SEM - About Us

Our Team

Pablo Iván Nikel
Senior Researcher
Group Leader

As a biotechnologist, I have been always interested in microorganisms and bioproduction―and to mediate a change towards a sustainable lifestyle. My team at the Center for Biosustainability focuses on this objective by engineering environmental bacteria for bioproduction of novel chemicals.

Daniel Christoph Volke

Post-doctoral Researcher

Hi, I am Daniel! I am a post-doc in the SEM group working on expanding the synthetic biology toolbox for environmental bacteria and programming biofilm formation and dispersal in Pseudomonas putida for whole-cell biocatalysis.

Nicolas Thilo Wirth

Ph.D. Student

Enthusiast of microbial metabolic engineering and synthetic biology and excited to work at the front of a dawning biotechnological era.

Mariela Mezzina

Post-doctoral Researcher

Working in getting Pseudomonas putida in shape for efficient bioproduction towards a sustainable future!

Manuel Nieto-Domínguez

Post-doctoral Researcher

Biochemist determined to challenge enzymes with new to Nature reactions: my duty in the SEM group is to make proteins from Pseudomonas putida (and others) to comply with our every whim.

Robert Haas

Post-doctoral Researcher

Hi, I am Rob! I work on the implementation and optimization of synthetic fluorometabolism in Pseudomonas putida and Escherichia coli.

Carlos León Sobrino

Post-doctoral Researcher

I am Carlos, and I work as a post-doc in the SEM group developing an iterative CRISPR-Cas based screening tool in Pseudomonas, with the aim of identifying targets for genome engineering and constructing improved strains for bioproduction.

Justine Turlin

Ph.D. Student

Eager to use synthetic biology and metabolic engineering to develop processes for the bioproduction of chemicals from alternative carbon sources.

Antonin Cros

Ph.D. Student

Curious to find innovative and sustainable ways to bioproduce halogenated compounds by plugging pathways together in a lego-like fashion.

Nicolás Gurdo

Ph.D. Student

Fervent biotechnologist seeking to exert control over synthetic biological systems and paving the way towards accurate, high-throughput microbial metabolomics.

Nicolas Krink

Post-doctoral Researcher

Inspired by Nature, I am engineering the core metabolic pathways of Pseudomonas putida to produce new-to-Nature long-chain fluorinated molecules.

Garret William O’Connell

Ph.D. Student

Sulfonate degradation is what gets me up in the morning and sulfonate transport keeps me going. I am the Uber eats guy for sulfonate metabolism in our Pseudomonas putida (p.s. they can be fluorinated!).

Aboubakar Sidiki Sako

Ph.D. Student

As a researcher, my main interest are the bioproduction of high-value-added biomolecules and protein engineering.

Alberto de María

Ph.D. Student

I’m a Ph.D. student in love with biochemistry and metabolic engineering, especially interested in synthetic metabolism for C1 assimilation and production of fluorinated metabolites.

Enrico Orsi

Post Doctoral Researcher

Promoting new-to-industry bacteria to the level of cell factories. I combine metabolic engineering with synthetic biology for designing new CO2-based biorefineries.

Eray Ulaş Bozkurt

Research Assistant

Hi, I am Eray! I work on establishing an in-vitro platform to get the best out of enzymes (especially, our beloved fluorinase)!

Filippo Federici

Research Assistant

As an Italian, I like to teach people what they should eat. For my Ph.D., I decided to accept a bigger challenge: teaching Pseudomonas putida to eat CO2.

Ivar de Jong

Research Assistant

Hi, I am Ivar. I am working as a research assistant in the group. I am fascinated by the versatility of nature, and I am eager to find new ways to apply this in engineered organisms.

María Gracia Alván Vargas

PhD Student

Hi there! I am Maria Gracia from the Inca’s land, Peru. I am a curious metabolic engineer working on the production of sustainable and biodegradable polymers using C1 molecules as substrate.

Òscar Puiggené González

Ph.D. Student

Environmental biotechnologist developing new ways to mitigate human-based effects on our planet and on the quest for a sustainable, bio-based circular economy.

Stefano Donati

Post Doctoral Researcher

Hi, I am Stefano and I work as a Postdoctoral researcher. I am a passionate scientist interested in understanding and engineering biology to enable a sustainable bio-based economy.

Former Members

Patricia Calero Valdayo

Post-doctoral Researcher

I am Patricia, and I work as a post-doc in the SEM group developing new strategies for the production of halogenated building blocks designing cell factories based on Pseudomonas putida.

Isabel Pardo

Post-doctoral Researcher

I use evolution to engineer proteins and microbes. Why do the work yourself when Nature can do it for you?

Ekaterina Kozaeva

Ph.D. Student

In love with metabolic engineering and biotechology since 2010 and invading the private life of a very important bacterium since 2017.

Lorena Fernandez - Post-doctoral Researcher.

Students

Javier Hernández - (2021) Master Student - Technical University of Denmark

Kristoffer Tang Kordatos - (2021-2022) Master Student - Technical University of Denmark

Tommaso Tagliani - (2022) Master Student - Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Chemical and Biological Engineering for a Sustainable Bioeconomy (EMJMD Bioceb)

Aina Sendra Ortiz - (2022) Master Student - Technical University of Denmark

Marcus Medom Ryding - (2022) Master Student - Technical University of Denmark

Ta Cong Quan - (2022) Bachelor Student - HAN University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands

Louison Nallet - (2022) Master Student - ENSTBB

Erick Adrian Sanchez Zamudio - (2022) Bachelor Student - Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.

Alexandre Perrin - (2022) Master Student - Engineering school AgroParisTech in France

Martina Fricano - (2022) Master Student - University of Bologna