Curriculum Vitae
Curriculum Vitae
Education
M.S. Biochemistry
Montana State University
August 2020 - December 2022
Characterizing and engineering enzymes involved in terephthalate catabolism for PET plastic upcycling applications
B.S. Biology Summa Cum Laude
Portland State University, September 2015 - March 2018
Focus on molecular biology & biochemistry; 2 years laboratory research experience
B.S. Product & Material Studies
Minor in History of Art & Modern Architecture
University of Oregon, September 2010 - June 2014
Focus on furniture, lighting, and textile design
Minor focus on modern, utopian, and bio-inspired architecture
Key Skills
Molecular Biology & Biochemistry: Cloning, PCR, strain engineering & characterization, protein expression and purification, activity assays, FPLC, HPLC
Soft Skills: Experimental design optimization, scientific writing and presentation, lab supply management and ordering, note keeping and spreadsheet cataloging, having fun
Design & illustration: Figure design, data plotting and visualization, 3D rendering, digital and traditional illustration, web and logo design
Programs & languages: PyMol, Geneious, SnapGene, Fusion 360, Microsoft Office, Blender, Adobe Suite, R, Python
Awards & Fellowships
Graduate Research Fellowship
National Science Foundation, Awarded 2020Director’s Award
National Bioenergy Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2019
Publications
Biochemical and structural characterization of an aromatic ring–hydroxylating dioxygenase for terephthalic acid catabolism,
W.M. Kincannon, M. Zahn, R Clare, … Gregg T. Beckham, John E. McGeehan, Jennifer L. DuBois, 2022, PNAS 119 (13)A flexible kinetic assay efficiently sorts prospective biocatalysts for PET plastic subunit hydrolysis,
JL Beech, R Clare, WM Kincannon, E Erickson, JE McGeehan, Gregg T Beckham, Jennifer L DuBois, 2022, RSC Advances 12 (13), 8119-8130Tandem chemical deconstruction and biological upcycling of poly (ethylene terephthalate) to β-ketoadipic acid by Pseudomonas putida KT2440,
AZ Werner, R Clare, ... Adam M Guss, Gregg T Beckham, 2021, Metabolic Engineering 67, 250-261
Research Experience
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
August 2020 - December 2022Characterization and engineering of enzymes involved in polyester ester hydrolysis and terephthalate metabolism for the biocatalysis and upcycling of PET plastic
Post-Baccalaureate Intern - Molecular Biology,
National Bioenergy Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado
August 2018 - July 2020Full-time position focusing on the metabolic engineering of Pseudomonas putida KT2440
Projects included: Engineering KT2440 for the bioconversion of solid PET plastic, PET monomers, and other plastic degradation products; Screening environmental samples for new plastic and terephthalate degraders; Engineering KT2440 for the production of branched-chain polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)
Member of NREL’s Working Sustainability Group managing sustainability efforts on NREL’s campus; Led a campaign to eliminate single-use plastics from all of NREL’s food service areas.
Undergraduate Researcher, Stedman Lab, Portland State University, Portland, OR
June 2017 - August 2018
Researching the genomes and capsid proteins of Sulfolobus Spindle-shaped Viruses (SSVs)
Volunteer Researcher, Cambronne Lab, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
January 2017 - November 2017
Researching ABC transporters in Legionella pneumophila
Skills: Plasmid design, SDS-PAGE, protein expression (E. coli) and purification via FPLC and SEC (analytical and preparative), high-throughput enzymatic assay development, enzyme kinetics determination, HPLC analysis and method development, protein structural analysis in PyMol, differential scanning fluorimetry, ICP-MS and atomic absorption spectroscopy for metals analysis; Microsoft office; lab management
Skills: Primer and plasmid design, cloning (Gibson) and chromosomal integration via SacB counter selection for heterologous and native gene expression in P. putida KT2440, colony PCR, DNA gels, and sequence verification; experimental design for strain characterization involving growth rate comparisons in both 96-well plate and shake-flask formats, use of HPLC to quantify metabolite conversion and yield; analysis of polymer mass loss and crystallinity using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA); presentation of findings in regular meetings and writing quarterly reports for D.O.E. milestones; visual communication of research for publication, grant proposals, and journal covers.
Skills: Extremophile cell culture, viral halo assays, whole virus and viral protein expression and purification, SDS-PAGE & Western blot
Skills: E. coli cell culture, protein expression screening, SDS-PAGE & Western blot
Science Communication & Other Experience
Freelance Scientific Illustrator, Scivetica, November 2021 - Present
Poster presenter, SIMB Symposium on Biomaterials, Fuels, and Chemicals, New Orelans, LA, May 2022
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, August 2020 - June 2021
Speaker & Activity Leader, STEMblazers, Denver, CO, September 2019 - February 2020
Install Volunteer, GRID Alternatives, CO, October 2019 - February 2020
Conference Speaker: “Kicking Plastic’s Butt: Engineering Pseudomonas putida KT440 for the consolidated bioprocessing of PET”, Symposium on Microbial Carbon Valorization, Golden, CO, 2019
Presenter: “Designing for Life - Synthetic Biology for a Sustainable Future”, Ladies’ Lab Night, Portland, OR, March 9, 2019
Speaker: “The Biochemistry, Art, & History of Indigo”, SciArt: Earth, Portland, OR, April 20, 2018
Natural Dye Education Station, Buckman Elementary School STEAM Night, Portland, OR, April 12, 2018
Speaker: “Boiling Acid, Viruses, & the Architecture of Life”, Ladies' Lab Night, Portland, OR, March 8, 2018
Co-organizer & Co-Founder, Ladies' Lab Night, Portland, OR, March 8, 2018
Helped organize a night inviting students from K-12 schools in the Portland community to meet the women & non-binary researchers in the Biology, Chemistry, Geology, and Physics departments at PSU
References
Christopher W. Johnson
Staff Scientist, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Christopher.Johnson@nrel.govWill Kincannon
Scientist II, Treeline Biosciences, Formerly at Montana State
wkincannon@gmail.com
Gregg Beckham
Senior Research Fellow, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Gregg.Beckham@nrel.govAllison Werner
Staff Scientist, National Renewable Energy Lab
Allison.Werner@nrel.gov
Thank you!