Kyle Lauersen
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Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building III 7418 Innovation Way S #103 Mesa, AZ 85212
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Dr. Lauersen is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation (AzCATI) within the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment (SSEBE) at ASU.
Dr. Lauersen is a full time Associate Professor at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. His group is named Sustainable & Synthetic Biotechnology (SSB) with their main research focussed on engineering algae to be green cell factories and other themes within the scope of algal biotechnology
2011-2014 – Doktors der Naturwissenschaften (Dr. rer. nat./Ph.D.). Biology, Bielefeld University, Germany
Thesis: Heterologous expression of an ice binding protein from the microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii with an optimized nuclear gene expression system. Thesis: 1.0, Defense: 1.0, Distinction: Magna cum Laude
Scholar in the Cluster of Industrial Biotechnology - Graduate Cluster (CLIB-GC)
2009-2011 – Master of Science. Biology, Queen’s University, Canada
Thesis: Lolium perenne antifreeze protein, part of a freeze-tolerance strategy
2008-2009 – Bachelor of Education. Specialty: Intermediate-Senior division, Queen’s University
2004-2008 – Bachelor of Science (Honours). Biology Major, Queen’s University
Honours Thesis: Using an antisense strategy to confirm the identity of a candidate gene in the shrivelled leaf activation tagged mutant poplar and identifying the role of epigenetic modification in the regulation of phenotype in activation tagged Populus
My research interests are shared between the fundamental understanding of gene regulation and metabolism in eukaryotic organisms and the use of synthetic biology to enable sustainable biotechnology with microalgae. These organisms are fascinating and can serve as elegant platforms for the development of sustainable biotechnological processes using light and CO2 to generate high-value or bulk consumer products. My research leverages the technologies collectively known as synthetic biology and metabolic engineering to enable modification of algae to broaden their applications as green industrial cell factories. I am interested in the use of microalgae to probe the nature of eukaryotic genetic regulation, carbon metabolism, and to translate this fundamental understanding into sustainable light-driven green biotechnology concepts.
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