Jay D. Keasling

Contact

(510) 495-2620

5885 Hollis St., 4th Floor Emeryville, CA 94608
UC mailcode: MC 3224

Keasling Lab

Title: 
Professor, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Department: 
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Bioengineering (College of Engineering)
Biography: 

Professor, Department of Bioengineering
Senior Faculty Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Philomathia Foundation Chair in Alternative Energy
CEO, Joint BioEnergy Institute

Joined the UC Berkeley Faculty in 1992

Education
1986 B.S., University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Chemistry and Biology
1988 M.S., University of Michigan, Chemical Engineering
1991 Ph.D., University of Michigan, Chemical Engineering
1991-1992 Postdoctorate, Stanford University, Biochemistry
Major Awards
2021 Distinguished Scientists Fellow, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy
2019 Doing a World of Good, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
2016 Election as a Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2015 Eric and Shiela Samson Prime Minister’s Prize in Innovation in Alternative Fuels for Transportation. Tel Aviv, Israel
2015 Honorary Doctorate, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
2014 Innovator Award – Biosciences, Economist Magazine
2014 Eni Renewable Energy Prize, Eni S.p.A.
2013 George Washington Carver Award for Innovation in Industrial Biotechnology, Biotechnology Industry Organization
2012 Heinz Award for Technology, the Economy and Employment, Heinz Family Foundation
2010 National Academy of Engineering
2009 Inaugural Biotech Humanitarian Award, Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
2006 Scientist of the Year, Discover Magazine
2005 Technology Pioneer, World Economic Forum
Professional Experience
2007-Present Chief Executive Officer, Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Emeryville, CA
2006-Present Senior Faculty Scientist, , Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA
2004-Present Professor, Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
2001-Present Professor, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
2013-Present Investigator, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark
2012-Present Sydney Brenner Visiting Professor, National University of Singapore, Singapore
2010-2017 Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA
2010-2012 Nanyang Professor, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
2009-2010 Acting Deputy Laboratory Director, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA
2006-2016 Director, Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center (Synberc), University of California, Berkeley, CA
2005-2009 Division Director, Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA
1992-2006 Faculty Scientist, Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA
1998-2001 Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
1992-1998 Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
1991-1992 Post doctoral fellow, Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
1986-1991 PhD student, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Research: 

Metabolic engineering of microorganisms

The mission of the research in the Keasling Laboratory is to develop foundational tools for engineering metabolism inside cells and to use those tools to solve important societal problems. We have created a variety of tools for regulating metabolic pathways inside cells, novel metabolic pathways to produce unnatural molecules, and robust microbial hosts for producing chemicals under a variety of industrial conditions. We have used these tools to produce the antimalarial drug artemisinin, a variety of commodity and specialty chemicals, and biofuels.