Research interests: Metabolic Engineering, Systems Biology, Industrial Bioengineering, Circular Economy
Biography
Christian joined the Department of Chemical Engineering from the start-up world in 2023 as an assistant professor. He has industrial experience and expertise in developing novel microbial platforms for chemical production and scaling these from the benchtop to commercial scale. Drawing on this expertise, Christian and his group work to discover and develop novel microbial pathways to valorize waste products such as CO2, its reduced derivatives, and plastics. To this end, Christian’s industrial work has demonstrated commercial viability of the world’s first bio-based glycolic acid produced from a waste stream. He is an emerging leader in the movement toward circularity in manufacturing through harnessing the power of microbial metabolism.
Christian holds a BASc in Chemical Engineering and an HBSc in Biochemistry from the University of Ottawa. He completed his PhD at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Krishna Mahadevan in Systems Biology and Metabolic Engineering. Following this, he co-founded Phycus Biotechnologies (https://www.phycusbio.com) and established a demonstration biomanufacturing facility in partnership with the Verschuren Centre, a research institute, in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Christian remains connected to industry through his company and is actively embedded in the Canadian biomanufacturing network through entrepreneurial activities such as developing and translating new technologies and consulting.
Education
- Doctorate, Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 2022
- Bachelor of Applied Science, Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Ottawa, 2014
- Bachelor of Science, Biochemistry, University of Ottawa, 2014
