetic biology. Currently, my project is focused on recombinant protein expression in fed-batch cultures. Outside of the lab, I like cooking, running, and watching operas.
Email: xinyuanchang@wustl.edu
Trent Evans 
Postdoctoral Scholar
Education:
Ph.D. Molecular Cell Biology, Washington University in St. Louis
M.S. Physiology, University of Colorado
B.S. Exercise Science, University of Wisconsin
My research interests lie in determining the basic principles underlying bacterial metabolic heterogeneity, and how we can apply those findings towards real world problems such as bacterial persistence and metabolic engineering. Outside of lab, I love running, watching sports, swimming, 80's music, camping, and hiking.
Email: trent.evans@wustl.edu
Yichao Han
EECE Ph.D. student
Education:
BS, Bioinformatics, Huazhong Agricultural University
My research interests focus on the stochastic biochemical process in the cell. I want to analyze different trade-offs among cellular processes and understand how noise (molecular fluctuations and cell-cell variation) can be regulated. Outside of the lab, I like playing and watching basketball, swimming, and working out.
Email: yichaohan@wustl.edu
Christopher Hartline
EECE Ph.D. student
Education:
B.S. Bioinformatics/Molecular Biology & Physics, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Novel biological organisms have potential for use in a variety of environmental and industrial applications. In designing these organisms, synthetic biologist will need to consider how to engineer organism systems at many different levels including the genome, proteome, and metabolome levels. They will also need to consider how these levels interact with each other and with the cellular environment. In my research, I am studying the interplay between gene regulation and cellular metabolism in controlling the overall genomic and metabolic state of the cell. Outside of the lab I enjoy playing board games, reading, walking and hanging out with friends.
Email: c.hartline@wustl.edu
Juya Jeon 
Postdoctoral Scholar
Education:
B.S. Agricultural & Biological Engineering, Purdue University
My research focuses on investigating the effect of protein secondary structure on material properties. Outside of the lab, I love discovering good restaurants in St. Louis and watching movies. I am also a big fan of the Sherlock Holmes series.
Email: jjuya@wustl.edu
Eugene Kim
EECE Ph.D. student, Lab Manager
Education:
B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan
In recent years, protein materials have been studied more in depth because of their unique properties that cannot be conferred by synthetic materials and because of the ability to produce these materials in high yields using sustainable and economically feasible methods in synthetic biology. My research focuses specifically on using synbio to produce novel adhesive protein-based materials that can be used in various underwater applications. When I'm not in the lab, I love traveling, watching superhero movies/shows, and cheering on Michigan football (Go Blue!)
Email: e.kim@wustl.edu
Jingyao Li
EECE Ph.D. student
Education:
B.S. Environmental Sciences, Peking University
My research interests mainly focus on the production of engineered living materials using synthetic biology. Living materials, defined as materials that are composed of living cells, have become a hot topic in recent years due to its great potential to serve as material factories or environmental sensors. In my free time, I enjoy reading history and mystery novels.
Email: jingyao.li@wustl.edu
Cameron Sargent
DBBS Ph.D. student, Safety Manager
Education:
B.S. Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University
Ever since the days of digging up ant hills as a kid, I have found biology to be pretty cool. The more I've learned about it, the more I've realized that as we continue to better understand it, we can use biology for some even cooler practical applications. I'm especially intrigued by the possibility of engineering microbes for the renewable and sustainable production of biofuels and high-performance materials and recognize that such advances will have tremendous impacts on the global economy, environment, and our everyday lives. I'm excited to participate in the research that will help bring these changes about, including the work I am doing right now on developing efficient microbial production processes for protein-based materials. In addition to awesome science, I like playing and watching sports and spending time with family and friends.
Email: cjsargent@wustl.edu
Alexander Schmitz
EECE Ph.D. student
Education:
B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
I am interested in metabolic engineering techniques and advancing knowledge on metabolic processes. Outside the lab I enjoy board games, watching football, and reading sci-fi/fantasy novels.
Email: a.c.schmitz@wustl.edu
Current Undergraduate Lab Members
| Xuyan Qin, EECE Undergraduate student | Michael Lee, Undergraduate student |
|---|
Past Lab Members and Current Positions (last known after leaving lab)
| Past Graduate Students | |
|---|---|
| Philip Montgomery, master student, Spring 2013 | Yu Xia, master student, 2013-2014 |
| Gayle Bentley, Ph.D., 2013-2016, Technology Manager, BETO/DOE, Golden, CO | Di Liu, Ph.D., 2012-2017, Postodoctoral Researcher, Sandia National Lab/JBEI, Emeryville, CA |
| Wen Jiang, Ph.D., 2013-2018, Scientist, ADM, Decatur, IL | Po-Cheng Lin, Ph.D., 2013-2019, Scientist, Ginkgo Bioworks, Boston, MA |
| Chris Bowen, Ph.D., 2013-2019 | Eugene Kim, Ph.D., 2015-2020, Assistant Professor, George Mason University, |
| Past Postdoctoral Fellows | |
|---|---|
| Yanfang Jiang, Ph.D., 2013-2014, Monsanto Inc., St. Louis, MO | Yi Xiao, Ph.D., 2013-2016, currently professor at Shanghai JiaoTong University, China |
| Carlos Barba, Ph.D., 2014-2016, Assistant Professor, Universidad de las Américas, Ecuador | Jie Sun, Ph.D., 2015-2016, Washington University, St. Louis, MO |
| Bin Dai, Ph.D., 2016-2019, currently professor at Shanghai JiaoTong University, China | Sangyoung Yoon, Ph.D., 2014-2016, CJ Corp., Korea |
| Wenqin Bai, Ph.D., 2016-2019, PI, Tianjin Institute of Biotechnology, Chiese Academy of Sciences |
| Past Undergraduate Students | |
|---|---|
| Christopher Feng, EECE Undergraduate student, Fall 2012 | Trey Weaver, WUSTL Undergraduate student, Summer 2013 |
| Timothy Jiang, WUSTL Undergraduate, 2013 | Kevin Chu, EECE Undergraduate student, 2013-2015 |
| Sarah Glade, NSF REU student, Summer 2013 | Robert Daniel Moynihan, EECE Undergraduate student, 2013-2015 |
| Diana Veit, Visiting Undergraduate student, Summer 2013 | Austin Middleton, EECE Undergraduate student, 2013-2014 |
| Philip Sossenheimer, WUSTL iGEM student, Summer 2013 | Jon Luskin, WUSTL iGEM student, Summer 2013 |
| Anna Koegler, EECE Undergraduate student, 2013-2015 | Jeff Bonin, EECE Undergraduate student, 2014-2015 |
| Ojas Joshi, Visiting Undergraduate student, Summer 2016 | Drew Ells, WUSTL iGEM student, Summer 2016 |
| Harley Greene, WUSTL iGEM student, Summer 2016 | Zach Glick, WUSTL iGEM student, Summer 2016 |
| Gillian Myers, WUSTL iGEM student, Summer 2016 | Pranay Ladiwala, Visiting Undergraduate student, Summer 2017 |
| Huibao Feng, Visiting Undergraduate student, Summer 2017 | Olivia Schmitz, WUSEF Undergraduate student, Summer 2017 |
| Collin Kilgore, WUSTL iGEM student, Summer 2017 | Maddie Lee, WUSTL iGEM student, Summer 2017 |
| Zoe Orenstein, WUSTL iGEM student, Summer 2017 | Micah Rickles-Young, WUSTL iGEM student, Summer 2017 |
| Mark Wang, WUSTL iGEM student, Summer 2017 | Alex Yenkin, WUSTL iGEM student, Summer 2017 |
| Joku Aussra, EECE Undergraduate student, 2017-2018 | Jimmy Qiao, EECE Undergraduate student, 2013-2018 |
| Aashutosh Boob, Visiting Undergraduate student, Summer 2018 | Alex Curylo, Visiting Undergraduate student, Summer 2018 |
| Yu Yan, Visiting Undergraduate student, Summer 2018 | Beryl Mpamo, EECE Undergraduate student, 2017-2018 |
| Xinyue Mu, Visiting Undergraduate Student, Summer 2019 | Tongjun Xiang, Visiting Undergraduate student, Summer 2019 |
| Charlie Wyffels, EECE Undergraduate student | Tavis Reed, EECE Undergraduate student |
|---|
Click here for group activity photos