Kristala Prather
Arthur D. Little Professor and Executive Officer, Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Each year, the previous year's Andreas Acrivos Award for Professional Progress in Chemical Engineering recipient is invited to deliver a special plenary. The plenary session is typically chaired by the previous lecturer (winner from two years previous).
The 2022 Andreas Acrivos Award Lecture will be delivered by 2021 award recipient Kristala L. J. Prather, Arthur D. Little Professor and Executive Officer, Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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About the Andreas Acrivos Award for Professional Progress in Chemical Engineering
In honor of one of the chemical engineering profession’s most influential leaders and one of the great fluid dynamacists of the 20th century, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) has renamed the Professional Progress Award the Andreas Acrivos Award for Professional Progress in Chemical Engineering.
The award recognizes outstanding progress in the field of chemical engineering. The awardee will have made a significant contribution to the science of chemical engineering through one of the following means:
- A theoretical discovery or development of a new principle in the chemical engineering field.
- Development of a new process or product in the chemical engineering field.
- An invention or development of new equipment in the chemical engineering field.
- Distinguished service rendered to the field or profession of chemical engineering.
The recipient is invited to deliver an address at the next Annual Meeting.
Building Microbial Chemical Factories: Design, Assembly, and Engineering of Biological Routes to Chemical Compounds
Kristala L. J. Prather, Arthur D. Little Professor Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Biological systems have the potential to produce a wide array of compounds with uses that include fuels, materials, bulk chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Our group is focused on applying principles from metabolic engineering and biocatalysis towards the design and construction of novel biosynthetic pathways for specified target compounds. This “retro-biosynthetic design” approach is aided by advancements in the development of new tools under the umbrella of synthetic biology that facilitate re-engineering of biological systems. As new pathways are designed and constructed, typical challenges such as low product yields and titers can hamper development of commercially-relevant processes. The sheer volume of chemicals that ultimately need to be produced also requires the use of a broader range of feedstocks than those traditional employed in bioprocesses. In this talk, I will review our group’s sustained efforts to both produce novel compounds through biological synthesis and develop strategies to address the inherent limitations.