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SUMMARY:Inaugural Lecture - Prof. Wenyu Gu
DTSTART:20231018T180000
DTEND:20231018T191500
DTSTAMP:20260412T072801Z
UID:8bfb8c1dc94400e24099b42639d14206550c41c283e2cd73773ed2c3
CATEGORIES:Inaugural lectures - Honorary Lecture
DESCRIPTION:Prof. Wenyu Gu\nDate: 18 October 2023\nTime: 18:00 – 19:15\
 nIntroductions by the Dean\, lectures by Prof. Sarah Nichols and Prof. Wen
 yu Gu. Followed by an Apero.\nPlace: SG 1\nZoom link\n\n\nTitle:\nMicrobi
 al CO2 recovery – from microbial physiology to robust biomethanation \n
 \nAbstract\nThere is limitless potential in harnessing microorganisms for 
 broad applications. The potential is rooted in microorganisms’ versatile
  metabolic capability and wide physiological adaptation. At MICROBE\, we a
 im to reveal fundamental principles governing the growth and metabolism of
  microorganisms to support the development of robust biotechnological proc
 esses. In this lecture\, I will illustrate using a quantitative biology ap
 proach to understanding the physiology and resource allocation strategies 
 in CO2 reducing microorganisms from past work\, and how it could inform a 
 better design of biological methanation process. To effectively mitigate g
 lobal warming and climate change\, there is an urgent need to transition f
 rom a fossil carbon-based to a CO2-based economy. To achieve effective CO2
  conversion\, metabolism of methanogenic archaea and acetogenic bacteria p
 rovides a unique opportunity to convert CO2 into useful fuels and chemical
  precursors with high selectivity at ambient conditions\, eliminating the 
 need for high energy-dependent chemical and separation processes. Such bio
 catalytic processes represent promising solutions to produce carbon-neutra
 l commodity chemicals and fuels from CO2\, in particular of compounds that
  are amenable for long-term energy storage for intermittent renewable ener
 gy sources (CH4). To promote the application of methanogen\, we investigat
 ed how substrate flux (i.e.\, feed inflow) affects the metabolic activity 
 and biomass synthesis of methanogens using a quantitative and systemic bio
 logy approach. Further\, I will highlight ongoing research aimed at mechan
 istic understanding of anaerobic digestion process for the recycling of or
 ganic waste to chemical precursors. These examples underscore how MICROBE 
 aims to enhance the use of microbes for diverse applications\, including e
 nergy capture and resource recovery.\n\nAbout the speaker\nWenyu Gu joined
  ENAC in January 2023\, where she leads the Microbial Physiology and Resou
 rce Biorecovery Laboratory (MICROBE). Her research at EPFL aims to advance
  understanding of microbial processes to enhance their use for energy capt
 ure and resource recovery. In 2017 she received her PhD in Environmental E
 ngineering from the University of Michigan\, Ann Arbor (US). Following her
  doctoral studies she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford Univ
 ersity focusing on CO2 reduction by anaerobic microbial processes. She was
  awarded the ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award for her PhD thesis 
 and graduated with the Richard and Eleanor Towner Prize for distinguished 
 academic achievement.
LOCATION:SG 1138 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==SG%201138
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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