Bacteria are usually considered to be a threat to humans. Yet, bacteria are also capable of stunning feats of organic chemistry unmatched by the efforts of measly humans. Join us to learn how a new scientific philosophy called “synthetic biology” is being used to design and build “bacteria factories” for the discovery and manufacture of medicines to treat human diseases and infections.

Dr. Gavin Williams is an Associate Professor in Bio-organic Chemistry at NC State University. His research group takes an integrative approach to engineering biology to carry out new functions, with the long-term goal of constructing new drugs. Originally from England, Gavin received his B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of Wales, a PhD from the University of Leeds, and completed post-doctoral training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Gavin joined the Department of Chemistry at NC State in 2009, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2015, and has been named a University Faculty Scholar (2015-2020). He is also recipient of the 2012 NSF CAREER Award, the 2014 Sigma Xi Research Award and is a member of the Comparative Medicine Institute at NC State.

Thumbnail photo by Alexander van Dijk - Creative Commons.

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