Bioengineering, Biotechnology, Chemical Engineering, Computational Biology, mathematical modelling, metabolic engineering
Biotechnology; bioengineering; chemical engineering; metabolic engineering; systems biology; synthetic biology; computational biology; bioinformatics; cheminformatics; functional genomics; mathematical modeling; optimization; anaerobic microbiology; and environmental microbiology. Trained as a bioengineer, Dr. Islam鈥檚 research focuses on the design, re-design, and implementation of biological processes to tackle important societal challenges, including the bioproduction of 鈥榞reen鈥 petrochemicals from gases, mitigating nutrient pollution from the environment, and developing novel chemotherapies for cancer treatment. He uses both computational and experimental approaches to engineer 鈥榗ellular metabolism,鈥 namely bioprocesses, to achieve the research objectives.
Rhizosphere Function IRP Leader
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory - EMSLGene Expression, metabolic engineering, Molecular Biology, Plant Biology, Plant Breeding
Dr. Amir Ahkami is a biologist and the leader of the . Ahkami joined EMSL in 2015 to support the development of the plant science research program. He also holds the position of adjunct assistant professor at Washington State University in Pullman, WA. He is currently leading research projects as a principal investigator focusing on poplar (Populus spp.) and model grasses’ (Brachypodium鈥痑nd鈥疭etaria) responses to abiotic stresses, molecular physiology of root formation, and physiological phenotyping to narrow the genotype-to-phenotype knowledge gap for crop improvement. He employs state-of-the-art technologies, including single cell-type specific molecular profiling coupled with high-resolution cellular imaging to address plant biology research gaps on molecular and physiological mechanisms that control bioenergy crop productivity and fitness in relationship to microbial communities in the rhizosphere. He is also assisting EMSL collaborators and users in the development of creative new applications for plant sciences.鈥