Members

Research interests: High-throughput microfluidics; lab-on-a-chip; synthetic biology; biotechnology; organ-on-a-chip.

Dr. Arum Han is the Texas Instruments Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Chancellor’s EDGES Fellow, and the Presidential Impact Fellow of Texas A&M University. He holds joint appointments in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Chemical Engineering, is a Graduate Faculty of the Texas A&M Health Science Center, Faculty of the Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, and Faculty of Toxicology. His research focuses on development of microfluidic, lab-on-a-chip, and organ-on-a-chip systems that enable unique biological experiments at high throughput and high accuracy that can then be readily adopted by the broad bio/medical science community. He has pioneered the area of high-throughput microfluidics for microbiology applications, and have been applying these technologies for synthetic biology, host-pathogen interactions, infectious disease, and microbial bioproduction. He serves as the director of the AggieFab Nanofabrication Facility, a campus-wide core user facility. He is the Editor-in-Chief for the journal Biomedical Microdevices.

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Kung-Hui (Bella) Chu

Email: kchu@civil.tamu.edu

 

Research interests: environmental engineering and biotechnology; applied microbiology; molecular biology; virology; synthetic biology.

Dr. Kung-Hui (Bella) Chu is a Professor of Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. Dr. Chu’s expertise is in environmental biotechnology and engineering to address challenging issues in soil, water, and waste-food-energy nexus.  Her research team currently focuses on bioremediation and biodegradation of priority and emerging contaminants in wastewater, soil and groundwater, production of bioenergy, bioplastics, and valued elements from wastes, sustainable development of aquaculture and bio-sequestering greenhouse gases.

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Chelsea Hu

Email: chelsea.hu@tamu.edu

 

 

Research interests: Synthetic biology; systems biology; control theory.

Dr. Chelsea Hu is an ACES Assistant Professor in The Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University. She received her B.S. from UCLA in 2013 and her Ph.D. from Cornell University in 2018. She joined Texas A&M in 2022 after completing postdoctoral studies at the California Institute of Technology. Dr. Hu leads the Synbio Systems lab, which studies the system dynamics and feedback control principles in biomolecular networks using a combination of systems modeling and experimentation methods. The lab studies system dynamic modeling, system identification, and control theory implementation in biomolecular systems. The current systems of interest include cell-free and synthetic cells, synthetic microbial consortia, and silicon-cell communication systems.

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Arul Jayaraman

Email: arulj@tamu.edu

 

Research interests:

Molecular systems biotechnology, specifically on using integrated experimental and modeling approaches for investigating problems in human health and medicine
Systems biology of cytokine signaling in inflammatory diseases
Inter-kingdom signaling interactions between bacteria and human cells in GI tract infections
Development of microfluidic model systems for combinatorial drug screening and vascular tissue engineering

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Xiaoning Qian

Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering

Affiliated Faculty, Computer Science and Engineering

Joint Faculty, Computer Engineering

Email: xqian@tamu.edu

 

Research interests: Bayesian methods; machine learning; uncertainty quantification; optimal experimental design; signal/image processing; computational network biology; synthetic biology.

Dr. Xiaoning Qian is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University. He also holds a joint appointment in the Applied Math group of Computational Science Initiative at Brookhaven National Laboratory. His research focuses on developing mathematical models and computational algorithms in signal/image processing, machine learning, and Bayesian methods, especially in learning, uncertainty quantification, and experimental design. He has actively applied probabilistic models and optimization algorithms for applications in life and materials sciences, focusing on novel materials discovery and generative molecular design.

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Baley Reeves

Interim Director of National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing

Email: baley@tamu.edu

 

 

Research interests: Downstream processing; protein purification; chromatography; filtration; separations; centrifugation; mRNA; gene therapy.

Baley Reeves is the interim director of the National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing (NCTM).  She received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering with a Bioengineering specialization from UCLA in 2006, and her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University in 2010 where she was a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow.  Baley currently leads NCTM’s mRNA project initiatives, and has over 15 years of experience in downstream processing and over 11 years of experience in biomanufacturing workforce training.  She has expertise in the recovery and purification of recombinant proteins, vaccines, and gene therapy products, as well as experience in cGMP manufacturing and process development. Prior to joining NCTM, Baley was a senior scientist at the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), where she developed and taught courses for biotech industry leaders, regulatory agencies, and the WHO. She has also worked on numerous vaccine-related projects, including a global survey of the vaccine manufacturing landscape with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She has authored articles on protein purification in Trends in Biotechnology, Protein Science, Protein Expression and Purification, and Microbial Cell Factories, as well as articles on biomanufacturing training and education published in Chemical Engineering Education.

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Yang Shen

Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering

Affiliated Faculty, Computer Science and Engineering

Joint Faculty, Computer Engineering

Email: yshen@tamu.edu

 

Research interests: Machine learning, optimization; generative AI; biomolecular sequences, structures, interactions and functions; biomolecular engineering; protein design; drug discovery; genetic variant effects; systems biology; synthetic biology.

Dr. Yang Shen is an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University (TAMU).  He is also an affiliated faculty member of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and the Institute of Biosciences and Technologies.  His research interests are in optimization and machine learning for modeling biological molecules, systems, and data.  Applications include prediction and design of protein interactions, de novo protein design, mechanistic prediction of protein mutational effects, and resistance-overcoming drug design.

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Won Bo Shim

Professor, Plant Pathology and Microbiology

Associate Department Head for Academics, Plant Pathogenic Fungi & Mycotoxicology

Email: wbshim@tamu.edu

 

Research interests: Fungal biology and genetics, plant pathogens, host-pathogen interactions, functional genomics, fungal enzyme functions, secondary metabolism

Dr. Won Bo Shim’s research focuses on the biology of fungal pathogens of important field crops in Texas, with emphasis on molecular genetic mechanisms of pathogen development, plant-pathogen interactions, and mycotoxins. Recently, he is pursuing innovative collaborations with TAMU engineering colleagues on mixed-plastic waste remediation through the use of environmental microbes. His research activities have been successfully funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the National Science Foundation, and other extramural funds. Dr. Shim is very active in undergraduate and graduate teaching, with strong passion for high-impact, experiential learning such as study abroad programs and undergraduate research internships. He was recently recognized with 2021 Dean’s Outstanding Achievement Award for Educational Enrichment and Innovation. He has also served on Texas A&M University Faculty Senate and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Inclusive Excellence Committee.

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Qing Sun

Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering

Herbert H. Richardson Faculty Fellow

Email: sunqing@tamu.edu

 

Research interests: 

Qing  Sun joined The Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering in January 2018 as assistant professor. She obtained her Ph. D. in Dr. Wilfred Chen group at University of Delaware and did her postdoc training in Dr. Timothy Lu group at MIT Synthetic Biology Center.

We focus on Synthetic Biology and Biomolecular Engineering with advancing designs and applications. Using our expertise in machine learning, protein engineering, and microbial consortia engineering, we are developing new techniques to reprogram gut microbiome, protein machinery and biomaterials. Our current application areas include health, environment, and energy.

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Xuejun Zhu

Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering

Email: xjzhu@tamu.edu

 

 

Research interests: Natural product biosynthesis; xenobiotic metabolism; biochemistry; enzymology; microbial systems; biomolecular engineering; secretion systems; synthetic biology.

Dr. Xuejun Zhu is an Assistant Professor in The Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University. She received her B.S. from Nanjing University in 2012 and her Ph.D. degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 2017. She joined Texas A&M in 2019 after completing postdoctoral studies at MIT and Wyss institute. Dr. Zhu’s lab is interested in uncovering new biology and chemistry by elucidating the biosynthesis and metabolism of small molecules (e.g., natural products, pharmaceuticals) and macromolecules (e.g., protein-based nanomachines). Her lab is also interested in utilizing the knowledge to build biological platforms that enable the rapid and eco-friendly production of these molecules for health and environmental applications. Dr. Zhu was awarded the NIH Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award in 2022.