Message from Chancellor Fox: One of UC San Diego’s greatest institutional strengths is the breadth and depth of faculty research on a range of important topics. Each month, Chancellor’s Corner will showcase cross-disciplinary faculty expertise in a specific area. I invite you to learn more about the work of these scholars, and I hope you share my pride in their achievements and their contributions to society.

Algal Biofuels

Steven Briggs, Ph.D., professor of cell and developmental biology
Steve Briggs is professor of cell and developmental biology.  His research area includes the use of genomic analysis of plants and animals, including the use of proteomics to identify regulatory aspects of lipid biogenesis in algae.  He was the first person to isolate and characterize a plant gene for resistance to infectious disease, as well as the first to discover a natural mechanism for plant resistance to infection. He also invented the first reverse genetics technology for plants, which is still widely used in maize research, and was the first to use artificial transcription factors to regulate endogenous genes in plants. More…

Mike Burkart, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry
Mike Burkart is an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry. Research in the Burkart laboratory has made valuable contributions in the areas of biological chemistry, natural products, and molecular diagnostics and has attracted significant attention from bioorganic, chemical, biological, medical and engineering communities. In the biofuel arena, Burkart discovered a unique proteomic strategy for the study of fatty acid biosynthetic enzymes in vivo and has developed these tools to optimize and engineer fatty acid biosynthetic pathways. More…

James W. Golden, Ph.D., professor of molecular biology
James Golden is a professor of molecular biology. He is one of the leading scientists investigating the genetics and molecular biology of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria and metabolic engineering of cyanobacteria for the production of biofuels. His laboratory has developed many molecular and genetic tools for the study of filamentous cyanobacteria. The research is designed to determine what products can be most efficiently produced by cyanobacteria. More…

Susan Golden, Ph.D., professor of molecular biology
Susan Golden is a professor of molecular biology. She has been at the forefront of cyanobacterial genetics and molecular biology almost since its inception. Her research looks at the circadian rhythms of gene expression in cyanobacteria, with the goal of understanding the basic mechanism of timekeeping and how the clock becomes synchronized with the environment and controls cellular processes. She is a member of the Faculty of 1000 Biology and a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. More…

Steve A. Kay, Ph.D., dean of the Division of Biological Sciences and Richard C. Atkinson Chair in Biological Sciences
Steve Kay is the dean of the Division of Biological Sciences and the Richard C. Atkinson Chair in Biological Sciences. He is also and professor of cell and developmental biology. His academic research concerns the molecular genetic basis of circadian rhythms in plants, animals and humans. He also focuses on the implementation of genomic tools to develop photosynthetic microbes for biofuel and bioproduct production. More…

Paul Linden, Ph.D., Blasker Distinguished Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering, chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and director of the UC San Diego Sustainability Solutions Institute
Paul Linden is the Blasker Distinguished Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering, chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and director of the UC San Diego Sustainability Solutions Institute. His research focuses on the span environmental flows in the oceans and atmosphere, and the design of natural and low-energy ventilation systems for sustainable buildings. More…

Bernard O. Palsson, Ph.D., Galetti professor of bioengineering and adjunct professor of medicine
Bernard Palsson is the Galetti professor of bioengineering and adjunct professor of medicine. His research focuses on the reconstruction of genome-scale biochemical reaction networks, and the development of mathematical analysis procedures for genome-scale models with current emphasis on cellular metabolism and transcriptional regulation in E. coli, yeast and algae. More…

** To learn more about other campus faculty scholars and areas of expertise, please visit the searchable UC San Diego Faculty Experts Database at: http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/facultyExperts/