Talk Abstract: Since my first technical talk at the AIChE Annual Meeting in 2004 until today, the Division of Food, Pharmaceutical and Bioengineering (FPBE) has evolved immensely; adapting continuously to meet the interests and needs of its members, as well as promote the profession more broadly. Along the timeline of FPBE’s evolution, my service participation in FPBE has deepened and my research endeavors have evolved significantly from where they began in 2004. Thankfully, those research activities always found a home in FPBE due to its broad programming and inclusive vision. In this talk, I will summarize the co-evolution of FPBE, my service to the division, and research activities over the past 20+ years with an eye towards inspiring the next generation of engineers to get involved and chart their own course with FPBE.
About Prof. Brynildsen:
Dr. Mark P. Brynildsen is a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Princeton University and a member of the Omenn-Darling Bioengineering Institute. He earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Rutgers University and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, followed by postdoctoral training as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Associate at Boston University. Since joining the Princeton faculty in 2010, Dr. Brynildsen has established a research program that combines experimental and computational systems biology to understand bacterial persistence, antibiotic tolerance, and mechanisms of immune evasion. His work seeks to identify strategies to enhance the efficacy of antimicrobial treatments by targeting metabolic and stress-response pathways. Dr. Brynildsen has received numerous honors, including the NSF CAREER Award, the Princeton Engineering Council Excellence in Teaching Award, and Princeton’s Graduate Mentoring Award.